Ornament Challenge 2011: Cupcake Ornaments

I have a love for baking so when I saw a few dessert ornaments on Pinterest {my favorite site for inspiration} I knew exactly the direction I wanted to go in!  I wanted to make an ornament that was cute, fun and a little different from your normal “Christmasy” ornaments.  Everyone loves cupcakes, so why not put them on your tree, right?!

To make these cupcake ornaments, you will need:

• Clear, Round Glass Ornaments
• 1 inch Styrofoam Balls
• Paint – I used Magenta, White and Red
• Funnel (if mixing two paint colors together)
• Aleene’s Glitter Snow
• Diamond Dust
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue
• Wood Craft Sticks
• Duct Tape or Another Type of Strong Tape
• Ornament Hooks or Ribbon
• Cupcake Wrappers

1. Coat the inside of the ornament with paint.  I wanted my ornaments to be a light pink to go well with my black and white polka dotted cupcake wrappers, so I mixed the magenta and white paint together to create a lighter, softer pink.  Note: adding a little bit of water will make the paint thinner and easier to coat the inside.  Take off the top of the ornament where the hook goes, and put a generous amount of paint inside the ornament using the funnel.  Place a paper towel over the opening of the ornament and coat the inside by “swirling” the ornament around and tapping it against your other hand.  Let dry overnight.

2. The paint was not completely dry around the opening of the ornament, so I stuffed a piece of paper towel in the hole and put a piece of duct tape around the opening.  (The ornament will be turned upside down so you do not want the paint dripping into your cupcake wrapper.)

3. Paint the Styrofoam balls red for the cherry on top.  Stick a floral pick or toothpick in the Styrofoam ball for easy painting and drying.

4. Take a wood craft stick and Aleene’s Glitter Snow, and literally frost the bottom of the ornament.  I used quite a bit, for a thick frosting look and kept some swirls of texture in there so it looked more realistic.  After you have your desired frosting look, sprinkle on the Diamond Dust.  Note: you cannot see how glittery the Diamond Dust is from the pictures, but the Diamond Dust looks amazing and really finishes the frosting off in real life!

5. Hot glue the top of the ornament – where the duct tape is – and place into the cupcake wrapper.  Also, hot glue around the top of the cupcake wrapper so it is completely adhered to the ornament.

6. Take the metal top of the ornament – where the hook hangs- and stick it into the Styrofoam ball.  Hot glue the Styrofoam ball onto the frosting.  Let dry completely then add a hook or ribbon to hang.

This was my first attempt (after kindergarten) at making my own ornament, and I am pretty happy with it!  I think I found a new holiday tradition – DIY ornaments!

Sarah {Crafts Unleashed Editor}

Sarah is the Marketing & Social Media Coordinator for ConsumerCrafts.com. She is new to the craft/DIY world and discovered a love for it after joining the company. Sarah is a dessert addict, animal lover, a bit of a perfectionist, and obsessed with trying new Pinterest recipes.