Probably the third most beautiful thing I've made

Of course the 2 most beautiful things I've ever made are the Monkey and the Bird, and they are tied for first. But they count as 2 entries. And also, I can't take all the credit for them. Another guy was involved. I won't get into it. You're welcome. But after this weekend, I'm thinking that these butterfly cupcakes MAY come in as the third most beautiful thing I've ever made. And they only took slightly less time and effort than birthing a child.

You see, I've found a wonderful new hobby: CUPCAKES! I used my b-day money to buy 2 new cupcake books, which I will blog about more extensively very soon. When I saw these monarch butterflies in Hello, Cupcake!, I knew I was going to attempt them for the next family celebration, which turned out to be my sis-in-law Michelle's b-day party today. (The family was appropriately complimentary, and I wasn't shy about the fact that I was hoping for that enthusiastic response!)

The wings are made from melting candy wafers, which you pipe in the shape of wings, use a pulling technique to get the designs in the colors, and then attach them to the cupcake when the wings and antennae are set. That is a one sentence description for something that is actually quite complicated and time-consuming, but I figure if you are really dying of curiosity, you'll ask me or buy the book. I made plenty of mistakes, which I am forcing myself not to point out to you.

Here's a close-up of the wing prep.

I chose orange for Michelle, since she's the ultimate OSU Beavers fan, but I definitely think I'll do these again for another special occasion and try other colors. I learned from my mistakes and am sure I can do it again. But right now, I'm just basking in the beauty!