Dino-mite in Today's Parent Magazine

Something really cool arrived in the mail yesterday!

Er, no, we're not becoming a parent anytime soon. . . . But this is for all the moms, dads, and soon-to-be parents out there. There's some great things in the August 2012 issue of Today's Parent magazine.

First, there's a great spread about summer books for kids!

Second, a fabulous article about all the wonderful book stores in our area.

And of course a section about food! Yum, I could use some of those right now.

This issue also includes articles like: "How to host an Olympic party," "20 of the cutest kids’ sneakers," and "Coolest apps for kids."

And if you make your way to the last page of the magazine, you'll see all the monthly birthday wishes. Guess who made those cupcakes?

Yes! We did! Our first magazine feature!!

On our blog, you can find the step-by-step fondant instructions for the Tyrannosaurs Rex, Stegosaurus and water creature.

We have to give special thanks to Catherine Doherty, Freelance Prop-Stylist; Jodi Pudge, Photographer; Natalie Russell, Retail Account Manager; and Kate Stewart, Assistant Editor.

Most of all, thank you to Anita Chong and Griffin who received our very first dinosaur cupcakes! These cupcakes went on to inspire others here and here.

Fondant Dinosaur Round-Up 2

It is time to do another round-up featuring your fondant dinosaur cupcakes! We left off our round-up here and we have been joyfully hearing from more and more of you. We tried our best to post these in the order that they appeared, if we missed yours, please let us know.

1. Shared on flickr by Melinda from Fantasy Cupcakes in the UK:

We love how she added spots on some of the dinosaurs and those eyes, you just get lost in them! A great set and she even made dinosaur bones and prints.

2. Posted by Kim M. Byers from the Celebration Shoppe blog in Ohio:

There are the dinosaur cake toppers she made!

Cole is one lucky birthday boy!

You have to visit the blog for the full effect - the dessert table, the dino-ROAR party ideas, and the decorations! Great colour co-ordination and attention to details.

3. Posted by Sandi Oh from Oh, just put a cupcake in it.... in Minnesota:

So many dinosaur cupcakes! Once again, we love the added touch of patterns on the dinosaurs. They turned out really good and she made a volcano cake:

Do you want to see something cool? Sandi also posted a video showing the volcano eruption using dry ice.

4. Posted by Christine from Pure Joy Events in DC:

Here is the full post about their DinoFOUR Birthday party. It looked like a lot of fun, we would have loved to do a dinosaur hunt as a kid!

Love how the cake stands are decorated with a grass border. The cupcakes are from Georgetown Cupcakes, you may have heard about their show on TLC, DC Cupcakes?

5. Posted by Netty from Babycakes in New York:

We hope that Louis loved them!

Grinning T-Rexes make us grin too! Nom!

6. Photo shared by Carol Delp from facebook:

Smooth frosting for the cake and great use of icing for the nest too! I thought the eggs were jellybeans or candy, but Carol confirmed that they were also made from fondant.

7. Photo shared by Stephanie Bouffiou from facebook:

Smiley dinosaurs, nice and neat grass frosting too. We know how tiring piping lots of tiny grass can be, so great job! What flavours are the cupcakes? We see two colours...

8. Photo shared by Darlene Grucci Darden from facebook:

Great photo! Volcano and dinosaurs for Sean's birthday.

9. Photo shared by Auradell from the comments below. Visit her blog, she also made an amazing guitar cake!

This guy is ready to party!! Such a cute hat!

Thank you to everyone for sharing! It looks like most boys turning 3 or 4 are really into dinosaurs! We like seeing that our dinosaur tutorials are being found useful, so don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or suggestions for future tutorials. =)

Bev's Grrday Cupcakes

Grrday and Argday treats for Bev! Here's the short story: Barb is best friends with Bev. Bev's birthday is coming up. Barb has been planning this since February with me, so please give her a great big hug!

