30 Cupcakes for 30 Awesome Years

as i mentioned a few posts ago, my wonderful friend cindy turned 30 last week. i really wanted to make her a cake since 1. i took that stinkin class and i really feel like i should be making more cakes with my new found skills and 2. because i had no real money to buy her a real present, and so i wanted to make her a cake that she would love and that would be her present. i thought of what kind of cake i could make for her, and it dawned on me to make 30 cupcakes to represent 30 years of her amazing life. i haven't taken the fondant class yet, but it seemed simple enough from the sounds of it on the internet.

so i went to Michael's and bought a block of ready-to-use fondant, and a box of food coloring (the serious kind. it has a 'copper/ skin stone' color in there. it was perfect!) and just as i thought, fondant is really easy! if you know how to play with play dough, you know how to use fondant. the only tools i needed were a few butter knives, toothpicks (for the food coloring, and the eyes on the people), ziploc bags, and clear plastic wrap (to keep the unused fondant 'fresh). and i stored the little models in tupperware for 3-4 days. i started this project at wednesday's nap and just barely finished before the party on saturday. i only worked at nap times and when the kids were asleep.

mike and christin, cindy's husband and sister, helped me out with some meaninful things that happened to cindy throughout the years, and cindy did too, though she didn't know what she was helping me with. the beginning years are kind of abstract, i added things like 'i love the ocean' because cindy started an oceanography club at her elementary school where she was the best 6th grade teacher, and i happened to not have anything to put on that particular year's cupcake. here are some fruits of my labour of love (1. i love cindy, 2. i love making sweets for people, 3. i kinda love fondant now)


maybe not the best shot of all 30 cupcakes, but i wasn't tall enough to get a bird's eye view shot.
cindy's favorite colors are pink and teal, so i wrapped a metal baking pan with tissue paper of those colors.


one of my faves. it says "I'm 5!" I need to work on my penmanship (or my pipingmanship?)


the first 10 years from 1980-1989. which included christin's being born when cindy was 2, and cindy's accepting Jesus into her heart when she was 6.


the next 10. this included her favorite childhood memory of sliding down the stairs in her sleeping bag and peeing all the way down (you are gross cindy. but i love you. and you are also pretty.), her first kiss at 16, and her meeting her husband mike when he was 16 and she was 19 (so many comments could be made here, but i shall refrain!)


the last 10. this included a couple trips, her getting married (yes, that's a ring pop. that and the candles are the only things not handmade on the cupcakes.), her coming to sun valley community church which was of the utmost importance otherwise i would not have her in my life, and her almost getting arrested for partaking in a joking eyebrow snip at school (such a long yet amazing story...)




another one of my favorites

making flags is one of the easier things to do since you just roll out and cut stuff out.

all you need is a little water and pressure to make things stick together. this was good for me since cindy is quite the traveler!

i originally was just going to do the 'ASU' sign, but then cindy's sister 'dared' me to make a sun devil, and i cannot pass up a dare!

this is the 2009 cupcake, which is the year when cindy's baby will make her appearance, and we cannot wait!

there were 30 candles on the 'cake' (at ages 8 and 22), but i would not recommend putting 22 candles on one cupcake. drew almost lost his eye brow and the front section of his home!)

anyway, if there is anything i can create for you or a loved one- let me know! this was too much fun to not do again. (and i promise to work on my sloppy writing!)