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The project:
While checking out the craft section at Bayswater Bunnings for more surfaces to silicone, I stumbled across a wooden tissue box cover! Inspired by vintage French bakery trends, we transformed this wooden blank into an adorable "fake cake" tissue cover! Straight from the tube, no mixing, just pure 3D texture magic. Piped star dollops, continuous side swoops, and a mixed stash of floral charms and unique bows prove hardware mediums can replicate luxury home decor with zero shrinkage! But is it cake?!
- Materials:
- Boyle Craft Wooden/MDF Tissue Box Cover (Bunnings I/N: 1660868)
- Selleys 100% White All-Purpose Silicone Sealant (300g cartridge)
- British Paints 1L 4-In-1 Primer Sealer Undercoat Stain Blocker (for a flawless, sealed base coat)
- 240-grit sandpaper
- Disposable pastry piping bags
- Plastic open-star icing tip (for shell borders)
- Ruffled ribbon or small French star tip (for swag curves)
- Mini resin pink roses, green leaves, flatback faux pearls, and a mixed assortment of statement bows
- Baking paper or wax paper
- Tools:
- Selleys Standard Silicone Caulking Gun (strictly to load piping bags)
- Craft tweezers
- Small paint brush
- Microfiber cloth (to remove sanding dust)
- Repurposed microwave glass plate/lazy Susan (for smooth rotation while piping)
- Step 1:
Prep & Base Coat Painting
Before piping, we prepped the bare wood/MDF surface. I gave the tissue box blank a quick scuff with fine 240-grit sandpaper to remove rough fibers and give the silicone a strong mechanical grip. After wiping away the dust with a microfiber cloth, we painted the entire exterior with a coat of British Paints 4-in-1. It instantly seals the porous timber and creates a solid, smooth base for the silicone to grip!
- Step 2:
The Double-Bag Silicone Setup
Using 100% pure white silicone straight from the tube gives an instant, glossy "royal icing" look without needing any pigments. To prevent bag blowouts under heavy hand pressure, we dropped our piping tip into an outer piping bag, snipped the end of an inner bag filled with silicone, and nested them together. Running low mid-project? Refilling is easy: just use the gun to shoot more silicone straight into the inner bag, squeeze it out onto scrap cardboard until you hear it "pop" (to clear air bubbles), and jump right back into piping!
- Step 3:
Testing on a Prep-Painted Yogurt Tub & Terracotta Pot
Before hitting the real tissue box against the clock, we tested vertical piping on a prep-painted scrap yogurt tub and an old painted terracotta pot to check the droop factor. Thanks to the primer in the paint, there was plenty of grip for the gnarly trade adhesive—meaning we could pipe vertically just like a pro cake decorator without any slumping!
- Step 4:
Sketching and Marking the Side Loops
Taking a cue from pro cake decorators (inspired by this Coquette Cake Decorating Tutorial), we lightly sketched and marked out our guide lines and loops on the side panels first. Having a map to follow makes piping symmetrical, beautiful drapes so much easier before committing the silicone!
- Step 5:
Going Vertical Like a Cake Pro!
Because our test runs proved the primed paint gave the trade silicone fantastic mechanical grip against gravity, we didn't need to mess around rotating flat sides—we piped it upright and vertical just like a cake decorator! It’s surprisingly forgiving stuff, and the texture stays right where you put it.
- Step 6:
Piping Ruffled Swags with the Flat-Sided Star Tip
Following our marked guidelines on each side panel, we fitted our piping bag with the flat-sided star tip. Holding the bag at a cozy 45-degree angle with the flat side pressed gently against the wood as a stable guide, we moved our hands with total "swagger"! By sweeping in a graceful U-shaped "Swag" arc and adding a tight, rhythmic back-and-forth zigzag "jiggle" motion with the wrist, the silicone was forced through the multi-pointed star teeth. This creates a dense, plush, fabric-like band of high-texture ruffles that holds its shape and catches the light like a dream!
- Step 7:
Skipping the Bottom Base Border (Embrace the Clean Look!)
While we originally planned to add a bottom border, we ran out of time and honestly? It looks way better clean and streamlined without it—or maybe we'll add one later! That’s the beauty of working with this medium: it's so easy, and you don't have to overcomplicate it to make it pop.
- Step 8:
Curating Charm Clusters & Balanced Bows (A Family Affair!)
Because wet silicone acts as a heavy-duty adhesive, no glue is needed! What started as a solo project turned into a full family affair here—mummy, daddy, Austin (2), and Audrey (5) all got to decorate a side each! Working with a mixed stash of bows means you don't need them to match—instead, create visual balance. We set up our charm foundations featuring pink roses, green leaves, and pearls to anchor every V-point. We placed our unique statement bows (like light blue and dark teal) on the mid-points to balance each other out, a pink bow right in the center, and left the far corners with just the floral cluster. We also nestled flatback pearls into the top shell peaks and let the piece cure for 24 hours.
- Step 9:
Tool Cleanup
When you're finished, never wash your sticky tips in the sink! Follow the paper towel and cleaning vinegar method detailed in Part 1 of my series to keep your metal tips pristine and ready for your next project.
- Step 10:
💖 Catch Up on the Rest of the Series!
Finally - the series is complete! HAPPY DIY JULY 2026 EVERYBODY!!!!
