Paper & Pencil Back to School Cupcakes

The thing is, that Tim Curry post took me hours and hours to write, and I needed a week to let my brain and heart settle! Not sure that has worked, really, because I can’t stop thinking about him and hoping for the best for him. The thing also is, it’s still been very much summer vacation here. Scarlet goes back on Wednesday, and then Des starts kindergarten on the Tuesday after Labor Day. So.. hold me or something! I think we’re supposed to be getting back to school ready at this point?

Yes, they’re adorable. I don’t really know how I’m feeling about back to school. The end of summer SUCKS for me. That’s when I blast “Boys of Summer” and lament about the end of days.. at my favorite ice creamery. I hate when businesses close up and beaches empty out. This is a fairly significant and empty place in my heart, so I know I have to deal with it eventually. For now, we go to Florida every winter. Maybe that will turn into two trips a winter, and then eventually when our kids are grown, we’ll become snowbirds? Something? Anything. So don’t ask me how I feel about back to school yet.

Since I don’t even know. My thoughts are just starting to trickle in. I feel like I’m on the edge of something both exciting and nerve-wracking, but heck, at least I have a TARDIS dress! This is how I feel about everything these days, actually.

Cupcakes help, though. And I’m feeling ok. My last trip to kindergarten was traumatic and breathless LONG before this. In fact, the PTSD triggered that January, when she wasn’t even starting kindergarten until September. I feel confident that I have worked through a lot of this trauma, AND I’ve been published in two books talking about it! I saw the light at the end of that dark tunnel, and I’m not sure I’ll ever feel as hopeless as I did then. Actually, I feel the opposite about it. I feel slightly apprehensive, but mostly excited about my kids flourishing, and me having 30+ hours at home to work on my new job at Sway! I can’t wait to work with Social Media Influencers, and also, AS a Social Media Influencer. And let’s not forget that my busy photography season has already begun! Yikes. I’ll be the Triple Threat, come September. Or the Triple Idiot?

I’ll be back in here at least once a week as fully ME, but all of the sponsored posts are me too. A different part of me. Anyway, I have so many stories to tell and experiences to still experience. So, Happy Cupcake Making to you!

Back to School Cupcakes

Ingredients

8-10 Prepared (or you-baked) Cupcakes, White
1 can White Frosting
1 pkg. Yellow Licorice
2 Airheads Candy, pink and green
Pink Fruit Chews
2 pcs. Black Licorice Ropes
Food Coloring, pink, blue
Lollipop sticks

Directions

1. Frost each cupcake with white frosting.
2. With remaining frosting, divide and put in 2 bowls. Color one pink and the other blue.
3. Put each color into a plastic bag and cut a tiny corner off for piping. Pipe a pink line on the left edge and pipe 5 blue lines horizontal from the pink line. It will look like a piece of paper.
4. For the pencils, cut about a 3-inch piece of yellow licorice. Cut a fruit chew in half and press one of the halves on the end of the licorice and mold to look like an eraser.
5. Cut a short piece of black rope licorice and wrap around the pencil right below the eraser. Use a dab of frosting to attach the ends to the back.
6. Poke the pencil down into the cupcake leaving the eraser end pointing up. If you need to for support, place a small piece of the lollipop sticks into the cupcake behind the pencil.
7. For the apples, roll a little piece of the Airheads candy into a shape of an apple. Cut a tiny piece of green Airhead candy and place on top the apple to resemble a leaf.
8. Set the apple on the cupcake.
9. Ready for a back to school party!