Hot Chocolate Havoc

Leave this "accident" on the carpet or couch this April Fools' Day and listen to everyone exclaim, "Not me!" for a bit before letting your clan in on the secret: dried paint and glue make a believable mess. This project needs to be made several days in advance, but the payoff is well worth it.

Mix 2 tablespoons of tacky glue with about 1 tablespoon of brown acrylic paint (remember that the shade will darken as the glue dries). Drizzle some of the mixture down the inside of a disposable cup, then lay the cup and a plastic spoon on a cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap.

Pour the rest of the mixture near the cup's edge and onto the spoon, adding a few mini marshmallows (snipped in half for a partially melted look) if you like. Allow the mess to dry for about 3 days, then remove it from the plastic wrap and let it air-dry completely on a protected surface.

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