Bev went on a trip to Scotland, but she couldn't find the Loch Ness Monster. Well, here's something you might not have known, Nessy (yes, calling her that) likes living in cupcakes, not lakes! Here are some of the Nessy images that I found and liked: here and here. So you can see where the inspiration is from, the second image is a bit scary (for me), but I liked how it inspired me to span Nessy over 4 cupcakes.

Happy 42nd Birthday Bev! I hope you have a blast!

Bev's dinosaur! Barb had to do some serious B&E to get me photos of this guy. But that's what best friends do.

Grr! Awww, I love that little guy, he's so cute!

My so called "studio" shot! I'm sorry if these photos aren't as crisp. I took them late in the night, so the lighting wasn't very good. See? Simple set-up that you can do at home. A white Bristol board and a lamp.

I'm sure Nessy would go "Arg" if anyone ever heard her...

How: T-Rex Cupcake Topper

Since I did one for our spiky friends, here's a tutorial for sharp tooth!

Fondant Tyrannosaurs Rex

Rolled fondant
Gel paste colours
Clean toothpicks
Water
Brown or black sprinkles/jimmies
A rolling pin
A knife

1. If you are lucky enough to have coloured fondant, then you can skip these steps! Unless you want white-coloured T-Rexes, you will have to dye your white fondant. Get the gel paste in the colours you want and use a clean toothpick to dab into the gel.
2. Transfer the gel from the toothpick onto the fondant. Knead and roll until the fondant is completely coloured. Please do not double-dip the toothpick, use a new one if you need more gel for a darker shade.
   
   
   
3. There are 6 parts to making a T-Rex. You will need to make the head, body, arms, and legs separately. The body is almost in the shape of a triangle. There is the narrow and pointy tail, but the rest of the body remains the same size.
   
   
   
4. You will need to use a sharp knife to cut the mouth on the head. One sharp cut will do, then gently open the mouth. Fill the mouth with white coloured fondant.
   
   
   
5. Attach the arms and legs to the body. Use a small dab of water if you need to. The arms on a T-Rex are tiny and short! =)
   
   
   
6. Using a sharp tip or knife, etch in the teeth. Create a zig-zag pattern along the center of teeth. Add a sprinkle or jimmy to create eyes. Then, carefully attach the head onto the body of your T-Rex. Use a tiny dab of water if you need to. Set it aside to dry.
   
   

   My! What GRReat teeth you have!

Fondant Dinosaur Round-Up

This is so cool! Not only do I have readers and followers of my blog, I have readers and followers that write to me and share their creations with me!

For that, I am truly grinning from cheek to cheek.

Here is a round-up of bakers who were inspired by our dinosaur cupcakes and our tutorial:

Pauline from Malaysia, she also posts her baked goods on Pauline's Cakes 'N' Bakes. Here is the link to her Frolicking Dinosaur Cake:

Rachael from South Australia, she has a website showcasing all of her custom cakes, jnr cakes. Here is the link to her gallery that include her Prehistoric birthday cupcakes:

Can you believe that this was Erin's first fondant project? She even homemade the marshmallow fondant and created these adorable smiling stegosauruses for her 5-year-old!

These cuties are made by Heather from Stepford Life. Her rrrroooooaring good pterodactyl and brontosaurus:

Here are the ones Stefanie and her husband made for their son's second birthday, it was her first time working with fondant!!

Thank you to Pauline, Rachael, Erin, Heather, and Stefanie for sharing! Your e-mails brightened up my day! So please, don't be shy! If you want to share your creations with me, send me a note!

Dinosaur Birthday Cupcakes

Another birthday! This time we're going back in time - how far? We're not really sure. But get ready for some teeth, horns, and spikes!

Tyrannosaurus Rex!
"I have a big head and little arms!" - Meet the Robinsons

Triceratops

Stegosauruses

Pterodactyl

Brontosauruses in water!

Fossil

Volcano... this isn't lava cake!

Have a happy 4th birthday Griffin!

Click on the links for a step-by-step tutorial on how to make the T-Rex and Stegosaurus out of fondant.