Want to make your cakes and cupcakes stand out? This easy DIY tutorial shows you how to make your own sugar letters to add to your baked goods.

how to make diy sugar letters

Sugar letters DIY

Isn’t it the simple things in life that make us the happiest?

The perfect mix on a diet coke at a drive-through window.

The new season of Survivor with Blair from the “Facts of Life.”

Constantly being able to drop into conversation that you made your first pecan pie (and crust).

And the new spooky effects on Pic Monkey.

Really.

I love them.

The only thing is…..I think I over-Pic-Monkeyed this post.

I couldn’t help it.

The spiders and the webs and the pumpkins and the gratuitous “Boo’s” were calling my name.

Please tell me you would have done the same thing.

Right?

Tell me that a bowl of sugar doesn’t look better with a hanging spider.  Or a pumpkin.  Or a floating piece of candy corn.

But maybe you can have too much of a good thing.

Maybe by the end of the post…..you will be thinking…..enough already with those hanging spiders and their giant webs.

But I had to

Time is slipping away.

I only have 31 days left to use them…..and then I’m moving on…..

…..to turkey season. 🙂

Easy tutorial for sugar letters

 Easy DIY Sugar Letters

(with a few hanging spiders thrown in)

Supplies you'll need

Supplies

  • cubed sugar (obvi)
  • neon food coloring
  • parchment paper
  • mini cookie cutters

Sugar cubes

 

Step 1:  Prepare sugar

Fill a bag full of 75 sugar cubes and crush with a hammer until the sugar cubes become ground sugar.

The original recipe I found over at Pixel Whisk called for super fine sugar.

But as I might have mentioned 24,679 times…..I live in the country.

We have brown sugar and white sugar and confectioner’s sugar and Splenda.

But currently, around here, superfine sugar is just a distant dream.

So I had to get creative and make my own.

Sugar Letters

Step 2: Mist sugar to create DIY sugar letters

Mist sugar with water from a spray bottle.

This is a little bit of trial and error.

I sprayed the top of the sugar lightly with water.

Then stirred the sugar.

Misted it again lightly.

Stirred the sugar again.

After two or three mistings and stirrings….your sugar should look like sand.

 

Add food coloring to the sugar

 

Step 3:  Add food coloring

Add one to two drops of food coloring to sugar.

I added orange food coloring for the spooky effect.

Stir into sugar until all of your sugar is orange.

Pat down the sugar and cut out shapes

Step 4:  Press cookie cutters

Pat out sugar and press cookie cutters into it.

Dump sugar out of bowl onto a sheet of parchment paper.

Using fingers….press it down to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Press cookie cutters into flattened sugar.

Remove the cookie cutters from the sugar

Step 5:  Take out cookie cutters

Remove cookie cutters from sugar.

Because the cookie cutters are so small…..the sugar will stay inside the cookie cutters.

Place the cookie cutters on the parchment paper.

Add a spider to your picture.

Tell yourself….it’s okay….you only have 31 days left for gratuitous spider pictures.

Sugar Letters Project

Step 6:  Remove letters

Using a toothpick, remove your letter from the cookie cutters.

Gently poke a toothpick into the center letter to slowly loosen it from the cookie cutter.

Slide the cookie cutter off and leave the letter on the parchment paper.

The letters will harden in one to two hours.

Your sugar letters are ready to go

Your letters are now almost as sturdy as sugar cubes.

Ready to use at your next spooky party or get-together.

This is one of those projects that you will love.

It is so easy.

Really.

It only took me about 10 minutes.

And I got to show off my mad Pic Monkey skills.

I mean…..really…..when it’s all said and done……nothing makes a project look better than an over-sized spider web and a grinning pumpkin.

Except maybe a turkey 🙂

Want to know how to decorate your home for free?
Click here to get my FIVE BEST secrets.

Posted On: October 1, 2012

Written By: KariAnne Wood

Comments

  2. Image for shirley@housepitalitydesigns shirley@housepitalitydesigns

    EEEK...this is waaay too cute...and not sure what I like better, the adorable sugar cubes or the Pic Monkey effects! Have a wonderful Monday!!

    Reply
  3. Image for Sandra Sandra

    Too cute! Not over-monkeyed at all. Your way worked perfectly, but if you ever really, really need super-fine sugar, you can put regular sugar in your food processor or blender, and whirl it a bit. Those of us who live in the country have to make do!! (I live outside of a small town (pop. 609), it is 35 miles to Walmart, so I am good at making do.

    Reply
  4. Image for tara tara

    I have literally been killing myself over here thinking of ways to use pic monkey's new Halloween stuff. I may throw up some Halloween decorations JUST so I have an excuse to use those cool things over there. great DIY project!

