I think it is so fabulous to be able to make something out of nothing. I love that with a few simple ingredients (hello, cake mix!) and tools, it is possible to make something really beautiful. These hydrangea cupcakes are a great example of making something really pretty out of nothing. I’ve wanted to try these cupcakes for a long time. I love when the hydrangea are turning from bright blue to a deep blue, purple with touches of green. They are just amazing. I have a very generous neighbor that invited me to cut blooms from her bushes whenever I wanted… obviously, she didn’t know what she was saying! Though tempting, I’ve only borrowed this one time to use as a centerpiece to go along with these cupcakes. I used a box cake mix for the cupcakes – no shame. To set off the color of the blue “hydrangea” I used these Brown Cupcake Papers They are taller than standard cupcake papers, but still fit into a standard 2″ cupcake pan. They make a bigger cupcake, which is nice when you use this much frosting. Here is a link to thefrosting recipeI use. Products Used : Celebration Candles – Seaside Disposable Piping Bag Jumbo Star Tip Brown Cupcake Papers 
Fit the piping bag with a Jumbo Star Tip (I used these disposable bags (100 bags for $14) to make clean up easy).
To get the variegated blue/purple look, I made the blue color first, set half of it aside…
Then mixed in a little red to make the purple color. There is only a slight difference, making them look more realistic. Can you see the streaks of purple? It just sort of naturally happens when you put both colors in together. I use a small spoon to help get it into each side of the bag. You don’t have to do it perfectly, just a little bit of each color makes them look great. I’m trying a new thing – video! Here is a little technique video to show you how I make them look as real as possible. What do you think? Do you want me to do more videos?
I served these for my sister’s birthday, so I used Celebration Candles in Seaside.
Here is the Pin Strip! Stay tuned for details on the Blue Hydrangea themed table setting tomorrow! Resources : Celebration Candles – Seaside Cocktail Napkins – Seaside Disposable Piping Bag Jumbo Star Tip Brown Cupcake Papers