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Cost
$ $ $ $ $
Difficulty
• • • •
Time
2h00

A bit of unnecessary yet wonderful cuteness.
I love Milk Paint and how versatile it is. I also love seeing, making, and using unnecessary pretty things because they're fun. I originally thought about this project as an alternative Easter basket DIY, but then time passed and it wasn't in season anymore. I still think this idea would make a lovely little party set up. Recently, while I was blog browsing, I saw the new Ban.Do office and I loved all the color. That same week I saw a post on Oh Joy about playing with pattern. That's when I came back to my "party cone" idea. Why Milk Paint and why wooden cone and utensils? Both are food safe and biodegradable. It's also kind of nice the way you can build up color with this kind of paint.

Posted by brooke M. from Indianapolis, Indiana, United States • Published See brooke M.'s 30 projects »
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  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 1
    Step 1

    For this project I used wooden mini cones, wooden utensils, and Milk Paint. You can also use a box or a little slatted tray to make a stand for your cones. I would caution you to get "regular" cones as opposed to "mini" cones since mini is very mini. Do you have your supplies and a space to paint? Great! Milk paint powder will keep indefinitely as long as it is dry, once you mix it though, it will only last a few days. So, try to mix only what you need at the time. If you need to save your paint and go back to a project later, cover and refrigerate. This project doesn't take much so I used a little plastic cup and some deep jar lids.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 2
    Step 2

    Mix equal parts Milk Paint powder with water. I used about 1 tablespoon of each and I had more than enough green to do all of my pieces. For the white and blue paint, I used less than 1 tablespoon. Combine the water and powder then stir for several minutes. Let the paint sit for 15 minutes so it can thicken. Sometimes Milk Paint can be gritty, you can strain the paint if this is a problem, but I've never really had an issue with it. You will also want to stir the paint periodically while you are using it.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 3
    Step 3

    After you mix the paint, prepare your cones/utensils. I did 3 different designs. For two of the designs I marked off stripes using Post-it labeling tape. Painters tape would probably work better, but I wanted a skinny stripe since the cones are small and this is what I had. I started at the seam of the cone and wrapped the tape around. I eyeballed the spacing and continued until the cone was covered. Once the cone was covered, I went over the spaces with paint. I turned the cone upside over a paint tube to dry for a few minutes. Then I went back over the green with another coat. Milk Paint can be built up in layers to be more opaque or left watery to show the wood grain. Once the paint is dry, peel away the tape. In the photo you can see the different steps.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 4
    Step 4

    For the next pattern, I made ombre stripes that went from dark to light. My base color is Bayberry green and to lighten it I added Snow White. I added a pinch of white paint powder to my green paint just for a slightly different color. I prepared the cones the same as in step 3, but then I went over them with a different brush that had been dipped in the snow white paint. I started at the bottom and went up until I got to the second line. I did not add any extra white to the top stripe. If you need to, you can go back over the stripes with white and green until you get the contrast you want.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 5
    Step 5

    For the third pattern I made free hand brush strokes in 3 different colors. I started with green and made those marks the most prominent. I used a larger brush and did a couple of coats over each mark. I let that dry and then I went in with a slightly smaller brush and made a sort of loose outline around parts of the green with some white. The white paint takes more layers to show up well. Just be patient, let each coat dry, and eventually it will start to show up well. Then I took an even smaller brush and made some dots of Federal Blue. It's important to let each color dry before switching colors or they might run together. If you get a bit too much paint in a spot you can carefully soak it up with a paper towel. I went over my design adding layers (paint layers are visible in this photo) until each color was as opaque as I wanted it. You might want to practice your design on a piece of paper before starting the cones.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 6
    Step 6

    In this photo you can see the finished free hand pattern. On these cones, I painted the inside point as well. I later went back and did the same to the striped cones. On those I added smaller stripes in different directions. Here's the thing, Milk Paint is food grade so you can use it on utensils or a surface that might touch your edibles and not worry. It's also biodegradable and so are these utensils and cones.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 7
    Step 7

    I had a wooden tray that I think came out of a bath set. It worked really well for displaying these little wooden bits so I put some stain on it and went with it. If you don't have a perfect piece of salvaged packaging floating around, you can use a box to hold your pieces. Grab your box and use a ruler to find the center. Mark the center of the length and the width of the box. Then measure how far apart you want your cones and make a mark. I did three, but you might want a different arrangement. Next I used the circular center of my tape, centered it on the mark, and drew a circle.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 8
    Step 8

    After drawing the circles use an Exacto knife or other small blade and carefully cut out the circles. Make a few passes with the blade before trying to push the circles out. Then you can clean up the edges with a piece of fine grit sand paper (if you want). The photo shown is pre-sanding.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 9
    Step 9

    Now you have a box with holes that your painted cones will fit in. You can paint the box or cover it with paper. I chose a free printable gift wrap from Oh Happy Day. I printed 2 sheets to make sure I had enough. Find the center of the paper and line it up with the center of the box. Mark where the sides go so you can line it up again (see arrows). Now measure how much paper you need to wrap around the box and have a little over lap on each edge. Mark where the face of the box (side with the holes) will be on the paper (see arrows).

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 10
    Step 10

    Set the paper aside and cover the top of the box with glue. I used tacky glue mixed with a little water and spread it evenly with a paint brush. Place the box flat in the spot that you marked and apply pressure. Smooth the paper over the surface. Crease the edges, apply glue to the side, and wrap the paper around. Smooth the paper.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 11
    Step 11

    Now take a straight edge and trim the excess over hang at the end. Then cut the edges at the points so that they can move freely. Crease the paper at the edges. Glue down the sides and then glues the paper on the edges. Place the end of the box on the printed paper and measure how much is needed to cover the end with just enough to fold over on the inside. Cut those pieces and apply the same as you did before.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 12
    Step 12

    Place the box holes down an a cutting mat or piece of thick cardboard. Take a small utility knife and cut the paper in the holes in a crisscross pattern. Push the paper through, fold over, and glue down.

  • How to make a decoration. Milk Paint Snack Cones - Step 13
    Step 13

    You are done! Put something in them and have a party.

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