What did I get myself into this time? My son requested Jungle themed cupcakes for his upcoming birthday. Why not finish me off right away, kid?  

Keep in mind that I live in a country where cupcakes are not the norm. Where any kind of frosting other than whipped cream is considered extravagant, so ordering them is going to be hard if not really pricy. Add to that that I have virtually no experience with cake decorating, especially not something this far out of my comfort zone. I’m a Wilton virgin, people. I have the 1M and know how to do swirls. I can sprinkle some fun stuff around, but that’s pretty much where it all ends.

The one thing that will make or break my kiddo’s b’day party and instead of brushing him off and buying him a birthday cake in the store like normal people do, I had to act all cool and say: “Sure sweetie, I’ll take care of it”. Failure is so not an option.  

For those of you familiar with the cake decorating thing… HELP!!   

I went out shopping. I’m good at that. I can do shopping, but what to shop for? I did find the cutest cupcake liners! It’s a start.

I figured there was no need to reinvent the wheel, right? So I picked up some Wilton Decorating Icing. Whoa, that stuff is pretty costly on this side of the pond. Anyone familiar with it? Is this going to do the trick? Does it taste okay? Or will I be better off making my own icing? Lotsa questions, I know.  

I was told I would be needing a Wilton #233 to make grass. So… what’s the best way to make grass. And at what angle do you pipe it?

Grass is green, so I got some green dye as well. Sounds simple enough, but now that I’m looking at it, I’m not sure it’s the right color. I know I’m nitpicking, but I just want it to be perfect for my little boy. Can you tell I’m insecure?
  

These are good. Matching edible cupcake decorations are really good.
  

Check this out, matching candles! Oh man, I love this stuff.  

And I’ll happily admit that this is a totally random photo. I like being random. Bought these flowers for my back yard, love them to death but have no idea what their name is. Anyone?

So basically, what I would like to know is: what is the best way to pipe grass and in what shade of green? What else can I add to the cupcakes that will scream “JUNGLE”, or liven it up a little and how do I make it/what do I buy for it? Any help you can offer would be really appreciated.  

Oh, and palm trees are probably way out of my league, unless you have a how-to for me and hold my hand through it all!