Summer Swimwear Paper Dolls

 

Welcome!

Summer weather is here.

The kids are out of school, and there’s nothing to do.

Let’s print and play with paper dolls.

Not just any, but ones with fanciful swimsuits.

dilhermando de Assis, Pinterest

These sets are fairly modern.

Here’s one that is very simplistic:

Supercoloring.com, personal use only

Paper dolls remain a favorite of mine. I still remember the ones I had when I was 4 years old. Those early ones had punch out clothes so my hands didn’t have to deal with precise scissor cutting.

Trina Robbins, Pinterest

Black and white color-your-own paper dolls are great for kids to improve their fine motor skills. Choosing your own colors encourages creativity and self-expression also.

Next is a reproduction of a July 1918 paper doll drawn by R. Lane Herron.

Love the bloomers!

Katy Keene was a comic book character. 

Katy Keene by Bill Woggon 

She had her own newspaper strip, and even her own tv show at one time. Bill Woggon was the artist. He relied heavily on readers’ submissions for costume ideas.

And what a plethora of ideas!

Katy Keene has appeared in Archie Comics since 1945. The publisher markets her as a singer/model/actress. She has also been known as “America’s Queen of Pin-Ups and Fashion”.

One thing I love about the Katy Keene paper dolls are all the different poses Bill Woggon draws her in. She is not always the standard straight on, arms down doll.

Readers were encouraged to send in their sketches and ideas not only for Katy’s fashions but also for cars, homes, rockets, boats and much more!

I have tried to tweak the images to be the clearest and brightest possible. As these are comic book prints, the quality can leave much to be desired.

She is also 80 some years old!

As part of the Archie comic series there are companion paper dolls to Katy. Here is one named “Bertha”.

Occasionally there were special editions. This next one celebrates 50 years of Katy Keene in the form of a fantasy Swimsuit Illustrated paper doll edition.

As you can see, swimsuit styles have always been very popular!

Vintage photo

Aren’t we glad styles and fabrics have changed since then?!

To get the most playtime with print yourself paper dolls, first print the doll out onto card stock. Next print the clothes out onto glossy paper if you have it. If not, a heavier typing/copy paper will work.

After cutting out the doll decide what kind of stand you want. Then trace around the doll onto the back of a cereal box. The cardboard is perfect to back paper dolls! Before cutting out, draw in your stand, then cut out. Use extra cereal box pieces as needed. Glue the doll onto the cereal cardboard. Cut slots as needed in the stand.

Here is one more Katy Keene set:

This next one is drawn by Sandy Vanderpool. I found it on Pinterest.

By Sandy Vanderpool

I hope you have some fun printing, cutting and playing with these ‘hot’ paper dolls. Have you tried drawing your own outfits for them yet?

‘Til next time,

inkspired

Kaleidoscope by KaleidoCam and inkspired

A Batch of Cupcakes

 Welcome!

Let’s have some fun with cupcakes!

From simple to more effort, cupcakes are versatile and perfect for any skill level.

With the variety of box cake mix flavors you don’t even need specialty flavorings or ingredients to make a special batch of cupcakes to fit any occasion.

Here’s a clever tip to make your cupcakes taste extra special:

Ediblecraftgossip.com

Here’s a great visual on how much batter to put in each cupcake liner:

Don’t be afraid to add 1 teaspoon of your favorite extract flavor to the batter, either. If you have a Watkins rep available they have the best variety of quality extracts.

Watkins flavor extracts

For frosting, there’s nothing wrong with a can of prepared frosting. But, there are some things you can do to that canned frosting to make it special. Here is a great tip to make it go further:

I found this tip in several places, so I really don’t know who to give credit to.

You can now find icing ‘tips’ in craft stores such as Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. No need to be scared of them! A super easy way to use one is cut a small corner off the edge of a plastic bag, such as Baggies. Place the tip inside the bag so the tip just extends out of the snipped hole. Fill 1/2 full with frosting. Twist shut, and gently squeeze. The frosting should come out of the decorative tip!

Popolate 

This is also a great way to have several colors of frosting available at once. Use a different bag for each color with its’ own specialty tip.

This chart shows some of the popular tips and what they look like when used:

Courtesy Wilton Co.

