Photo Tutorial: DIY Cup Cases for Frosted Trees

After sharing my Frosted Christmas Trees blog post, I have received dozens of questions and comments about the plastic cups I use as carrying cases. People see the cups and ribbons, but want to know a few more details bout how I created the cups. I am happy to answer all of your questions with a photo tutorial! 

If you missed the post about the ice cream cone trees we frosted at my class Christmas party, you definitely want to check it out.

First of all… brace yourself. 

I do not consider myself a handy person. I'm a laptop kind of girl and power tools frighten me. I had to use a drill to prepare the cups and I was a little nervous. The school custodian fixed me up with his drill, bit, and safety glasses. Once I had the proper equipment, I was good-to-go. 

To begin the process, I gathered all of the necessary tools:

clear plastic 20 ounce cups and lids (I purchased mine at GFS.)

holiday ribbon

After gathering my materials, I was ready to drill! 

I drilled 2 holes into the bottom of each cup. 

The goal was to place both holes near the center of the cup.

Before long, I had a collection of drilled cups and bits of plastic debris on the table. 

With the holes complete, my next task was to thread ribbon throughout the holes to create a loop. 

This required a very specific and highly-technical tool...

 a paperclip.

Ok, maybe it isn't a very technical tool.

I opened one prong of the paperclip and kept the rest of it coiled so I could easily maintain my grip on the clip while I worked. 

The next part was a bit more tricky. I reached into the cup and used the paperclip to thread the same piece of ribbon up through the second hole and back out the bottom of the cup. 

Once the ribbon was pulled through both holes, I joined the two ends together and tied a simple knot. My collection of cups was ready for the party! 

These cup cases were the perfect way to showcase and display my students frosted tree creations!