Home Made Playdough!

Looking for something that will keep your kids quiet while your entertaining this weekend? What about a last minute stocking stuffer, something special for your kids to give thier best friend maybe? This cheap and easy to make playdough will definately do the trick! 

Another rainy day here yesterday so I got my kids busy mixing up playdough...they love it, we have been making this stuff for years it's much cheaper than the stuff you get at toyworld and in my opinion much better and it will last for a long time if you store it in an airtight container.

Here is ours packaged up ready to go...I used plastic noodle boxes because I had them in my cupboard but I have also used baby food containers or those little plastic containers take away food comes in...we also added a gingerbread man for cuteness sake :)  If you want to make some too...here is the recipe!

Play Dough

2 cups plain flour

4 tbs cream of tartar

2 tbs cooking oil (I used vegetable oil)

1 cup salt

2 cups water

food colouring

(for chocolate playdough leave out the food colouring and add 1/4 cup baking cocoa)

Throw everything into a large saucepan and mix well, place on the stove and continuously stir over medium heat until the mixture congeals (about 3 minutes).  Remove and allow to cool, knead on a floured board until smooth!

We made four batches - one each of chocolate, blue, green and pillar box red.  This gave us enough dough to fill six of the pictured noodle boxes. 

Mr & Mrs Wingett {Highfields Wedding Cake}

Over the weekend I created and delivered this black and ivory wedding cake to Highfields {Toowoomba} for my best friends brother Darren and his beautiful bride Tammy.  Once again we had rain and plenty of it! I was very worried my fondant roses would flop, but everything held together nicely and arrived in one piece.

The top tier of this cake was chocolate mud, second tier white chocolate mud and bottom tier was fruit cake.  All the roses were wrapped in soft ivory tulle, wide satin ribbon was used for trim on the top tier and the bow.

The stripes on the bottom tier are black fondant, which took quite some time to put together...these were very carefully measured out before I placed them on, no room for error black fondant is very unforgiving if you mark the lighter fondant with it there is no getting it off! 

This photo is my favourite photo even though it's not of the entire cake, for a brief moment as I was taking my 30+ photos {crazy I know! I spend so much time on these cakes all I have left is the photos so that's my excuse} the rain stopped and the sun came shining through the window which made for some really nice images.

Here is the top view the flowers went all the way around...

and a close up of the cake topper.

The board was covered in black fondant and trimmed with satin ribbon.

Congratulations Darren and Tammy, I hope you enjoyed your day!

More photos in my albums on facebook, just click on the link at the top right hand side of this page.

{Free Printables} Jumbo Gift Tags!

My husband is a big fan of brown paper packages so I made these gift tags for his christmas gifts, these ones are printed out on A4 white card, the font is black so you could use red, pink or any coloured card for a different look.

I also printed some out onto the cardboard that you get at the back of an A4 jotter or notepad {yes...I save these, usually for the kids crafty projects} Besides cardboard you will  need scissors, holepunch, ribbon or twine.  We flipped ours over and wrote a message on the back. Click on the links below to get your FREE Top That! Paperie printable gift tags.

Merry Christmas Gift Tags

Happy Christmas Gift Tags

Christmas Gingerbread House

Only 14 days until Christmas Day! Looking for some school holiday fun? Why not make some gingerbread houses, your kids will love making or receiving one of these and they are so easy! I downloaded a free template for mine HERE. 

I didn't cut the windows and doors out of the gingerbread as I didn't have time to fiddle around so I just cut up some wafers and stuck them on with royal icing instead, the christmas tree is a mini ice-cream cone turned up-side down and covered with green icing.

It is very busy in our home at the moment,  I am snowed under with orders for cupcake toppers and paper banners I have also done some fabric banners!  I have also been working on sugar decorations for my last two cakes for this year, I am hoping to upload all my cake photos from the past couple of weeks soon...sorry for the lack of posts this month but I really just haven't had time!

Monkey Birthday Princess {Ash's 18th}

This two tiered choc mud cake was made for our friend Ashliegh who celebrated her 18th birthday over the weekend.  The cake was actually purple but has turned out looking a bit blue in my photos...the request was for something purple, chocolate and monkey so this is the design I came up with!

The vine wrapped up onto the top and I scattered the leaves all around the cake.

The monkey is made of chocolate fondant and the star on the wand I dipped in silver edible glitter which came up really sparkly! The spots on the 18 I cut out with the end of a piping tip, if you don't have a set of circle cutters I find my metal piping tips work just as good :)

I also glittered around the edges of the little skirt and the top of the crown...

I added a little fondant bannana...

