The $40 Rule

So, you may be thinking ... ga'ak! another picture of cupcakes?! What else does this girl do?! ha!

Well, I had to celebrate because I got something that I have wanted for more than 12 years. An air-brush kit! Let me explain. I decorated cakes for a Summer for Krogers when I was in high school (same as Smith's foods). I made some pretty good cakes, but I was always frustrated that I never had the materials to replicate what I did in the store. Namely, the air-brush kit. I haven't see one for less than $150 and it could be qualified as a uni-tasker, so that was too much money to spend on it.

Pete and I have a rule that if we are going to start a new hobby, we need to put a cap of $40. Once we have put some time into the hobby and feel like it is going to 'stick,' we can invest more into it. I can't tell you how many hobbies I've started and dropped. From weaving to scuba diving, I've done it all, just not very well.

So, we went to an estate sale that said in the sale description, "My Uncle was a hoarder." It was amazing! The nephew was yelling about certain items. "Air Brush compressor, New In BOX!" I about ran to it and had him hold it for me. I got it for $25 There was a price tag still on the box for $175 from the hobby lobby. YAY! It didn't have the gun portion, so we made a trip to Harbor Freight hardware, another great store, and I got the gun for $12. I got some of the food coloring for the air brush at Orsen Gygi for $4. So I am still under my $40 budget and I'm excited to see what else I can make.

These were my favorite cakes I made at Krogers with the air-brush set:

Smiley face cake

Watermelon cake

Hamburger cake (my favorite)

Tye - die cake

Dragon cake

There is no END to the possibilities!!

I also want to investigate the potential for face painting with the airbrush and stencils. :-)