Submitted by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson

6 jumbo vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
6 standard vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
6 mini vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners

2 16-oz. cans vanilla frosting
3/4 c. each yellow, light green and pink coarse decorating sugars
Yellow food coloring
90 to 100 small candy flowers (directions below)
Yellow, green, white and orange small sprinkles or candies
75 to 80 small green fruit leather leaves (directions below)
12 candy lady bugs (directions below)

Place each color decorating sugar in a separate shallow bowl. Frost the top of a jumbo, standard and mini cupcake with some of the vanilla frosting and make smooth. Roll the edges into desired color sugar.

Place the jumbo cupcake on a serving plate. Top with the standard cupcake and then the mini cupcake, pressing lightly to make level. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, frosting and sugars to make 6 tiered cupcakes.

Tint half of the remaining vanilla frosting yellow with the food coloring. Spoon the yellow and the remaining vanilla frosting and into separate ziplock bags. Snip a very small corner from the bags with the frostings. Pipe small dots of frosting in the center of each flower and attach the desired small candies or sprinkles in the center.

Arrange the candy flowers and leaves all over the tiered cupcakes. Add a few lady bugs on top of the cupcakes, using a dot of frosting to secure if necessary. See instructions for flowers and lady bugs below.

Makes 6 tiered celebration cupcakes

Candy Flowers and Leaves

60 assorted colored spice drops, yellow, white and orange
1/2 cup each pink, orange, yellow and blue decorating sugars
Small 3/4 to 1 inch cookie cutters or template
1 sheet green fruit leather

Sprinkle the work surface with one of the colored sugars. Roll out the like colored spice drop or the white spice drops in the colored sugar, turning to coat and flatten to a 1/8 inch thickness. Repeat with the remaining candies and sugars.

Cut out as many small flower shapes from the flattened candies. Use a chop stick and press one end into the center of the flower candies to create an area fro the small candy center.

Cut out small 3/4 inch leaf shapes from the green fruit leather. Pinch end to create the leaves.

Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use. These can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept in an airtight container.

Candy Lady Bugs

12 red candy coated covered chocolates, M&M's
1 tube (4.25 ounces) brown decorating icing

Pipe a thin line of chocolate frosting down the middle of each red candy. Pipe a dot at one end for the head and a few chocolate dots on either side of the line as the spots.