Holiday Cupcake Pin Cushion and Tag

This is a project I came up with for my oldest daughter and me.  We both needed a gift idea that could be duplicated for a couple of dollars per gift as we each needed about a dozen.  This fall, I attended the most fabulous workshop in Mesa, AZ at Carole Wingert's home.  As part of our gift baskets, she included a handmade pumpkin pincushion made of tapestry fabric.  (Free pattern and instructions at Fiskar's website).  I checked out the pattern and as cute as it was, it was just too much work for me to be able to duplicate 25 times in such a short time space.  After a little trial and error, I ended up with our cupcake design.

Supplies used for cupcake:

1)  Cut out a 7" circle of fabric (adjust size for your container).  Sew a running stitch around the edge of fabric circle.  Pull, gathering slightly and stuff with polyfil.

2)  Finish gathering and stitch closed.  Stuff the circle with as much stuffing as you can.

3)  Hot glue eyelet lace to the inside lip of condiment cup, gathering the lace up as you go to give it more "fluffiness".

4)  Using hot glue or fabric glue, put a good thick row of glue below the eyelet lace on the inside of condiment cup and push in the stuffed, gathered fabric circle to condiment cup making sure the eyelet lace doesn't get pulled in.

5)  Here is where you can get as creative as you want "icing" your cupcake.  The hardest part of this project was searching for and finding the cherry for the top.  I called all the different craft stores and asked for artificial cherries and nobody had them.  I looked for round buttons or beads that could fill the bill.  Well, last week I was in Michaels craft store and as I passed the bins of Christmas picks I spied some red lacquered berry bunches.  I grabbed a few bunches in two different sizes.  I took them home and snipped the berries apart to use as the cherries - perfect!
 
I bought the condiment cups at my local Cash 'n Carry.  They came in a set of six cups for $10.  I know I saw them somewhere this summer for less but I couldn't remember where.  I saw them in a set of two for $1 or $2.  I didn't have time to go on a search, so I just used these and I like the fluted cups better than the smooth ones.  I felt the fluted cups looked more like the cupcake liners.

I think you can just look at my tag and figure out how it's made, but I'll give you a bit of info.

1)  Cut a piece of red card stock at 5 1/2" X 2 3/4", fold to make a tag.

Supplies used for tag:

2)  Cut a square from a 3" X 3" piece of matching fabric.  Run through die cutter machine using the 3rd die in Spellbinders S4-254, Big Scalloped Squares Small set.  Attach fabric to front of tag (I used red line tape).

3)  Cut a circle out of red card stock using the 5th die in Spellbinders S4-116 standard small circles set.

4)  Cut a circle out of green card stock using the 5th die in in Spellbinders S4-124 Classic Large Scallop Circles set.

5)  Stamp or emboss this circle using Stampendous E277:  You're the Icing.

6)  Layer both pieces of card stock together with or without foam dots.

8  Adhere to front of tag on top of fabric, centering.

9)  Add small bow.

10)  Embellish scalloped circle with flat back stones, pearls, or dots of Stickles or liquid pearls.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment.

Here's to a great new year...2013 here we come!