For this project, you'll need a 3" styrofoam ball, a 3" diameter round paper mache box, a 6" square of felt (wool felt works best), patterned paper, a wooden bead, floral wire, floral tape, red paint and green paper. You'll also use glue, including hot glue.
Begin by cutting the styrofoam ball in half. Use a serrated bread knife and gently saw it back and forth.
Hot glue one of the styrofoam halfs to the top of the paper mache box.
Cut your felt square into a shape like this...sort of a circle with petals. It should be about 5.5" to 6" in diameter.
Wet the felt shape under running water and ring out.
Drape the wet felt shape over the styrofoam ball, centering it as best as you can.
Use your hand to cup the felt over the ball to start to give it shape.
Tug at opposite ends of the felt to stretch it out over the ball. You'll want to stretch the shape to cover as much of the rim of the top of the box as you can.
Use a rubber band to secure the felt to the ball and top while it dries. The rubber band should go around the top of the box for best results. (Otherwise it might migrate to that space between the styrofoam ball and the box top.)
While the felt dries, let's get started on making your cherry for the top. Gather the floral tape, floral wire, green paper and red paint.
Here's a trick for painting the bead. Use a toothpick and wind a little piece of paper towel to the top. Insert the bead on the toothpick from the opposite end all the way to the paper towel end. This should hold keep the bead on the toothpick, which you can easily hold to paint all the way around the bead. Use a spool of thread to keep the painted bead safe while it dries.
Wrap a 3" length of wire with floral tape. Stretch the floral tape as you wrap it and the tape will stick to itself.
When you get to the end, wrap an extra bit to make the end fatter. This will hold the bead on.
Fold a piece of the green paper in half, trace a leaf image and cut it out (with scallop edge scissors if you like)
Thread the wire through the cherry bead, thin end first. Glue the leaf to the stem. Tah-dah you have a cute little cherry.
Back to the box: trace the circle bottom of the box to a piece of patterned paper and cut it out. Also cut a strip of paper 1" wide by 10" long. Glue the edge to the bottom part of the box (leaving the rim cleared for the box top). Glue the circle to the bottom.
When the felt top is dry, remove it from the top.
Glue a strip of paper approximately .5" x 10" long along the bottom edge of the top of the box.
Glue the felt cap to the styrofoam ball.
Push the cherry into the top of the cupcake to create a little dimple for the cherry to sit in. Glue the cherry to the top and...
Enjoy your sweet cupcake box!