- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 4.3 × 3.8 in (10.9 × 9.7 cm)
Two glossy red cherries connected by a leafy green stem make this sweet cherries design the cutest fruit paper squishy for your desk. Each cherry has a happy kawaii smile, oval rosy cheeks, and tiny pink heart highlights. Grab the free printable template below in US Letter or A4, complete with 3 versions: full color, a coloring page, and a blank outline. Pair it with our strawberry paper squishy for a matching fruit basket!
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your sweet cherries template at 100% scale on plain printer paper (make sure “fit to page” is turned off). Check the scale line in the top corner to see that it measures exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page, color the cherries bright red, add pink cheeks, and shade the stem green now, then let any marker ink dry completely.
2Tape the pieces
Lay strips of wide clear packing tape over just the two cherry pieces, rather than taping the entire sheet. Smooth each strip down from the center outward without pulling or stretching, because stretched tape will wrinkle later. This clear layer gives your cherries their glossy shine, keeps the paper strong, and makes them extra squishy.
3Cut out both pieces
Cut out the front and back pieces right along the solid black outer line, making sure to keep the narrow white border intact. Take your time steering the scissors around the top stem, the pointed green leaf, and the small dip at the bottom between the two cherries.
4Add a tape border to the back
Flip the back piece printed side down and place it onto strips of clear tape with the sticky side facing up. Cut the tape about 1 cm (½ inch) past the paper edge, then snip that sticky border every 2 cm (1 inch) right up to the paper—especially around the round cherry curves and the leaf tip. Those little flaps will wrap around to hold the squishy together.
5Join front and back
Place the front piece right on top of the back piece with the white sides together, lining up the stems and leaves. Fold the sticky tape flaps over the front edge one by one and press them down firmly. Leave a 4.5 cm (1 3/4 in) gap open along the edge (the pink line in the picture shows where) so you have room for stuffing.
6Stuff it
Tear your plastic bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small pieces and push them inside through the open gap. Tuck tiny pieces up into the far corners of the stem and leaf tip first, then fill both round cherries until they feel evenly soft and puffy—stop before it gets too tight, or the seams might pop open.
7Close the gap
Fold the last tape flaps over the stuffed edge and tape the 4.5 cm (1 3/4 in) gap shut with an extra strip of clear tape. Run your finger firmly along all the edges, the bottom dip, and the stem to press every seam down well.
8Squish!
Done! Give your sweet cherries a squeeze and watch them puff right back up. Want a slow-rising squishy? Prick one tiny pinhole into the back of the cherries so the air escapes slowly.
Free Sweet Cherries 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
- My cherries feel too hard. If the round cherries feel stiff instead of squishy, they have too much stuffing inside. Gently open the gap, pull a little filling out, and tape the edge shut again.
- Tape wrinkles on the cherries. Stretched tape often bunches up across the wide, curved cherry fronts. Use shorter strips of packing tape and lay them on smoothly without pulling.
- The bottom dip splits open. The little indent between the two cherries gets extra pressure when you squeeze both sides at once. Put a new short strip of regular tape right across the split edge, overlapping the old ones.
- Red marker ink smears. Bold red and dark green markers take a moment to set on plain paper. Let your colored cherry design dry fully before taping, whereas standard printer ink is fine right away.
Questions
What other fruit paper squishy ideas can I make with these cherries?
You can craft a whole kawaii fruit bowl by pairing your sweet cherries with a watermelon paper squishy, a strawberry, or an avocado. They all use the exact same tape-and-stuff method on plain printer paper.
Can I use glue instead of tape to seal the cherry edges?
Not for the edges. Glue does not stick to tape-covered paper, so your seams would pop open when squeezed; the snipped tape border folded over the edge holds best.
What paper and stuffing work best for a fruit paper squishy?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best because cardstock makes the squishy stiff. Stuff it with plastic grocery bags for a light, crinkly feel, cotton balls or fiberfill for a soft pillow, or small pieces of memory foam for a slow-rising squishy.
Can I make the sweet cherries squishy bigger?
Yes! Print the page at a larger scale, such as 120%, and make sure to print the front and the back together on the same sheet so they still match.
Can I make these cherry squishies with a class or group?
Yes, it is a great group craft! Print one sheet per person, cut the tape strips in advance, and plan about 30 minutes so kids can color the coloring page while you help with taping.
More paper squishies to make
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