Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Curd

 

I've always wanted to try making cupcakes with filling but was always intimidated by the idea of it, so I was pleasantly surprised that when I made these cupcakes for a church event this month, they turned out awesome!  It was time consuming (probably because I was a first timer) but not difficult. 

I found the original idea here and only made one modification from the original recipe.  Being that I was a little short on time that day, I used a regular lemon cake mix from a box. (I'm sure they'd be amazing from scratch- but honestly, they were great just the same).

Random Tip- Water colors

 I came up with an idea to day that I thought I'd pass along.

 In the past, I've tried using a spray bottle to add water to water colors and it worked okay- not perfect, but okay.  As I was getting the water colors out today, I thought I'd try something different- a Wilton's Candy Making Squeeze Bottle.  It lets you add just the right amount of water without any mess! Just thought I'd share.

Swim Noodle Wreath

 I've seen ideas for taking plumbing insulation for making a wreath (Of course on Pinterest) and thought that was really smart. So, I went to buy one at Lowe's, not realizing that it was really really thin. 

 I wanted something a little thicker so I started brainstorming what would be thicker and still flexible enough to make a circle. 

And then it hit me. A swim noodle! They're super cheap and everywhere since it's summer so I headed over to Wal-Mart and picked one up.

 I cut it to the desired shape and used some clear duct tape to connect the ends.

Here's the finished product!