My only attempt at Cake Decorating & Sculpting!!

So...for a monumental 50th birthday,

I made a Star Wars themed birthday party on Saturday for a family member...

This was the R2D2 cake I made (my FIRST)...LOVING IT!!!!!

So, here we go...

First, I had to have a plan...I thought about this in my

sleep, PEOPLE! Can you image that? LOL...

Although I can make cakes from scratch, not happening

with this project...too many cakes needed...

8 1/4 cakes indeed and one patch!!!

I carved the top cake for the rounded portion of

R2D2's head...

Although, I have made tons of dessert cakes, 

I have never made a decorated cake in my life...

This cake took about 10 lbs of butter icing for this baby...

The guys were such a wonderful help...

while I sculpted the cake...they ate the trimmings...

It looked better on their thighs than mine LOL.

Photos out of order...but this is my sculpting the head... 

R2D2 is no longer naked...

Day one was spent baking the cakes.

Day two was spent decorating/sculpting...

Decorating begins...

I have never done this before but was pleased with

progress...everything went perfectly throughout...

Doc mixed the blue icing for me...

Added a junior mint for the eye...

He is almost finished...

I had to use an artist board because he was

almost 3 feet long...just a little more decorating...

...and we are done...

after several hours of conversation...

R2D2 is ready to go to the party...

Sweet Delivery R2D2 &

Happy Birthday!!!

 Thanks for a new adventure and

creative opportunity..

Garrett standing by the Star Wars themed

food table for the birthday party!!!

Whew wee...that's done...

but guess what???

Garrett wants one for HIS birthday in 

August...wow...so check back then

for my next cake creation...

I am NOT going into cake decorating...

Just saying...Hugs to all!!!!

Love, Blessings, and {{{Hugs}}},

Rita

www.RitaHutchesonCobbs.com

PS: Key to any cakes/icing regardless of homemade/packaged is butter and real vanilla...

My latest recycling project...

This is after...but...

...this was before...I got all this from the thrift store for $.99 cents...

although the box was in pretty good shape...it was

calling for something more...

This was the box on the outside, closed...

The lid closes with magnets...love that...

I completely covered the box in Close to My Heart papers,

stickers, brads and the used Etc Flowers & Prima Bling...

Inside the box is a nice compartment that I haven't decided

what to place in it yet...be sure to check out my videos...

I am sure I will figure this part out... =)

The paper is from Close to My Heart...

 You can see in the before photo that there is a compartment

under the box that holds a notebook, so I recycled the

notebook as well and slide it back inside the slot...

The notebook is adorable and has blank pages inside

which were in excellent shape so I left them as is...

All of this is Close to My Heart but the lace and flowers.

I love, love, love to recycle things and try to keep things in their original state when they are in good condition but this was too precious to pass up and not create into a vintage treasure. I thought about a mini album to tuck inside or cards with envelopes which was what was originally inside, but I haven't decided. Maybe a bundle of freshly sharpened colored pencils for sketching would be perfect...we shall see...

Love, Blessings, & {{{Hugs}}},

Rita

www.RitaHutchesonCobbs.com 

Altered Mini Composition Notebook...well, just one more...

 Yes, I did...I had three in the package I purchased and the one yesterday was dressed down just a bit but this one just screamed Prima lol. So, I indulged and used Close to My Heart papers, love this pack tremendously and added the Prima bling and Etc flowers and Close to My Heart buttons...love it...love it...Now, maybe something a bit more retro next time. ;-)

Love, Blessings, & {{{Hugs}}},
Rita
www.RitaHutchesonCobbs.com

Altered Mini Composition Notebook...again...

These are such fun!! Should I bother telling you that these are 3/$1 again? Yes, they were at the dollar store. I used scraps of Close to My Heart papers and stickers along with some scrap ribbons from my collection. It is fabulous and fun. Perfect for a gift, my purse or just a sweet hostess gift. Loving it...So, I want to see what YOU are creating with these adorable inexpensive little treasures!! =)

Love, Blessings, & {{{Hugs}}},

Rita

www.RitaHutchesonCobbs.com

A Shadowbox Layout I am working on...

 a layout for a shadowbox to honor extended family members that I am working on...

Jumping right into what I did for this layout...First, I picked the papers from Close to My Heart which are totally fabulous and beautiful in black/green/beige with a hint of burgundy. With that I added earth tone Etc flowers and bling from Close to My Heart as well as Tim Hotlz metal pieces and then beaded stick pins that I made just for this shadowbox. I popped the two photo spots up with 3 layers of chipboard and added Prima patterned bling down the right side. Completely pretty and balanced. BUT I also added something that is totally characteristic of my personality as an artist. Do you see it? I added a portion of a crochet doily that I picked up at a thrift store had a large stain on one side. So I added Fray check down the length of the doily and cut the damaged portion away. It totally brought a great back ground to the page. I love it and hope that my client will too. I will be adding a couple of more elements to this before framing it in a 12x12 shadowbox. Vintage but with an air of fresh spring and contemporary love that I think photographs added will be treasured for years to come in a shadow box.

