C is for Crafts: Dr Seuss Truffula Tree Cupcake Toppers
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Dr. Seuss’s birthday is coming up soon on March 2nd. My girls have been working on fun Dr. Seuss inspired projects at school and the excitement has carried over to home. We have been reading Dr. Seuss books, working on our own projects such as these One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish stick puppets and planning a birthday party. As Ava recently pointed out, a birthday just isn’t a birthday without cake! No truer words have ever been spoken. So, to get in the birthday spirit, the girls and I decided to make some fun Truffula Tree cupcake toppers. Not familiar with the Truffula Tree? They are the beautiful species of tree featured in Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax. It is said that the tufts of the Truffula Tree are “softer than silk” and smell like “butterfly milk”! Impressive! Are you ready to learn how to make your own Truffula Tree cupcake toppers? Here we go:
Supplies
Tissue paper in various bright colors
String or baker’s twine
Paper straws in fun colors and patterns
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Sprinkles for garnish (optional)
Teddy bear shaped cookies for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Gather your materials and find a flat work surface. Begin by placing one sheet of tissue paper in front of you. Fold it in half the long way. Your tissue paper should be two layers thick and about 10 inches wide now. The more sheets of tissue paper that you use, the fuller your tissue pom will be. For these little cupcake toppers, I found that two layers was plenty. I buy my tissue paper at a variety of places – craft stores, party stores, dollar stores and general merchandise retailers. Easy to find and inexpensive.
Now it is time to begin folding. Starting at the narrow end, fold the tissue paper back and forth like an accordion until you have one rectangular strip of folded tissue paper. Cut the folded strip in half so that you have two 5 inch long pieces.
Next, bend each strip in half matching it up end to end. Using a piece of string or baker’s twine, tie a knot tightly around the half way point (the fold).
Using your scissors, cut both ends of the tissue paper strip to form a point.
Once you have cut the ends of the tissue paper strip, begin to gently pull apart the layers of tissue paper. As you carefully work each sheet open you will see the shape of your tissue pom begin to form. Continue to gently separate all the sheets of tissue and carefully fluff the pom into shape.
Once you are satisfied with the shape of your tissue pom, it is time to attach it to the straw. I put the tails of the string down into the straw before securing the straw to the pom with a dab of hot glue. Let the glue dry thoroughly to hold the straw into place before fluffing the pom into shape again.
Using your scissors cut the trunk (straw) of your Truffula Tree to the desired height before sticking it into your cupcake. Garnish each cupcake with colorful sprinkles and a teddy bear shaped cookie or two to make Barbaloots. What is a Barbaloot, you ask? Barbaloots are the bear-like creatures that live in the forest filled with Truffula Trees, of course! If you haven’t read or watched The Lorax, you really should. It has a great message for children and adults alike!
And there you have it – fun yet simple Truffula Tree cupcake toppers! Perfect for a Dr. Seuss birthday party, right?
Now that we have the cake figured out for Dr. Seuss’s birthday, Ava wants to know what we will get him for a present. Because … a birthday just isn’t a birthday without presents (and cake)! What do you have planned to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday? I would love to hear from you in the comments. Happy celebrating, my friends!
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