DIY: Cupcake Costume

To officially ring in the Halloween season I’m featuring a DIY costume idea and tutorial each Monday through October 31st to help get your creative juices flowing. First up is a ‘sweet’ look  which works best for the hardcore costume devotee who doesn’t mind squeezing through hallways at parties or repeatedly apologizing for rubbing your ‘frosting’ against a stranger in a doorway. I placed first in a costume contest in this very number and there’s no reason you can't do the same…wouldn’t that just be the cherry on top? 

Here’s what you need: 

> Soft pink fabric 

> Felt in various bright colors 

> Black fabric for straps

> Aluminum foil 

> Cardboard 

> Styrofoam ball 

> Red acrylic paint 

> Knit cap 

> Stuffing 

> Hot glue/glue gun 

> Duct tape or needle & thread 

> Scissors

> Paintbrush

> Knife

How to make it: 

1. Cut a square about 40” wide of the pink fabric and sew or Duct tape three of the four sides to seal them. Cut a horizontal slice across the middle of the square (this will go around your waist so measurements will vary). Sew or Duct tape along the entire seem of the slice. 

2. Through the open side of the square, place the stuffing into it, making sure to spread it around the entire shape. This serves as your cupcake top, so making it full and a little uneven makes for a more realistic look. Once you’ve stuffed ‘til you can’t stuff no more, sew or Duct tape the open edge. 

3. Next comes the base: cut a piece of cardboard that is wide enough to wrap around your waist/hip area. You’ll want to cut on a slight curve (almost rainbow shaped) so that the whole piece sort of narrows toward the bottom, like a real cupcake. Once cut, use your hot glue gun to attach aluminum foil to the cardboard for the appearance of a foil wrapper. I glued the foil on the back side of the cardboard on both the top and bottom. You can do this any way you’d like, but I chose to pleat the foil as I went for a more realistic look. I made a pleat, glued, made a pleat, glued…and so on. Kinda time consuming but gives that foil liner look. When done, glue the ends of the cardboard together to form a circle.

4. Here's where it comes together: Stuff the seams of the pink square inside the cardboard circle and Duct tape them down on the inside so they don't show. Continue around the circle until the pink section 'pillows' out on top of the cardboard base. Cut strap fabric into 2 equal lengths long enough to go over your shoulders and reach your belly. Tape or glue the straps on the underside of the pink pillow area to keep them hidden.

5. Cut even rectangles out of various colored felt and hot glue all over the top of the cupcake to look like sprinkles.

6. Cut a large circle out of the pink fabric, glue additional sprinkles to it and pin it to the underside of a knit cap. You can also add some stuffing underneath the pink fabric if you'd like. Carefully cut off about a third to a half of the styrofoam ball with a knife and paint the remaining ball red. Glue it to the very top of the pink hat fabric.

7. Wear over black clothing and add some candy colored eyeshadow and lip gloss to top it off!

If anyone decides to be a cupcake for Halloween please let me know and share pictures!