Paper Box Wedding Cake Centerpiece

Theres one thing that most any craft store carries plenty of: paper mache boxes. The small boxes are very inexpensive, come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and can be used to make a fabulous wedding cake centerpiece for a shower or as a wedding decoration. The finished project is gorgeous but cost very little to make.

Paper mache boxes are generally brown. They can be easily painted, though, to create the color of the cake. You can make the cake any size you want, so choose three boxes, each one slightly larger than the next. When stacked, the proportions of the boxes should be such that they resemble a three-tier cake. In other words, the bottom box cant be gigantic, with a small center box and tiny top box. The dimensions need to be proportionate.

Paper mache boxes come with fitted lids and these lids need to be glued to the boxes to start making the cake. Turn each box upside-down and stack. Place the largest box on the bottom with lid down. Glue the next size box onto the first, then attach the smallest box on top. Each one should be centered and have the lid facing downward. Most any glue works fine for stacking the boxes. Paint the entire stack of boxes. The boxes can be individually painted before stacking and gluing or you can glue the arrangement together before painting it. Use spray paints or brush-on dimension paints. It may take several coats to completely cover the brown paper mache boxes. Give the arrangement a completely different look by gluing white lace onto each box before stacking them. The lace should first be draped over the top of each upside-down box. Use a rubber band to hold it in place while the glue dries. Trim the lace to where it hangs over the sides by about a half-inch or so. Now wrap the lace around the sides of each box and glue in place. The lace should be trimmed to where it barely hangs over the sides of the lids. Now stack the boxes and glue them together. The lace gives the finished cake an elegant look. Wrap a piece of wide, white ribbon around the lid area of each box. This will hide the raw edge of the lace plus will add dimension and elegance to the finished cake. The ribbon should be exactly as wide as the side of the lid. Hot glue works great for attaching the ribbons quickly. After the ribbons are in place begin adding floral pieces to embellish the cake. The flowers can be plastic or silk. They can be just about any size but make sure they are appropriate in size to the cake itself. Glue a flower and leaves on the very top of the cake. Or, choose to display the typical bride and groom ornament. Next, glue flowers around the bottom of the first box. Glue matching flowers around the bottom of the middle box. Finish by gluing flowers and leaves around the very bottom of the cake. The flowers and leaves really set off the cake so choose ones that look as real as possible. There are lots of different embellishments you can use to enhance the cake. Glue strands of pearls or gold beads in a zig-zag pattern around each of the three boxes. Or, glue the beads around the top of each box (not the lid). The strands of beads should be glued on the very edge of each tier. Instead of beads you can evenly space tiny golden rings, heart shapes, or other craft supplies on the cake. Make a huge arrangement to use as a centerpiece for a wedding shower or the wedding table. Or, make much smaller versions to decorate each individual table. The paper mache box cakes are beautiful yet very inexpensive. Make them for your own wedding or for the wedding of a friend. Youll get lots and lots of compliments!