There are two kinds of people after a long day with kids: those who meditate… and those who open the candy drawer. Guess which one I am.
So when the sugar guilt kicked in, I did what any responsible adult would do — I decided to pour my stress into plaster instead of calories.
The box was empty (don’t judge), but that gold Toffifee insert? Oh, it was begging to become something adorable. Those little circular wells screamed “mushroom caps!” louder than my kids scream “dessert!” This time, these mushrooms aren’t for Halloween.
Materials You’ll Actually Need
- 1–2 empty Toffifee trays (eat responsibly… or not)
- Plaster of Paris (200 g plaster + 80 g water)
- Small twigs from your garden
- White and red acrylic paint
- Small bowl or cup (I used a leftover salad bowl)
- Floral foam or a piece of polystyrene
- Stabilized moss (or dried moss from craft store)
- Mini string lights (battery-operated, because we’re classy)
- Optional: tiny wooden house or pinecone
How To Make The Bowl
Mix your plaster like you mix pancake batter when the recipe said “no lumps” and you did it anyway. Pour it into the Toffifee tray cups and tap lightly — bubbles make holes, and holes make sad mushrooms. Wait until the surface turns dull, then stick in your twigs. They’ll look ridiculous, like a tiny forest after a storm, but trust the process. Let them dry overnight. Pop the little caps out like you’re unwrapping happiness. Once they’re dry, paint the tops bright red and add white dots. If your dots look weird, call it “organic patterning” and move on. For stems, water down some white paint and brush lightly for that delicate, woodland vibe.
Drop floral foam into your bowl, stab the mushrooms in at slightly odd angles (because nature isn’t perfect, and neither are we), and tuck moss around the base. If you have a small wooden house or a cute pinecone, stick it in — this instantly turns your project from “DIY” to “fairy-approved decor.”.
Now, for the secret sauce: string lights. Wrap or snake them through the moss and under the mushrooms. When you turn them on at night, it’s pure magic — that kind of cozy glow you wish your life always had but never does.
Once it’s done, you’ll probably start talking to it. (Don’t worry, totally normal.) Mine sits on a shelf now, quietly judging the real plants I keep killing. And every time I look at it, I think: Wow, that’s what happens when you eat candy and make something useful instead of feeling guilty. So yes, next time life gets chaotic — skip the sugar rush, grab some plaster, and build your own tiny forest instead.
Final Thoughts
When I first made this little mushroom bowl, I thought it would just be another quick DIY — something to distract me from folding laundry. But every time I turn on those tiny lights, it genuinely makes me happy. It’s soft, magical, and kind of absurd, which is exactly my crafting aesthetic.
It sits on a shelf now, glowing faintly at night like a miniature forest that somehow learned about hygge. Guests always ask where I bought it, and I love saying, “Oh, this? It used to be a box of Toffifee.” The confusion on their faces is half the fun.
If you try it, don’t stress about perfection — crooked stems, uneven dots, and random moss clumps only make it more charming. It’s the kind of project that rewards imperfection.
So, next time you reach for candy after a long day, remember: you’re just one sugar crash away from making something beautiful. Or weird. Probably both.