This is a simple cupcake pull-apart cake. It uses just a few tips to create this cute cupcake flower centerpiece.

Angela Lavallie Tinsley, Pinterest

Here are a couple recipes to make your own frosting from scratch. Just remember if you are going to pipe the frosting on with a tip you want your icing to be stiff enough to hold its’ shape. Add a little powdered sugar at a time for the correct consistency. Stir well!

Pinterest

Pinterest

Don’t want to mess with tips? There are plenty of fun ways to decorate your cupcakes without them!

I saw this idea several times, so not sure who to give credit to. Pinterest.

Start with a plain frosted cupcake. Push colored M&Ms into the frosting to form a flower. Simple!

For these butterfly cupcakes you just need basic frosting, frosted pretzel twists and some M&Ms type candy. You can use licorice stick twists for the antennas.

ThriftyJinny.com

Here is someone else’s interpretation:

I love this next idea -

Use a basic frosting recipe and frost your cupcakes. Then purchase paint palettes at the discount store. Be creative with ‘add-ins’ and let the fun begin as guests decorate their own cupcakes.

Pinterest 

Pull-apart cakes are so easy to make. Draw out your pattern first if that works best for you. It will look something like this:

You can find scads of patterns already on Pinterest or the internet also.

After assembly it will look something like this:

Found on Pinterest

Found on Pinterest

Easy! Cute! Yummy!

A dog-themed party just needs Oreo type cookies, a little shredded coconut and chocolate covered raisins -

Use ice cream cones and mini marshmallows to make these gnomes for a Princess party, or fantasy, or woodland…

Anyone ready to throw 

“It’s a Zoo Here!” party?

PersnicketyPlates

Pinterest 

…and a pull-apart cupcake creation:

Pinterest
Use mini marshmallows for the tusks, and pre-bought candy eyes. Licorice twists become eyebrows and an Oreo cookie finishes his trunk.

Sugarland Treats

Perhaps you would like to make your cupcakes from scratch. Experiment until you find a good, basic recipe. Then you can start tweaking it with special ingredients and flavorings.

Here are a few recipes:

(Let me know if this is too difficult to read and I can re-type it. I have a large screen I-Pad so things show up very well for me, but I know many peeps use their phone screen.)

…and some add-ins:

A plate of cupcakes like these are sure to cheer anyone you give them to-

Remember the plastic bag trick where you snip a small corner off? You can do the same for ‘drizzle’ frosting. Make sure your corner is cut very small. Fill Baggie with a small amount of frosting and ‘drizzle’ away. This is an easy way to dress up your frosted cupcakes in no time at all.

Taste of Home

Here are some great tips to help your cupcakes turn out perfect. I gathered these from Pinterest and various websites.

- use room temperature butter. Cut into pieces and let sit 1 hour, or microwave in 5 second intervals.

- measure flour by spooning into a measuring cup, then level with a knife. Do not pack flour.

- check expiration dates on your baking soda and baking powder. To test for freshness, take a pinch and add to a bit of vinegar. Fresh will bubble.

- let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to a rack. If left in the pans they may dry out.

My Splendid Living; Pinterest

Using simple ingredients like jelly beans, M&Ms, red hots, string licorice, candy corn, mini marshmallows, dried fruit, etc. you can decorate your cupcakes in all sorts of fun ways. 

I love these barn animals!

Want to make a flock of sheep? Here are a couple of easy options:

You can pipe on your eyes, but you can also purchase pre-made candy eyes anywhere cake/baking supplies are sold. My local Michael’s carries them.

Here are a few more yummy frosting recipes -

Found on Pinterest

Let’s finish up with some super fun

Classy Shoe Cupcakes!

I found a few slightly different versions on Pinterest. None had credits.

You will need Madeline-type cookies (Pepperidge Farm makes a couple), mini marshmallows and red hot hearts, pre-made edible flowers and the long spiral cookies for heels. And frosting and a cupcake in a liner of course!

I’m thinking I might have to invite a few girlfriends over for a girl’s party night just as an excuse to make those Shoe cupcakes!

I hope you try a few of these ideas and recipes. As always, I would love to see your creations.

‘Til next time,

inkspired 

Kaleidoscope by inkspired