Gardening Cupcakes and Gardeners Hand Scrub

A couple of weeks ago, a dear friend called my mom and asked her if we'd make a cake for a birthday party that 2 of her friends shared.

Ummm ok!

We pretty much had free reign over the project, except the flavours of the cake and the theme.

Gardening.

If you know me at all, you'll know that I have killer plant instincts.

Seriously. I kill plants.

But fake chocolate plants, I can live with.

My mom made the chocolate zucchini cupcakes, chocolate cream cheese frosting, carrot cake and the whipped cream filling for the carrot cake cupcakes. Oh and the orange cream cheese frosting.

Basically, my mom made it all. I just got to play and decorate!

A nice change of pace and less dishes.

I melted some green chocolate melting candies. 

Piped it on to a parchment lined cookie sheet to look like sprouts and carrot tops.

Let sit to harden.

I piped the chocolate cream cheese frosting and used some crushed Oreo crumbs to fill in the edges.

I got some green candy leaves from Winners of all places and topped the cupcakes with them and the chocolates sprouts.

SO cute!

The carrot cupcakes are topped with crushed lemon poppy seed cookies and a dollop of orange tinted cream cheese icing.

I let that set up in the fridge a bit before sticking the chocolate carrot topper on.

I made garden stakes with scrapbook paper, vellum and some brads and some plastic garden stakes from the Dollarama.

Here's the delivered cupcakes over at CoCo's house.

This woman KNOWS how to do a dinner party.

Let me tell you!

Each setting had fresh flowers, the two guests of honor had themed gift baskets.

I want a birthday party from CoCo!

As a little bonus for the birthday ladies, I made some gardeners hand scrub.

Easy peasy, people.

Fill a mason jar 3/4 full with sugar.

Dump it out into a mixing bowl.

Add a big spoonful of coconut oil, and a generous squeeze of hand soap or dish soap.

Mix it all up until its nice and pasty.

You don't have to, but I added a splash of lemon extract.

I used left over birthday tags and tied it around the jar.

Happy gardening all.

I'll be in the chocolate patch if you need me.

Scrub Me Tender.

I'm terrible at math. Did any of you know that? Yeah, so when I made up my list of all the things I wanted to make for my Valentine's count down, some how I miss counted and ended up with only 13. Now, I knew I was bad at math, like say fractions, but counting?! Not to mention counting to 14!!!  wow.

So as of yesterday I was scrambling like mad to think up something cute and easy, with stuff I had at home to make for today's post. I just couldn't let my followers down! 

What I came up with was a party favor I had made for my dear Christie's baby shower. A sugar scrub! Now, to make it perfect for Valentines....HHMMMMM. Chocolate and sugar scrub?! Maybe?

Here's what you need:

Coconut oil

Cocoa

sugar

Vanilla

Now the measurements are not an exact science, here people. I used probably a 1 cup of oil to 1 1/2 - 2 cups of sugar... Now, you remember who is telling you this, right? The girl that can't count to 14. So take those measurements with a grain of sugar OK?

Really I just kind of mixed oil and sugar together until it resembled a thick, grainy, paste. Then just give a little splash of vanilla, and dump in the cocoa. As much as you want, to make it as chocolaty as you want.

Place in a jar that seals, any kind with a lid will do, just to keep out the moisture from the shower. I just happened to come across a super cutie, old fashioned jar at our local Sally Ann for a sweet $ 0 . 59 !

Have a nice hot shower and scrub away winter with chocolate!

Happy Day 11!