There’s almost no such thing as a bad cupcake, and they don’t have to be pretty to taste great. But you can really bring your cupcakes to life by adding these festive sparkler toppers. This DIY is easy to do and uses materials you likely already have at home. You get all the visual impact of using actual sparklers, but none of the fire hazard with these shimmery three-dimensional decorations.

To start, cut a 6×4-inch rectangle from foil tissue paper; we favor more traditional metallics, but any color-tinted metallic is just as fun. Fold the paper in half, then cut thin strips along the open edge, mimicking the sparkler effect. Try to cut the strips close to the edge of the paper, leaving a small amount of space between your cut and the edge of the paper. (This is important—be sure not to cut all the way through.) Wrap the uncut bottom border tightly around a wooden skewer, sealing the end with a glue dot. Trim skewers to different lengths, creating “sparklers” of varying sizes. 

Now find some frosted cupcakes! Making your own is always fun, but we won’t tell if you buy yours. Fill a bowl with a mixed batch of sprinkles—the more colorful the better—then dip the frosted cupcakes into the bowl, carefully twisting the upside-down cupcake until sprinkles stick to all sides. For the pièce de résistance, insert the wooden skewers into the cupcake for a party treat that’s almost too pretty to eat.

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