- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 2.7 × 4.5 in (6.8 × 11.4 cm)
Topped with a blue gingham cloth cover, a cozy string tie, and a sweet blushing face with a tiny pink heart, this milk paper squishy looks like a vintage glass bottle fresh from a kawaii cafe. You get a free printable template in US Letter and A4 with 3 versions: full color, a coloring page, and a blank bottle to design yourself. Pair it with our strawberry milk squishy for an adorable drink collection!
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your milk bottle template at 100% scale on plain printer paper—make sure to turn off the “fit to page” setting. Check that the test line in the top corner measures exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page, color the gingham cap, label band, and milk now, then let any marker ink dry completely.
2Tape the pieces
Laminate just the front and back bottle shapes with wide clear packing tape instead of taping the whole page. Smooth each strip down from the center out toward the edges without pulling or stretching, since stretched tape wrinkles later. This glossy layer makes the glass bottle look shiny, strong, and extra squishy.
3Cut out both pieces
Cut out the front and back bottle pieces right along the solid outer black line, keeping the narrow white border intact. Take your time steering the scissors around the wavy edges of the gingham cloth cover and the slight curve at the bottle neck.
4Add a tape border to the back
Place the back bottle piece printed side down onto strips of regular clear tape, with the sticky side facing up. Trim the tape so it extends about 1 cm (½ inch) past the paper edge, then snip this sticky border every 2 cm (1 inch) right up to the paper, including around the bottle neck and rounded base.
5Join front and back
Lay the front piece directly on top of the back piece with the white paper sides facing each other. Fold the sticky tape flaps over the front edge one by one and press them flat around the cap and sides. Leave a 3 cm (1 ½ in) or slightly smaller gap open along the side of the bottle body (shown by the pink line in the picture) for stuffing.
6Stuff it
Tear your plastic bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small, fluffy bits and push them in through the side gap. Tuck the first pieces up into the gingham cap and down into the bottom corners of the bottle before filling the middle. Stop when it feels soft and puffy—packing in too much will make the tape seams pop.
7Close the gap
Fold the remaining tape flaps over the open side of the bottle and tape the gap shut with an extra strip of clear tape. Run your finger firmly along all edges of the bottle outline to press every flap down well.
8Squish!
Done! Your kawaii milk bottle is ready. Give the chubby bottle a squeeze and watch it puff right back up. Want a slow-rising squishy? Prick one tiny pinhole in the back of the bottle so the air escapes slowly.
Free Milk Bottle Squishy Template
- Color
- Coloring page
- Blank, design your own
- Step-by-step guide
One free PDF: the template in three versions (pages 1–3) and the step-by-step guide (pages 4–5). Print the template at 100% on plain printer paper.
Tips for the perfect squish
- Bottle feels too stiff. If your milk bottle feels hard instead of pillowy, gently peel open the side gap, take some stuffing out, and tape it shut again.
- Wrinkles across the cute face. Use shorter strips of packing tape and lay them across the bottle without pulling so the kawaii eyes and heart stay smooth.
- Seam opens at the neck. If an edge splits open near the curved gingham cap, put a new short strip of clear tape right across the edge, overlapping the old ones.
- Smudged gingham or blush. Let markers dry fully on the coloring page before taping so the blue checks and pink cheeks stay crisp; printer ink is fine right away.
Questions
Can I make a milk paper squishy with glue instead of tape?
Not for the edges. Glue doesn’t stick to tape-covered paper, so the bottle seams would open. The snipped tape border folded over the edge holds the front and back together best.
What is the finished size, and can I make it bigger?
When printed at 100%, the bottle measures about 2.7 × 4.5 in (6.8 × 11.4 cm). To make a bigger bottle, print the page at a larger scale like 120% with both the front and back on the same sheet so they match.
Is this a milk bottle or a milk carton paper squishy template?
This printable makes a classic glass milk bottle with a gingham cloth cover. If you want a boxy carton shape instead, try our milk carton squishy next!
What paper and stuffing work best for this bottle?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best, since cardstock makes the squishy too stiff to squeeze nicely. You can stuff it with plastic grocery bags for a crinkly feel, cotton balls or fiberfill for a soft pillow, or small pieces of memory foam for a slow-rising squishy.
Can I make this milk paper squishy with a class or group?
Yes, plan about 30 minutes for the craft. Print one sheet per person and cut the tape strips in advance so kids can color their milk bottles while you help with the taping.
More paper squishies to make
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