I’ve been trying to think of some out-of-the-box Fall decor to mix it up this year… something that isn’t a turkey, a leaf, a pumpkin. And then it hit me… lattes. I’m not really a pumpkin spice latte girl myself, but I DO enjoy a good cup of coffee in the Fall (or anytime really, but especially the Fall). It gives me allllll the cozy, warm vibes, and I absolutely love it! So, that’s where this little DIY cardboard craft for Fall comes in… it’s a little different, a little unique, and a lotta fun!!
what you’ll need
- my FREE latte pattern
- cardboard
- scissors (also having an exacto knife would make your life easier, but is not required)
- paint- cream, light brown, dark brown, white
- paint brushes
how to make this easy diy cardboard craft for fall
- Cut out my free latte pattern, trace it onto cardboard, and then cut it out!
- Paint the cardboard cream from the bottom up to right above the handle. I did the back of mine as well, but how you plan to use this in your decor will determine if you need to!
- Take your light brown and paint a fairly thin line across the mug. This is the “coffee” but we will be adding whip cream on top, so don’t paint all the way up. About 1/2-1 inch will do.
- At this point, I went back in with my cream color and carefully painted the sides of the mug to make it look more dimensional. Essentially, rounding off the sides right where the coffee is. If you look closely at the pictures, you can probably see what I’m talking about. You don’t have to do this, it’s a very small detail, but I liked it better this way.
- Use your white paint to fill in the rest of the unpainted cardboard where the whip cream goes. I left a very thin line of the light brown peaking through. Just think of how it would look if you were looking at a latte straight on- you wouldn’t see much of the coffee very likely (at least if they did the whip cream the way I like it, with tons on there)!
- I used the dark brown paint mixed with white to give dimension to the cup and whip cream. Make light horizontal lines along the whip cream to create the “stacked” effect it normally has. I also used dark brown and white paint to cast fake shadows on the mug where the might normally be, and age it up some.
- Lastly, I got some dark brown paint on a small brush and used my finger to flick it onto the paint brush. Make sure you’ve got something behind your latte so you don’t make a mess!
And there you have it… your easy DIY cardboard craft for Fall. It’s absolutely precious and it feels sort of different than the everyday Fall decor we see.
I made 3 of these, all somewhat different, and turned it into a little garland, but you can certainly just lean yours up in a vignette or a backsplash- whatever you’d like!
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