...and the tail coming out from under the skirt.

I will add these photos and more to my facebook albums.

Happy 18th Birthday Ash!

Newborn Baby Christening~Shower~Welcome Cake!

"TOOT TOOT!" yes that is me tooting my own horn hehehe!!  I had to put this photo first because I love it and I can't believe I took it, I have just discovered how to use a new setting on my camera so I'm quite pleased with myself although had I read the instruction manual when I first got my camera I could have been making good use of this setting for the past twelve months;)

I am so excited to share my newest  and original cake design with you, everything you see is edible except for the piece of satin ribbon I used to trim the base of this cake {which I had to add to cover a little mistake I made while adding the damask pattern}, even the baby is handmade out of fondant icing! Inspiration for this came from memories of Anne Geddes beautiful photography, I had several diaries and calendars of hers during my high school years!

I think this is now my favourite adult cake that I've created so far...You could use this design for an elegant baby shower, a welcome cake for a newborn celebration, fantastic christening cake or even an adult birthday.  I used a leaf viener for the pattern on the rose petals which I thought gave a realistic effect.

The damask pattern is all royal icing which I tinted creamy peach (out of the wilton range of colours), the cake itself is two 6inch rounds that are 4inches high each stacked on top of each other to form a tall cake drum. To eat this cake you would seperate the two cakes just by cutting horizontally in the middle and lifting the top cake off, I'm not sure if I could eat the baby though??!

Bottoms up :)  I took alot of photos of this cake which I will be adding to my facebook albums if you would like to have a look!  Sorry for the lack of blog posts I have found myself overly busy of late, have a great weekend!

Happy Halloween! {cute cupcake ideas}

{image via HWTM}

How cute are these little monster cupcakes from the book "What's New Cupcake" I love it, the first book is called "Hello Cupcake" equally as good, the only problem in recreating some of their cupcakes is finding the particular lollies that are used here in Australia.  These would be so good for little boys monster parties or birthday cupcakes for school!

{image via HWTM}

Another variation....string monsters! 

{image via google}

Here is the book, if your into baking you will love this book, so many great and different ideas!!

Read on for the instructions on how to make the fur ball and string monster cupcakes...

FUR BALL MONSTERS

Ingredients:
- 12 vanilla cupcakes baked in orange, green, and purple paper
- 12 mini vanilla cupcakes, paper liners removed
- 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
- Neon green, orange, and purple food coloring
- 24 mini lollipops (Dum Dums), unwrapped
- 24 peach or green apple gummy rings (O’s)
- 24 brown mini candy coated chocolates (M&M’s Minis)
- 12 assorted color candy-coated chocolates (M&M’s Minis).


Directions:
1. Spoon 2 tablespoons vanilla frosting into a small ziplock bag. Divide the remaining vanilla frosting among three bowls and tint each a different color with the food coloring. Spoon each color of frosting into a separate ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal the bags..

 2. Insert a lollipop stick through a gummy ring, pushing it through the candy from the center to outer edge. Bring the gummy ring up around the lollipop, like a bonnet, to make the eyes. Continue with the remaining gummy rings and lollipops..


3. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bags with the frostings. Pipe a dot of tinted frosting on top of the standard cupcakes. Place a mini cupcake on top, flat side down. Starting at the edge of the standard cupcake and using the tinted frosting, pipe furn with a squeeze-release-pull action. Continue until the entire exposed cupcake assembly is covered. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and colored frosting..

 4. Insert 2 like-colored lollipop eyes into the top of each cupcake assembly. Pipe a dot of vanilla frosting in the center of each lollipop and add a brown candy for the pupil. Add a colored candy to the top of the frosting for the nose. Repeat with the remaining lollipop eyes and cupcakes..


STRING MONSTER VARIATION:
Follow steps 1 and 2 above. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bags with the frosting. Pipe a dot of tinted frosting on top of the standard cupcakes. Place a mini cupcake on top, flat side down. Pipe the tinted frosting all over the cupcakes to make the string, making sure to cover cupcakes completely. Continue with step 4 above.

For more great ideas and party inspiration be sure to visit the Hostess with the mostess blog!

Whimsical Halloween Snack Bag Toppers!

I have made some little snack bag toppers for my daughter to give her friends for Halloween which is just around the corner.  If you would like some for yourself I am offering them to you as a FREE DIY printable file!

These are the snack bags I like to use but my toppers will fit any 15cm wide bag. For best results print out on bright white cardstock or matte photo paper, I used cardstock and set my printer for printing on matte photo paper.

Cut them out and fold in half, you could also use them as little table signs for your halloween party!  Fill your snack bags with creepy treats and staple on or tape down {with double stick tape} your bag toppers.

