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Tutorial: Glittery Cupcakes and Snowball Ornaments

Photo Courtesy of Fuzzy Sheep Crafts

Take a look at these great ornaments!  They are very easy to make.  Kids, large and small, can get involved.  There are lots of kid-friendly crafts over at Fuzzy Sheep Crafts. 

The basic tutorial teaches you how to make these great sparkly snowballs.

Photo Courtesy of Fuzzy Sheep Crafts

Build upon that lesson to make the cupcakes which are featured in the first picture above.

Glittery Snowball Instructions

Supplies:

1. Styrofoam balls (any size desired, these were 4”)
2. White glue
3. SnowFlakes (found at Michaels for about $3 a bag)
4. Chopsticks
5. Thin ribbon to hang ornament
6. Clear Coat Spray
7. Hot Glue

Step 1: Gently press a chopstick into each ball to serve as a handle.  Paint your ball with a good thick coat of the white glue.  The more the better as the glue soaks into the ball.  Because the ball is white, and the snow is what, if you miss a spot or two don’t worry.

Step 2: Now for the messy/fun part!  Dip your ball into the snow flakes and coat everything.  Use your hands to press and smoosh the flakes into the glue.  This helps things adhere and means less flaking off later. Once everything is well coated, allow to dry for an hour or two.  I found it worked well if you just stood the chopstick up in a hefty coffee mug.

Step 3: Once everything is dry, give a quick and thin spray of some clear coat. This step isn’t completely necessary, but I did it to help prevent flake-off, my grudge against anything glittered. Allow the snow balls to dry again, for at least an hour. Do this in a well ventilated area, trust me.

Step 4: Once dry again, pull your chopstick out.  Fill that hole with hot glue and use your chopstick to help you push the ends of a length of ribbon in to hang your snowball from.  Allow to set and hang on your try for a sparkly Melt Free Snowball for your Christmas tree.

That's it!

Now, to turn them into Glittery Cupcakes, do this instead:

Extra Supplies:

1. Styrofoam balls (2 1/2”)
2. Red christmas berry pick
3. Red tin foil cupcake liners
4. Beads to simulate sprinkles

Step 1: Coat/cover/spray your snowballs as indicated above.  The only difference is that you only need to cover the top portion of the ball, maybe just over a half.

Step 2: Once everything is dry, run a bead of hot glue along the inside edge of a cupcake liner.  Carefully press your liner around the uncovered part of your snowball.  I tried more white glue, but that didn’t work.  Hot glue is my duct tape!  Fixes everything.

Step 3: Once everything is set, snip a berry from your pick, being sure to leave enough wire to stab into the snowball.  Use this wire to poke through the center of the ribbon you’ll use for your hanger.  Add a dab of hot glue to hold everything together.

Step 4: Use the wire again to poke the cherry into the cupcake.  If you want to make sure it’ll really stay, run a dab of hotglue along the wire just before poking it in.

Step 5: Add a few dabs of white glue here and there, and toss on a few beads to simulate sprinkles for extra cuteness.

sPoOkY Halloween Specimen Jars

Photo from Martha Stewart.com

There are soooo many wonderful ideas you can find on Martha Stewart's Halloween Central.  My favorite section is the "Decorations and Crafts" tab.  This project really stood out.  It's called Specimen Jars.   It's very easy and makes a big impression, with glowing lights and smoke created from dry ice! Adults and kids alike will love this!  There is even a video available to watch her complete it step-by-step, which is better than the written instructions.  Click on Specimen Jars to see all the fun!   You can also use the little plastic animals found in dollar or craft stores in place of teeth and eyes found in costume and party stores. 

Take it further.  Customize this project for each season or holiday to make wonderful paperweights.  It will act as a home decor item with a practical use.