I have an excuse for not blogging - the weather has been brilliant, so we have been trying to catch the few hours after work outdoors.......but it's now back to dull afternoons, dark evenings and photos with lots of shadows!!!

Challenge 71 over at Sketch N Stash is a brilliant sketch with an optional extra of three different patterned papers and three embellishments either flowers or buttons - I went for both the options!

The papers are new, they came free with this months addition of Papercraft Essentials Magazine and they are from Wild Rose Studios, The image is the gorgeous Birgitta from C.C. Designs and the sentiments came free from The Beary Scrap. The lace and flowers is from my stash as well as the diamond dust on the heart and cupcake frosting. Oh and I love this chair which was free from Bird's Cards - it was so perfect for Birgitta to sit on and hold all those cupcakes!! I used promarkers for the stripy wallpaper and to ground the chair.

I am also entering this card in the following Challenges:

Cute Card Thursday - Time for Cake

All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge - Anything goes

Secret Crafter - Anything Goes as long as it sparkles

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes - Made with Cream not Butter (Recipe Below)

Last weekend, myself and our small son did some baking. Oh how he loved baking these, they were quick to make, tasted brilliant and to his amazement we could make a cake that you didn't have to put a big lump of butter or margarine in - oh so fascinating when you're 7!!! When they were cooled we cut out a piece of the cake, popped in a spoon full of Tesco's Finest Lemon Curd, and popped the piece of cake back in, before I piped on some of the meringue (ok he couldn't/wasn't going to do it all), and cooking them in the oven for 2 minutes to give a golden glow to our meringue.

Cupcakes Makes 18

1 cup cream ( I used Elmlea Double Light)
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Lemon Curd (I bought some but I guess you could make your own)

Meringue

1 egg white

85g caster Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180'C. Line a normal size muffin tin with muffin liners.

2. Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk until thick and smooth.

3. Divide mixture between prepared liners and bake for 14-20 minutes (mine was cooked in 14 minutes) or until cakes spring back to touch. Cool the cakes on a cooling rack.

4. For meringue, beat egg white until firm peaks form, gradually add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating until sugar has dissolved between each addition. Spoon meringue mixture into a piping bag.

5. When the cakes are cool enough to handle, spoon out some of the cake and fill with lemon curd. Place the pieces of cake back and then pipe on a swirl of meringue.

6. Place the cakes back in the muffin tin and put them back in the oven for 2 minutes or until the meringue is golden. (A Blow torch or a couple of minutes under the grill will work too).