I can’t help but be drawn to all things circus or carnival related. It’s such a fun party theme! Today I made a simple ferris wheel using drinking straws and wire. You can even put treats (or cotton candy?) into the muffin paper compartments!

Supplies: Straws, ruler, scissors, mini muffin papers, mini needle-nose pliers, wire, string, hot glue gun.

Step 1: Cut 24 straws in 5 1/2″ lengths.
Step 2: Threading wire through 3 of the straws, form a triangle and twist the wire to keep the straws in a tight triangle. Use the pliers to do this if necessary, and carefully bend/slide the twisted wire into the straw, now hidden.
Step 3: Thread a new piece of wire into one side of the first triangle and add 2 new straws to form an attached triangle, finishing it off as in step 2.
Step 4: Continue attaching triangles in this way until you have a hexagon made of 6 triangles. Then repeat steps 2-4 to form a second identical hexagon.
Step 5: Cut 6 straws into 3″ lengths. Thread wire through an edge of one hexagon, add 1 short straw, thread through an edge of the other hexagon, add another short straw, and twist the wire tight as usual. The two hexagons should now be connected.

Step 6: Continue to connect the two hexagons as in step 5; thread through a hexagon edge, the attached short straw, another hexagon edge, add on a new short straw, and twist. Do this until all sides are attached, as shown below.
Step 7: Cut another 3″ straw and hot glue it into the center of the hexagons. This will keep the structure much more secure.
Step 8: Cut 4 straws in 7″ lengths and 2 straws in 3″ lengths – I chose to do this in a new color. Use the wire to form two triangles, as shown below.
Step 9: Apply hot glue to the top of one triangle and attach to the center-post of the ferris wheel. Hold it in place until secure, and repeat for the second triangle.
Step 10: Cut 8 lengths of string in 5″ lengths, two for each mini muffin paper.
Step 11: Loop two pieces of string over one of the 3″ straws and hot glue into opposite sides of a muffin paper. Repeat for the remaining strings and muffin papers.