Cardboard Cakes
Looks good enough to eat.
The Set Up
These cardboard cake slices are inspired by the joyful, colour-soaked workshops of Emma Collins in the UK, and they’ve brought so much delight to parties and classes at Smudge!
This one does need a bit of prep, so it’s worth planning ahead. As a rough guide, allow around ten minutes per slice for construction time, depending on how thick your cardboard is and how many you’re making.
Each slice is built from one long rectangular piece and two triangular side pieces, hot glued together. You can add a lid or leave the top open to create a secret cake box (perfect for pens, notes, or tiny treasures later). A Make.Do score roller makes folding easier and neater, especially with thicker cardboard, but it’s optional.
These are the dimensions we use and love:
A rectangle measuring 545mm x 100mm (about 21.5 inches x 4 inches), folded into three sections of 205mm | 135mm | 205mm (roughly 8.1 in | 5.3 in | 8.1 in).
Two triangles measuring 135mm x 205mm x 205mm (approximately 5.3 in x 8.1 in x 8.1 in).
If you’re working with older kids (around 10+), the slices can absolutely be constructed by the artists themselves and then decorated during a later session. It becomes a beautiful mix of making, measuring, and figuring things out as they go!
The Making
Once the slices are ready, set out a generous (but thoughtful!) selection of decorating materials. Paint sticks, washi tape, pom poms, beads, foil, wool scraps, hama or melty beads, ribbon, sequins, straws.
This is also a really lovely moment to talk about cake. Favourite flavours? Best birthday cakes? Crazy cake themes? The ideas will also start flowing quickly once the materials are in front of them.
If you have time, add circular cardboard or plywood pieces so artists can design their own cake plates too.
At the end, bring all the slices together to form one large shared cake. Then each artist can take their own (sculptural) slices to enjoy.
Variations
Use recycled boxes for ready-to-go cakes that don't need to preparation.
Materials
Cardboard cake slices (pre-constructed or flat pieces for older artists)
Hot glue (adult use)
Paint sticks
Washi tape
Pom poms
Beads
Foil
Wool scraps
Hama or melty beads
Ribbon
Sequins
Straws
Optional: circular cardboard or plywood pieces for cake plates
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Cardboard Cakes
Looks good enough to eat.
Bookmark
Sculpture
The Set Up
These cardboard cake slices are inspired by the joyful, colour-soaked workshops of Emma Collins in the UK, and they’ve brought so much delight to parties and classes at Smudge!
This one does need a bit of prep, so it’s worth planning ahead. As a rough guide, allow around ten minutes per slice for construction time, depending on how thick your cardboard is and how many you’re making.
Each slice is built from one long rectangular piece and two triangular side pieces, hot glued together. You can add a lid or leave the top open to create a secret cake box (perfect for pens, notes, or tiny treasures later). A Make.Do score roller makes folding easier and neater, especially with thicker cardboard, but it’s optional.
These are the dimensions we use and love:
A rectangle measuring 545mm x 100mm (about 21.5 inches x 4 inches), folded into three sections of 205mm | 135mm | 205mm (roughly 8.1 in | 5.3 in | 8.1 in).
Two triangles measuring 135mm x 205mm x 205mm (approximately 5.3 in x 8.1 in x 8.1 in).
If you’re working with older kids (around 10+), the slices can absolutely be constructed by the artists themselves and then decorated during a later session. It becomes a beautiful mix of making, measuring, and figuring things out as they go!
The Making
Once the slices are ready, set out a generous (but thoughtful!) selection of decorating materials. Paint sticks, washi tape, pom poms, beads, foil, wool scraps, hama or melty beads, ribbon, sequins, straws.
This is also a really lovely moment to talk about cake. Favourite flavours? Best birthday cakes? Crazy cake themes? The ideas will also start flowing quickly once the materials are in front of them.
If you have time, add circular cardboard or plywood pieces so artists can design their own cake plates too.
At the end, bring all the slices together to form one large shared cake. Then each artist can take their own (sculptural) slices to enjoy.
Variations
Use recycled boxes for ready-to-go cakes that don't need to preparation.
Materials
Cardboard cake slices (pre-constructed or flat pieces for older artists)
Hot glue (adult use)
Paint sticks
Washi tape
Pom poms
Beads
Foil
Wool scraps
Hama or melty beads
Ribbon
Sequins
Straws
Optional: circular cardboard or plywood pieces for cake plates
Back to Top
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Thoughts?
Would love to hear if youv'e tried this or have any ideas on how to make it even better!
