Step one: I found the shapes that I loved and that were the right size (after scrunching and shrinking and stretching a bit...) and I stenciled them on to a blank sheet of paper. Lucky for you I have the stencils pre-done to save you some time :)
There are three stencils (Stencil 1, Stencil 2, Stencil 3). They are in graduating sizes and labeled on the edge so you can keep them straight once printed. Pardon the handwriting, Dear Hubby was helping :)
Step two: I bought some craft paper in bulk that had lots of polka dots (yes, I'm obsessed) and some coordinating craft paper in solid colors. You can use any pattern you like but I personally liked the polka dots because they reminded me of the dot matrix printers of the old comic book days! I had my Hubby cut the paper we had to the correct size (8x11) for our printer (it was cheaper to buy the larger size) and from there it was easy. The smallest stencil I printed on the patterned paper, the largest on the solid paper
Step three: This is where it gets somewhat tedious but do it while you are watching T.V. or chatting with your family and it goes by quicker. I cut them out and taped them one on top of the other. Have fun with the color combos since it will help liven up the cupcakes that much more. Once together I taped everyday toothpicks to the backs of them. All Done!
Once together I taped everyday toothpicks to the backs of them. All Done!
Now for those of you with multiple children and/or the desire to keep them longer I suggest gluing them together and laminating them. You can have them laminated as a sheet at the local office supply stores for fairly cheap or if you prefer to invest for the long run, Michael's has a decent laminater for a decent price (wait for the sales though is always my advice:))
Now I know you're all wondering about the middle stencil...print that on whatever paper you want and write in Sharpie the name of the food. If you are going to spend time making it you might as well show it off like that Super Hero Mom that you are!
When everything was said and done we did a few specialized (albeit cheap) DIY items and mixed it with a few generic items that can be reused from year to year. It allowed us to do most of the prep weeks in advance and actually enjoy the birthday party with our little Monkey :) A Mom's dream come true!
The Best of Luck and Happy Partying!
P.S. That was our New York Skyline behind us. One of our other DIY projects that now lives in our garage for Monkey's "parking lot". Another Blog for another time :)
