How to Buy the Right Cups

Most of the instructions here work only with a cup shaped like this. It's squatty. Just under 3" tall. The rim is much larger than the base. On the package it's often labelled "tumbler" or "old-fashioned."

This "right" cup comes in lots of variations. There are hard ones and soft ones. The hard ones are shinier but crack more easily. The soft ones have a lip and don't sparkle quite as much. They all make toxic fumes when melted. To make a no-melt sparkleball, you must use soft cups. Solo is one brand of soft cup(right). Chinet makes a pretty, hard plastic cup called "Cut Crystal." (left)

Where do you find these cups? I've found them at grocery and drug stores, restaurant supply stores, and party supply stores. Manola in Chicago ordered hers from Ebay. Andrew in Missouri found unusual cups (printed with American flags) in a card shop. You can also find cups online.

If you want the right cup in color, I've compiled a short list of websites that list colored and decorated 9 oz. tumblers for sale. The list is here. If you find a new source, please share!

What if you can't find the right cups? Don't despair. Like Rob in Australia (where there are no 9 oz cups) you can modify the basic sparkleball instructions for whatever cup you can find.

basic
sparkleball