Love, Blessings, and {{{Hugs}}},
Rita
www.RitaHutchesonCobbs.com

Beaded Stick Pins...

I participated in a swap on TheScrapBeach and the participants were so talented...the theme was Chocolate and Cherries for the month of February. Lyla New was the hostess for this event. I think this is such a fun way to create something from a simple corsage pin...

Artist Patricia Steer of New Zealand

Artist Jessica Shook

Artist Lyla New

www.loricatdesigns.blogspot.com

www.youtube.com/loricatwhy2k2000

Artist Denise Jones I think made this but it was not marked...regardless, wow!

Then there is mine...I think for my first time, not bad, 

but I do think I will be more creative in the future...=)

 And then there are the ones I made continuously after this swap...I had such a good time and look forward to making even more. This will be a brooch I plan to wear for a special event...

Loving it...

So grab some stick pins, corsage pins, beads and glue or Glossy Accents and make your very own beaded stick pins to add a little fun to your creations too...again, loving it...

Love, Blessings, & {{{Hugs}}},

Rita

www.RitaHutchesonCobbs.com

Spring has arrived...

"yellow & reds of spring" photography by Rita Hutcheson-Cobbs

As I walked out the back door of our home, I saw this...are the colors from the Red Tip Tree and the Forsythia not amazing? The yellow is golden and the red is so vibrant that I felt spring wrap around me at that very moment. So, I had to share this photo with you and let you know that I am thinking these colors with green just might show up in an art project very soon...=)

Love, Blessings & {{{Hugs}}} into a wonderful season of spring...
Rita
www.RitaHutchesonCobbs.com

Recycled Coffee Cup Sleeve into a Scrapbook Album

Ok, this photo isn't the best but you can see the elements I added to the front. I also turned the coffee cup sleeves a different direction that I have before and it worked great. I have a video posted with all the great details of this fun creative project. This is for a swap over on MyScrapRoom. However, check out the following photos to get your own ideas for recycling these awesome coffee cup sleeves into art...

I took the charm with the red/white beading and added some beads to it for a more elaborate charm. Since I used scraps from the Maraposa paper collection, I added a butterfly to the charm. The swap required some recycled elements in addition to the coffee cup sleeves so I added a bolt to the charm.

My other recycled element was using my tab punch,

which I love, love, love to make the binding...

The paper spoke for itself so it needed very little embellishments...

I made tags for each coffee cup sleeve pocket...

The butterflies are made using the Martha Stewart punch...

Glossy Accents was my friend in every project I made with this paper.

 I also used the tab punch for the tags as well...

I think the dark butterfly paper is my favorite...

The right page has a diecut at the bottom so a photo can be tucked behind it.

I added lots of journaling spots in this mini album...

The butterfly charm was from a RAK I received...

absolutely cute touch to this mini album...

Love the tags...

I feel like this mini album has so much restate that it

will hold many photos/journaling spots...

More butterflies...the theme of this paper collection...

The black butterflies made these spots pop...

I used my other favorite punch for two photo spots on this tag...

Bright and beautiful paper...speaks for itself...

I think there are a total of 5 tags in this mini album...

I kept the back of the mini album simple and sweet...

the fibers went well with the lace and ribbon...

I loved making this vintage style mini album...

Remember2Recycle+Reuse+Recreate=Rockin'Awesomeness...

Love, Blessings, & {{{Hugs}}},

Rita

www.RitaHutchesonCobbs.com

Altered Mini Notebook...

"making notes" by Rita Hutcheson-Cobbs

I went to my local dollar store to get a couple of these to alter for a swap I was working with. I made one using the mini composition notebooks which I got 3/$1 and then I saw these which are a bit larger also for the same price. I woke from a sound sleep and sketched out what I wanted to do with the cover of this notebook. I took out the wire and put it with my beading supplies to use later in something, but replaced it with the twine. I created the front with scraps of paper, ribbon, lace and diecuts. Then I had a piece of chain left from some charms I was making and added the cute heart shaped locket to it for a vintage look. The butterfly charm was sent to me in a RAK and the lace just called for one to be attached. The front still will lay flat for making notes on the inside.

Here is a closer look at the binding I made for this notebook.

It flips easily too...

I did add glossy accents to the diecuts for added pop to the cover. 

I added the same paper to the back and distressed it just as I did the front. I also added paper to the inside covers so that it would be well balanced and complete the recipe for altering this cute notebook. Loving it...I hope that my special friend will love it too! It is a thank you for her kindness to me a couple of months ago. I thought she would enjoy something handmade. 

Love, Blessings, & {{{Hugs}}},

Rita

www.RitaHutchesonCobbs.com