Looking for a gift for that foodie in your life?

These delectable ornaments would make a decadent trimming for any tree!

(Plus they’re a kid-friendly DIY!)

Finding Inspiration on Instagram…

Now, I don’t know about you, but I find most of my DIY ideas on Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. I like to think that I’m exceptionally creative, but I’m a realist. I have creative ideas, but I am not even in the same realm as some of the creators on these platforms. They can literally look at stuff, and I mean an object that is already something else, and think of a way to turn it into something completely different!

I’ve watched many Dollar Store DIY videos on YouTube and am left completely astounded by what people come up with when they look at the store’s prefab decor (I’ll do a post about my favorites at another date). After watching these videos, I find myself running out to the store to duplicate what I have just watched!

This project is no different!

Now late one night, I found myself engrossed in a “Reel” binge (for those of you who are unfamiliar, it is Instagram’s version of short video clips). I came across a video that had me wanting to run to my local craft store and demand they open the doors so that I could gather all my supplies! Needless to say, I had to wait till daybreak….

After purchasing my supplies, I set out to follow a quick video tutorial of these Mickey Macarons by Flossie and Flair that I had found the night before. I’m not in the selling market, but I could easily see this selling for $20 a set (I’d buy them, but I might be a bit biased)!

If you are interested in reading about things I would do differently next time, hot tips, and other ideas for this project, read on after my instructions.

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List of Supplies:

Makes between 14-24 depending on your color batches and thickness

Estimated Time: 2-3 hours plus 72 hours to dry completely.

2 lb case of Crayola Model Magic in white
Circle cutters in various sizes (like these)
Markers of your color choices ( I used Crayola Markers)
Hot glue gun
String or ribbon
Wax or parchment paper

How to make Mickey Macarons…

Step 1:
I pulled off a portion (roughly the size of my hand) and worked it into a semi-flat surface. This allows you to color more surface area and achieve the richest color in the fewest possible kneadings.
I started with a white Crayola Model Magic because it allowed me to customize my color palette. If you like their pre-colored modeling material, you can use those and skip the color dying step.

Step 2:

Choose your color and apply a thick coat to the surface of the model material with your marker.
***Your color will be a pastel version of the color you choose. If you desire a vibrant color, you will need to use some of the pre-colored material Crayola makes.

Step 3:

Knead your Model Magic to work in the color. Make sure you keep working the material until you no longer see any marbling lines.
*** You can see how that dark raspberry turned into a soft pink color.
If you are not satisfied with the saturation of your color at this point, flatten your material and add in more color.

Step 4:

Roll your material out to the desired thickness.
*** Macarons tend to have puffy tops and bottoms; however, I did not want to make mine exactly to scale so mine are rolled out roughly 1/4 inch thick.

Step 5:

Cut out your circles. You will need:
2 large circles
4 small circles
I used a cookie cutter set I had purchased for another project, but you should be able to find small circle cutters in the clay isles of your craft store.

You will also need to follow these steps to make your white centers.

You only need 1 large circle and 2 small circles for the ‘filling’ of your macaron.
***I found it was better if the edges were not perfect. It made the Macaron feel like it was baked.

Step 6:

Assemble all the layers. Think of making an Oreo!
*** The Model Magic likes to stick to itself. It will be hard to remove once it is placed.

Step 7:

Attach the smaller circles to the larger circle.
To do this, I pressed them together lightly.
You don’t want the pieces to become deformed.
Once you complete this step, the macarons need to dry for at least 24 hours (72 hours are recommended).

Step 8:

After your macarons have dried, you are ready to attach the string or ribbon to hang your ornament.
To do this, I applied a small bead of hot glue in between the ears and then placed my string down into place.

That’s It!

Your Mickey Macarons are complete!!

Hang them on your tree or give them out as gifts!

Hot Tips

This is a great craft to do with kids! I have three of my own and they loved playing with the Model Magic and coloring it. You can have them help you prep your color batches while you are working on cutting and assembling your pieces.
To get the most color saturation in the fastest way possible, I rolled the material flat, colored the surface, folded the material in half, and applied color to that surface. This allowed me to achieve a near-perfect coloring in a single try before kneading.
This project does use a fair amount of ink from your markers. I would recommend using any existing markers you have. The markers did still work just fine after being used on the Model Magic.
You can combine batches to make similar colors and get the most out of your Model Magic; i.e. if you have a pale pink and a more saturated pink, you can combine them to make a pink color.
If your pieces did not hold together when they dried, apply a bit of hot glue to them when you are gluing your ribbon or string.

What I would do differently…

I enjoyed making these little macarons so much that there is little I would do differently. I love the pastel coloration that I was able to get with the markers. I think it makes the macarons look so soft and decadent. That being said, there are two things I would like to try next time.

The first thing I would try is to make them a bit puffier.

As I mentioned earlier, the outer shells of macarons are typically thicker. When I created these, I was so excited to make them that I didn’t really pay close attention to producing a thick outer layer and instead made each layer fairly equal. I think the density change would make them look even more like real treats (even though grandma tried to eat them when I had them on a plate).

The next thing I would try would be to use more vibrant colors.

Crayola sells their Model Magic in a variety of colors (I promise this is not sponsored!) and I think it would be fun to try this project using some of these colors. I would also mix those colors with white to lighten them. Essentially, test out this project in different colors!

I think my originals are absolutely stunning and they look fabulous on my daughter’s princess tree! I highly encourage you to try them out!

I really hope you enjoyed this make! If you did please consider subscribing to my newsletter, so you never miss a new project!

If you make these ornaments, make sure you tag them with #DarkkFluriDIY so I can see your creations!

Mickey Macarons