Sweet As Sugar: A Cotton Candy Soiree

The eternal optimist in me has become determined with creating special events even while we are stuck at home. My heart hurts for all of us, especially those of us who have had their wedding, baby shower, or birthday “taken away from them” this year. I have seen some pretty creative celebrations come out of all this including drive-through birthdays, Zoom flip cup and drinking games, then, of course, the smaller gatherings when those were still allowed.

For my sister, her birthday fell subject the the Corona Virus repercussions. It became my mission to still create something wonderful for her despite the stick rules. If you have a cotton candy loving person in your life, follow these decorating tips below to through a simple cotton candy bash on a budget!

Decor:

• Cotton candy letters
• Cotton candy banner
• Photo wall props
• Streamer photo wall

Snacks and Treats

• Pink and blue rice crisps
• Cotton candy cocktails
• Sweetly topped cake

The Decor DIY

I am proud to say that I made all of the decor myself and was not limited by stores being closed or reducing shipping.

Supplies:

• Hot glue gun
• Fuzzy/stuffing
• Pink and blue spray paint
• Glitter
• White card stock
• Tissue banner
• Card board letters

Start by creating a decent inventory of both blue and pink “cotton candy”. Lay a decent amount of the stuffing out on a flat surface and spray paint. Let dry before turning over to do the other side. Avoid spraying every inch of the fuzz, cotton candy is light and airy, so some white is okay!

To create the letters, cover small sections of the letters with hot glue and apply thin layers of the painted fluff. Careful not to press down with your fingers, use a pen or the tip of the glue gun to avoid burning yourself. Make sure you cover all of the brown but don’t lose the integrity of the letters. Pull the fuzz tight in some areas to avoid the fluff taking over.

Pack you patience for this cotton candy banner. This is not hard but is fairly time consuming. Fold the paper balls out to make a circle.Optional: spray paint the balls with white paint to dull the bright colors. If a white banner is available, get that!

Cut the white card stock into 4 equal squares. roll the squares into a cone shape and secure with a dab of hot glue. sit up straight to let dry. Once they are dry, apply a little glue to the bottom of the cone and dip into the glitter. Return to straight-up position to dry. Once the glitter is dry, apply a lot of hot glue around the top of the cone and secure it to the paper ball. I applied the cone along the seam of the ball so I knew all the cones would face the same direction. I sued the top of the glitter to sit the ball in so that they would also dry standing up. Once the cones are secure, apply more painted fuzz across the front of the ball. Go on smaller sections with the hot glue to avoid burning yourself. I alternated between pink and blue fuzz, but you are welcome to use just one color if you would prefer.

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For the larger props, I made oversized cotton candies the same way I made the banner. This cone is one full sheet of card stock rather than a forth. Since the cotton candy here is not balancing in a ball like with the banner, you can stick some of the cotton down in the cone to create a more stable base.

One of my favorite elements to a party is a custom welcome cocktail. for this soiree we kept it simple. A pinch of cotton candy with champagne over top and that’s it! A delicious pink drink that is sweet and festive.

To all your quarantined birthday folks out there, happy birthday! I hope you were able to find your own sparkle in your at home celebrations!

-MB