I have a secret that I am dying to tell you! I discovered the cutest kid’s craft idea, that costs around 13 cents per canvas (cupcake). It’s so easy and cute! Let me tell you how it came about. I have seen photos on Instagram and LOVE Meri Cherry’s cardboard birthday cake that she brings out for her birthday parties. You can read all about her cakes at http://www.mericherry.com/2016/10/29/cardboard-birthday-cake/ . I had to borrow this sweet idea for one of our art birthday parties at Figment Creative. When I made one, I thought ,”This cake needs some icing.” I zipped over to Home Depot and grabbed some spray foam. Once I got the hang of spraying it, I thought what else can I make with this cool stuff?
Answer: CUPCAKES!!!
What you will need to make pretend cupcakes:
- Cupcake Liners
- Spray Foam (usually used to fill cracks)
- White Flat Spray Primer
- Materials to decorate cupcake with. Ex. paint, colored sand, colored rice, glitter, sequins, pom pom cherry…
What to do:
- Place cupcake liners out on a table. Leave space between liner cups.
- Fill liners with spray foam a bit over the top. It will expand and grow a little.
- Don’t touch!
- Once dry, prime tops to prepare to be painted.
I have to repeat. Do not touch them! You do not want to get this stuff on you. Maybe walk away and leave them for 30 minutes, so you are not tempted to fool with them. Two grew and stuck together. I tried to separate them and somehow got seven stuck together. It was easily fixed later when they dried, but I got some of the foam on my fingers and lost my finger prints for two days. You get what I am saying.
I was able to make 75 cupcakes and decorate the large cardboard cake using two 16 oz bottles of spray foam. We decorated 20 cupcakes at the party the next day, the rest I will save for another occasion.
I had the kids start out by painting the cupcakes with a base paint. This acts as your “glue”. Add as much paint as you like using a drip method. Decorate as desired with glitter, colored sand, sequins, colored rice… Then you can add a pom pom cherry on top with a dap of actual glue.
I can not recommend this fun project enough. The cupcakes make such a cute canvas and are so cheap to make! The kids kept piling the paint and sprinkles on. I think they may still be drying with all those layers of paint, but what fun! If you make DIY Craft Cupcakes, please tell me all about it in the comments below. What else can you make with spray foam? I plan to texture a canvas with it next.