Download your FREE Whimsical Halloween Snack Bag Toppers right now! If you have any trouble downloading these just send me an email with 'snack bag toppers' in the subject line and I will return mail with the attachment for you...I hope you enjoy these!

Dockside Wedding Cake {Mr & Mrs Whiting!}

After battling the unforgiving humidty for the entire process of this four tiered wedding cake and driving it two hours in the rain...I was quite pleased with the end result!  With over 500 tiny flowers and a hand cut monogram to match in with the rest of the beautiful reception details it looked quite at home in the room which was overlooking the Brisbane River! and blue skies for the big day:)

This cake was for my niece Sam whom I might add looked absolutely beautiful along with the bridesmaids who wore long deep purple dresses. The cake is all chocolate mud cake and is covered in ivory fondant, I had some edible sugar diamonds for the dark purple flowers but with the humidity they were just too soft to hold on so I had to leave them off!

The pearl borders are hand painted with super pearl lustre dust and the pearls inside the tiny flowers I piped with royal icing.

The smallest flowers started on the top tier and were all hand glittered.

You can just make out the edible glitter on the top of this photo, they were really sparkling in the sun and under the lights...I love that glitter (if your into cake decorating and want some it's called hologram)

Here is the back view and a little glimpse of the decorations!  If you would like to see a few more photos head on over to my facebook page.  My family & I had a fantastic time at this wedding & I was very happy to be a part of it with the making of the cake...

Congratulations Sam & Mark!!

{Mini} Black & White Gift Box Cakes

Here are two mini cakes I made that were inspired by  Sams Gift Box Cake. These turned out pretty cute and are a great size for a small gathering, tea party or cutting cake for cupcake towers.

A couple of little ribbon roses and bright green leaves to finish it off, the gift tag I printed out on cardstock and trimmed the board with polka dot ribbon,  I'm secretly hooked on polka dot ribbon at the moment I just finished a dinosaur paper party set with orange and green polka dot ribbons...I will post those next week for you.

The bows were hand painted with pearl lustre dust but I did this after I took these photos...not thinking!

I am working on a special wedding cake this week it has been a real battle with this wet weather we are enduring here at the moment, sticky fondant icing and me don't mix!  I have my finger's crossed for a dry wedding day for the Bride and Groom {and thier cake;)}

{FREE} Printable Mini Gift Tags!

Here they are, yours to download and use on your next gift or project! {you will need Adobe Reader to open my file} This file is for personal use only.  Be sure to set your printer to landscape before you hit print, for best results print out on cardstock.  Some other uses would be to print out on A4 Sticker paper, or cut out and stick them on a lollypop stick, toothpick or paddle pop stick for cupcake toppers or party table signs!  I hope you like them, if you have trouble downloading this file just send me an email with 'free chic pink tags' in the subjuct line and I will return mail with the file attached.

 FREE Chic Pink Mini Gift Tags from Top That! Paperie

                                                                   Enjoy!

Pink Ribbon Boxed Cupcakes

Here are my pink ribbon cupcakes{October is Breast Cancer awareness month}, boxed up and ready to go.  The mini 'happy birthday' labels are part of my new 'Chic Pink' range for Top That! Paperie.

I will be making these mini labels into a DIY printable file which you will be able to download for FREE! and print off at home, so keep an eye out for my next post!

These are mini sized cupcakes and are the perfect fit for my smallest cupcake boxes!

Have a great day! and thanks for looking :)

Are you a fan yet?

Success! Top That now has a page on facebook where I will be creating photo albums of all my work, I hope you like it ...to have a look or become a fan just click on the facebook link on the right, I would love to hear from you!

Top That! on Facebook?

Alot of friends have been telling me for some time that I should be on facebook, flickr and twitter as all of these social networking sites link up somehow and I must say I have no idea how they work so this week I plan to find out more about making a company page for Top That! on facebook...fingers crossed;)  If you have some advice for me I would love to hear it! Is one better than the other?

Black and White Gift Box Cake {Sam's Birthday}

Here is the stacked gift box cake I made, requested by my sister- in- law Julie, she was giving it to her daughter Sam who was also enjoying her hens night over the weekend at the beautiful Gold Coast. 

Inside is chocolate mud cake,  I made the flowers and bow on top all out of fondant.

The bow is covered in pearl lustre dust to make it nice and shiny looking.

The board is trimmed with black fondant and polka dot ribbon and the gift tag is printed

out on cardstock.

I hope all the girls had a great weekend! and thanks to Melissa

for transporting it safely to the venue!