    Reply
  5. Image for andrea cammarata andrea cammarata

    Leave it to you to make the day sweeter my friend!!!! LOVE this project and I HAVE THOSE CUTTERS!!!! YAY!!!! It's always so much fun sharing these posts with you and the gang! You as always ROCK with everything you do! BOO!!!! HUGS!!!!!

    Reply
  6. Image for Gee Gee

    That is a cool idea. The bright orange really woke me up this morning!! Have a wonderful Monday! I am off to my first day of work for the season. Gonna be a good, good day for working with the needy!!! Cheers, Gee

    Reply
    1. Image for Peggy Peggy

      Bliss, Just use regular sugar and give it a good whiz or two in your food processor or blender to make super fine sugar. I learned this when we lived in a city of just over 100,000 that oddly enough did NOT carry super fine sugar in a single store... we had to drive an hour to find it. Crazy, huh?

      Reply
  9. Image for Linda @ it all started with paint Linda @ it all started with paint

    boo and eek are my favorite parts of Halloween! These are so cute. And I had no idea that Picmonkey had special Halloween effects! Now I will be adding spiders and webs and gratuitous "boos" to all my future posts this month ... regardless of whether or not they have anything to do with Halloween! :) Linda

    Reply
  15. Image for Melody♪♫ Melody♪♫

    hahaha! ♥ PicMonkey! I spent too much time Saturday "zombie-fying my youngest. I posted it on his facebook page & shocked him! I love the sugar letters you created. I did something like that for a tea party once. (Wasn't wild, however, about the appearance of the tea after adding cream & colored sugar flowers... :o )

    Reply
  16. Image for Andrea Andrea

    what a cute idea! My girls would love these (although Lord knows, more sugar is one thing my hyper little darlings do not need in life-ha!).

    Reply
  20. Image for Betsy(@coastal-colors) Betsy(@coastal-colors)

    Love your sugar letters! So cute and such a fun idea! Love the spooky additions in the photos too!

    Reply
  21. Image for Peggy Peggy

    What a cute idea! I have to agree with Sandra, a quick whiz or two in the blender/food processor turns regular sugar into super fine. Oddly enough when we lived in Ohio no one carried super fine sugar in our city of over 100,000 folks... so I did what any self respecting baker does. I searched for an alternative (plus I was too cheap to drive an hour away to find some.. ha ha!) Have a wonderful day! Happy October 1st!

    Reply
  26. Image for Lori Z Lori Z

    Lovin' the letters, and I totally need to check out Pic Monkey. And Blair better step it up and start to get more physical in the challenges, or she'll be voted off ... don't ya think?!

    Reply
  27. Image for Beverly Beverly

    KariAnne, you are amazing me over here, girl. You are such a domestic goddess. I think I am going to have to get you a bigger crown. No joke, these are just too cute. I have just plain old sugar cubes in my sugar bowl. How boring I am! You must be getting so excited about your upcoming event. I'm still sad that I am going to miss you. Did Kijsa decide to come with you?

    Reply
  29. Image for Tiffini Tiffini

    I have never seen such a thing K...how adorable! the grand babies would love these...although their momma wouldn't Blair is on survivor? I don't watch it anymore but I used to watch Facts of Life faithfully..wow what a long time ago anyhow love ya xo

    Reply
  32. Image for bj bj

    Your letters are adorable... I, too, am having fun at PicMonkey and their Halloween cuties...I've made 3 or 5 spooky headers to change throughout the month. xoxoboooo

    Reply
  33. Image for Linda Adams Linda Adams

    Very cute idea Karianne, I'm not a bit surprised that you have letter cookie cutters, I bet you have number cookie cutters too. I love all the spiders and webs they are fun. Don't forget to make these sugar treats with pink food color and a heart shaped cookie cutter for Valentine's day in February. About the super fine sugar, you can make regular sugar super fine using a food processor or a blender I think. Joyous Wishes, Linda

    Reply
  34. Image for Michele Michele

    Love this post. SO SO CUTE and clever! Your mad skillz with PM is awesome.....added lotza fun to your post, I love your blog, but you knew that, right? Hugz

    Reply
  43. Image for Rhonda~Ramblings of a Southern Girl Rhonda~Ramblings of a Southern Girl

    Now that is very clever! ...and I do love your picmonkey effects! :) You mentioned Blair ...Lisa Whelchel, is coming to a Ladies Conference hosted by our church in January. I had the pleasure of meeting her last January, and she is a super sweet person!

    Reply
  45. Image for Jana Jana

    Karianne, These are just super cute!! I have that exact set of cutters. Now I see a new use for them. Love all the Pic-Monkey effects too. :0)

    Reply
  46. Image for debbiedoos debbiedoos

    These are so stinkin cute. I have a vision of my younger boy Jack poppin these in his mouth like tic tacs...oh it would be a rush for sure. Thanks so much for sharing at my party.

    Reply

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