Fetch a Q-tip and paintbrush & mimic this DIY

Looking for a guaranteed way to make friends feel extra loved on their special day? Make them a handmade birthday card. Gather some paper, paint, glitter and a cotton swab for the candle, then whip up this delicious cupcake card that’s fun to create and even more fun to give.

You don’t need to follow these instructions verbatim to craft a card that’s sure to be treasured. Take stock of what supplies you already have, then put together a cupcake as unique as your loved one. A chocolate cupcake with blue icing and gold sprinkles would be just as adorable as the pink and vanilla cupcake featured in this project. The only non-negotiable? The cute cotton swab candle on top!

Materials
- Cotton swab
- Acrylic paint in light pink
- Small paintbrush
- Mod Podge
- Gold glitter
- Pink paper
- Pencil
- Scissors
- White paper
- Glue stick
- Brown paper
- Metallic Washi tape, 3 millimeters wide
- Acrylic paint in light blue
- Acrylic paint in yellow
- Acrylic paint in white
- Detail paintbrush
- Silver star confetti
- X-Acto knife
- High-temperature glue gun
- Hot glue sticks
- Blue cardstock
- Small alphabet stickers in white

Instructions
1. Paint the middle part of a cotton swab with light pink paint. Allow the paint to dry.

2. Paint one end of the swab with Mod Podge. Cover it with gold glitter. Allow it to dry.

3. Draw a dollop of cupcake icing on pink paper. Cut it out.

4. Place the icing on a piece of white paper. Draw the outline of a cupcake top underneath the icing on the white paper. Cut it out with a small tab that will hide behind the icing. Use a glue stick to glue the tab to the back of the icing.

5. Place the top of the cupcake on a piece of brown paper. Draw the outline of the cupcake wrapper on the paper. Cut it out.

6. Put three pieces of Washi tape on the cupcake wrapper, each running from the top of the paper to the bottom. Place the tape on the left and right at an angle. The tape in the middle can be straight. Fold the ends of the tape, so they hide behind the paper.

7. Use the glue stick to glue the top of the cupcake to the top of the wrapper.

8. Paint sprinkles onto the pink paper with light blue, yellow and white paint using a detail paintbrush. Allow the paint to dry.

9. Glue silver stars to the pink paper with the detail brush and Mod Podge.

10. Use an X-Acto knife to cut an X into the middle of the pink paper. Push the cotton swab through the hole with the glittery end facing up. This is the candle for your cupcake. Hot glue the bottom of the swab to the back of the cupcake.

11. Take a letter-sized sheet of blue cardstock, then fold it in half to make a card. Hot glue the cupcake to the front of the card.

12. Inside the card, spell out “Happy Birthday!” with the white alphabet stickers. Tip: Use the X-Acto knife to easily pull the stickers off the sheet.