Today my little princess turns four!!! I can hardly believe my little peanut is that big.  It seems like only yesterday I was holding my sweet little 6 lb. precious baby and now she’s four…time really does go faster when you are a parent.  Like warp speed fast!  This was her first year in preschool and through the course of the year she discovered that    “you have to bring cupcakes to school for your birthday, mom.  It’s the rules!”  For weeks leading up to her birthday she would remind me not to forget her cupcakes.

I asked her what kind of cupcakes she wanted. And being Aubrey, she said, “cupcakes with candles”  in her little sassy pants voice like it was the most obvious answer in the world.  Silly me, if someone had asked me that question, I would have said “chocolate”:)  So cupcakes with candles….in a school classroom…full of 3 and 4 year olds…umm not so much.

So I racked my brain, and it came to me in the middle of the night like most good ideas do…candles don’t have to be REAL!!!  How about  paper straw candle cupcake toppers…

IMG_9286These were easy peasy to make.  First, I took some paper straws and cut them in half with scissors.  I used a variety of pink, light blue and lime green straws, but really any color would be cute done this way.

Paper Straw Candle Cupcake Toppers Tutorial-Mimi's Dollhouse

Then I took some yellow tissue paper and cut it into small squares, about 1.5″ to 2″ in size.

I rolled the tissue squares into flame shaped pieces and twisted one end up tightly.

Paper Straw Candle Cupcake Toppers Tutorial-Mimi's DollhousePaper Straw Candle Cupcake Toppers Tutorial-Mimi's Dollhouse

Once the tissue was the shape I wanted, I put a little white glue on the twisted part and stuck into the top of the straw.

See, I told you it was easy peasy!! A Paper Straw Candle…no fire involved!

IMG_9281Here are the finished cupcakes and a picture of my sweet girl enjoying her cupcake at school…

Paper Straw Candle Cupcake Toppers Tutorial-Mimi's Dollhouse

Paper Straw Candle Cupcake Toppers Tutorial-Mimi's Dollhouse

I love that face!!! To celebrate her first birthday at school and burn off some of that sugar…we took a little swim:)  Happy Birthday, my sweet girl.  Mommy loves you!!