A pinwheel is a wonderfully simple, nostalgic toy that makes good use of a breeze or a little one’s breath. You can make your own pinwheel cake topper easily with a paper plate, patterned contact paper and paint. When the cake recipient blows out the candles, these toppers will keep on spinning!
Customize this DIY with contact paper and paint colors. Draw and cut smaller squares for smaller pinwheels. This project is quick, too, so if you’re making one paper-plate pinwheel, you might as well make a few. Adorn a birthday cake or pie, accessorize a potted plant, or insert a few into a bouquet of flowers. A passing breeze or breath will move the pinwheel charmingly.
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Materials
- Paper plate
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Adhesive contact paper
- Scissors
- Scrap paper
- Acrylic paint
- Small paintbrush
- Thin rubber glove
- Blow dryer
- Hot-glue gun
- Glue sticks
- Medium button without a shank
- Wooden skewer
- Paper plate
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Adhesive contact paper
- Scissors
- Scrap paper
- Acrylic paint
- Small paintbrush
- Thin rubber glove
- Blow dryer
- Hot-glue gun
- Glue sticks
- Medium button without a shank
- Wooden skewer
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. Place the paper plate on your work surface face up.
1. Place the paper plate on your work surface face up.
2. Using a ruler, mark a 3 ½-inch horizontal line in the upper portion of the center circle of the plate.
3. Rotate the plate, and make another 3 ½-inch line perpendicular to the first line.
4. Rotate another two times, and draw two more 3 ½-inch lines.
5. Each line should be connected to the next, creating a square in the center of your plate.
6. Cut a square of contact paper that’s slightly larger than the square you've drawn.
7. Turn over the plate, and adhere the contact paper to the center of the plate.
8. Flip over the plate.
9. Cut the square out of the plate with scissors.
10. Place a sheet of scrap paper on the work surface.
11. Place the square, patterned side down, on top of the scrap paper.
12. Put a rubber glove on the hand that won't be holding the paintbrush as you paint the square.
13. Holding down the square with your gloved hand, paint it with acrylic paint.
14. Remove the glove.
15. Use the blow dryer to quickly dry the paint.
16. Center an edge of the ruler diagonally across the square.
17. Draw a line from one corner of the square to very near the center point of the square.
18. Leave about 1/2 inch of space unmarked, and draw a line from that break to the opposite corner of the square.
19. Repeat steps 16 to 18, drawing lines that join the other two corners of the square. Remember to lift the pencil again, so the line is broken in the center of the square.
20. Cut along each of the four drawn lines, avoiding the central, unmarked space.
21. Place the square on the work surface, with the patterned side facing down.
22. Bend the top left corner gently down, without folding, so it touches the bottom right corner.
23. Unfurl the piece, and apply a small dot of glue to the lower right corner.
24. Gently bring the upper left corner point to meet the lower left one again, and press down to secure it.
25. Repeat steps 22 to 24 with the other three triangular sections that form the square. Half of each of the four sections should reveal solid painted and pattern sections.
26. Put a drop of glue in the center of the pinwheel, and attach the button to it, topside down.
27. Apply a vertical line of glue to the center of pinwheel's back.
28. Press the wooden skewer to the line of glue, and allow the glue to dry thoroughly.
29. If you need to make the skewer shorter, cut it before inserting it into the cake or plant.
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