Celebrate Earth Day with Mickey Succulent Cupcakes and Planters!

Happy Earth Day everyone!  It looks a little different this year, but some good that has come out of all of this.  With Earth Day, we’re all reminded of how important the place we live on is.  Now that the world is quiet, the earth is speaking loud again as the environment is getting a little stronger.  So what can we do at home to celebrate Earth Day and our love of Disney?

Hidden Mickey Succulent Cupcakes

If you’re asking what flavor this cupcake is, it’s not about the cupcake but how it’s decorated!  Personally, I’d use a chocolate cupcake base to signify the dirt aspect of the Earth.  They’re going to turn out so adorable that I think you’re going to have trouble taking the first bite out of one of these.

Recipe Source: Disney Family

Ingredients

 

• 1 Cup frosting
• Green, yellow, and taupe gel food coloring
• Piping bags
• Piping tips (#16 and #101)
• Piping nail
• Parchment paper
• Cupcake liners

Instructions

1. Divide the frosting into 4 bowls. Tint 3 of them various shades of green, using more or less of the yellow food coloring. Then, tint the last bowl taupe.
2. Place a batch of the green frosting in a piping bag fitted with tip #101.
3. Put a dab of frosting on the piping nail and place a square of parchment paper on top.
4. Pipe the design with the wider part of the tip near the parchment paper and the narrower part on top.
5. Pipe a mound of frosting on the parchment paper and then start piping the petals in a 
circular motion, rotating the piping nail as you go.
6. Once the flower shape is complete, slide the parchment paper off the nail and place it on a small baking tray. To create the Mickey design, you will need 1 large flower for the face and 2 smaller ones to form the ears.
7. Repeat piping instructions with the different shades of green frosting. Once all the designs have been piped, place the tray in the freezer for 2 hours for the designs to firm.
8. Using half of the taupe frosting, spread the frosting over the cupcakes until they are level.
9. Once the succulent flowers are frozen, gently peel them off of the parchment paper and place them on the cupcakes to form a Mickey design.
10. Fit a piping bag with tip #16 and add the taupe frosting. Pipe small decorative designs onto the empty spaces.

Mickey Mouse Planters

This is a great way to repurpose some household items which in turn reduces waste!  What a creative idea to protect our beloved Earth.  It is also a way to care for our Earth and help it grow.  Succulents are just a easier plant to care for!

Craft Idea: Disney Family

Supplies

• Empty tin cans, washed and dried
• Small towel
• Hammer
• Nail
• White acrylic paint
• Paint palette
• Paintbrushes
• Pencil
• Measuring tape
• Washi or painter’s tape
• Foam daubers in a variety of sizes
• Acrylic paint (Choose your favorite colors!)
• Soil
• Small plants, such as succulents
• Gravel (optional)

Instructions

1. Place a folded towel under an upside-down can. Use a hammer and nail to create 3 small holes at the bottom of each can.
2. Paint the cans with white paint. You may need a few layers to get the color to look solid. Allow the paint to dry completely. Note: if there are any sharp edges inside the can, you will want to completely cover them with tape before painting.
3. Use a pencil and measuring tape to lightly mark evenly spaced dots for creating a uniform Mickey pattern. For Mickey faces 1-inch or less, it’s ideal to mark each dot 2 inches apart. To create a colored band around the top or bottom edges of a can, use washi tape.
4. Use foam daubers and colored paint to impress Mickey faces and ears onto the tin. For example, use a ¾-inch dauber for his face and a ½-inch dauber for his ears. Allow the paint to dry completely. If needed, use a small paint brush dipped in white paint to “erase” any errors made with the colored paints.
5. Fill a finished planter with soil until almost full. Insert a small plant in each can and fill any empty space with more soil. Optionally, top the soil with gravel.
6. Create a variety of planters in different shapes and sizes, and enjoy watching your plants thrive!

We can all celebrate that the Earth has done an amazing job at providing for us.  To show gratitude, we can all do our part in helping the Earth continue to grow, bloom, and blossom.  If crafting isn’t your thing, but you still want to plant a succulent for the Earth, try these Disney succulent planters from shopDisney UK, or this faux succulent below on shopDisney US.