Paper Crafting

Any occasion that calls for a party certainly warrants party hats—including one that you can pin in your hair. These hats look good on kids and grownups alike. Variations on the embellishments are endless and almost as fun as the party itself!                                                  

                                                     Supplies

Party-Time Party Hats templates     Pencil     Scissors for paper    Liquid glue     Ruler     White butcher paper    Glue stick Ribbon      Crepe paper in various colors


1.   To make the top hat: Trace the three hat templates on card stock and cut out. Shape the walls of the hat into a cylinder. Apply liquid glue to the side tab and glue to the wall, pressing firmly. Hold for about 5 minutes. The top of the hat is wider than the bottom. Bend in the tabs at the top of the hat and apply liquid glue to the tabs. 


 Adhere the top of the hat to the tabs. Next, bend out the tabs on the bottom of the hat and apply liquid glue to the undersides. 

Attach the tabs to the brim. Allow to dry for about 10 minutes.



 2.   Using the hot glue gun, attach the hair clip to the underside of the hat. Allow to dry for about 5 minutes.





3.    (I recommend covering your work surface with newspaper before starting this step.) Pour the thin liquid glue into a small dish. Place the hat upright, and apply a thin layer of thin liquid glue with the foam brush. Working over a scrap paper, cover the hat with glitter. Shake off the excess onto the scrap paper. Check for places that need more glitter, brush with glue, and sprinkle on more glitter. Allow to dry for about an hour. 


4.   Trace the feather template on the magazine paper and cut out. Attach the feather to the hat at the quill with liquid glue, and hold in place to dry for about 5 minutes. Punch out a  circle from your chosen paper.


 Using the glue stick and a dot of liquid glue, glue it to the base of the feather. Allow to dry for about 30 minutes before wearing.

Inspiration for this mobile comes from the Cheshire Cat’s wise admonition, “Depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” You want to use papers that are not too flimsy so that the shapes will hang without flopping over, but not too thick so that the mobile will still have an airy, light feeling. Choose papers that coordinate in color and design and are similar weights. You may want to select pages from the same magazine article or children’s book for continuity; mixing styles of paper and combining papers with text and images will also work well. The string or yarn should be able to support the weight of the mobile without breaking.



                                                  Supplies
Alice in Wonderland Mobile templates    Pencil   Sturdy magazine or book pages   Scissors for paper    Glue stick   Wire cutters    Ruler    20-gauge straight stick floral wire     Sturdy string or yarn    Liquid glue     Scrap paper.

1. Download the Alice in Wonderland Mobile templates from www.chroniclebooks/sweetpaper.com. Using the pencil, trace the cat head template on your chosen paper. Trace the Cheshire smile template on paper of a contrasting color. Cut out both pieces with the paper scissors. Be careful to cut inside the pencil lines so that you don’t have to erase them later. Using the glue stick, affix the smile to the cat’s head.

2. Trace the kitten template on paper and cut out. Trace four stars and cut out. Fold a piece of paper and place the two pennant templates along the fold as marked, then trace and cut out. Trace each letter template on paper and cut out.


3. Using the wire cutters, cut two pieces of floral wire each 18 in/46 cm long. Using the scissors, cut a piece of string 25 in/63.5 cm long. Place the two wires together and overlap them so that the total length of the wires is 20 in/50 cm. In the center of the overlapped wires,tie one end of the string with a firm knot. Make a loop in the other end and hang the wires.


4. Cut two pieces of string each about 18 in/46 cm long. Tie each piece to an end of the wires where they still overlap, leaving the string hanging down. If the wires do not hang horizontally, slide your center knot left or right.


5. Cut three lengths of string about 14 in/35.5 cm, 17 in/43 cm, and 18 in/46 cm long. Place the lengths of string on your work surface in three rows, with the shortest away from you and the longest close to you. Arrange the letters as follows: “DEPENDS A GOOD” on the short length, “DEAL ON WHERE” on the next, and “YOU WANT TO GET TO” on the long one. Check your spacing. The words should be readable when hung. Each length of string should have about 4 in/10 cm on either end for tying to the mobile.


6. Turn the letters right-side down, keeping them in the same order. Starting with the shortest piece of string, place a dot of liquid glue at the top of the D. Set the string in the glue and press firmly. Continue gluing the letters of the first three words, spacing them evenly and allowing space between the words. The glue will dry clear; if you do not use too much, you won’t even see it on the backs of the letters. Continue to glue the remaining words on the remaining lengths of string. Allow to dry for about 15 minutes before continuing. Turn the strings of words right-side up. 


7. Center “DEPENDS A GOOD” on the mobile and tie each end of the string to the wire. Tie “DEAL ON WHERE” to the mobile, making sure it hangs below the first three words. Finally, tie “YOU WANT TO GET TO” in the same way. Adjust the knots if each part of the phrase is not centered on the wire. The words add weight, so you may have to adjust the top support string until the mobile balances.

8. Place a dot of liquid glue on the back of the cat’s head (between where the eyes would be) and another dot about 1 in/2.5 cm below the first. Cut a 1-in/2.5-cm square of scrap paper. Using the glue stick, cover the paper with glue. Set the left string in the glue on the cat’s head. Place the cat’s head low enough so that it does not touch the words. Cover the string and glue with the square, pressing firmly. Apply the glue stick to the inside of a pennant and a dot of liquid glue on the fold. Attach to the string about 2 in/5 cm below the cat’s head. Apply a dot of liquid glue to the center of a star and place it at the end of the string below the pennant. Repeat with  another star and press the stars firmly together. Again adjust the center support string for balance.


9. Apply glue stick to the inside of the second pennant and a dot of liquid glue to the fold. Attach to the right string. Cut a ½-in/12-mm square of scrap paper and use it to attach the kitten to the string
in the same way you attached the cat’s head about 2 in/5 cm below the pennant. Apply a dot of the liquid glue to the center of a star and place it at the end of the string below the kitten. Repeat with another star and press the stars firmly together.


10. After you adjust for balance, trim any excess string across the top of the wire. You may want to move the other lengths of string, rather than only the center string, to get the balance just right. Once your mobile is hanging straight (or with a small amount of tilt), place a dot of liquid glue on each knot across the top of the wire. Allow to dry at least an hour before moving.

For something a little different, think outside the box—or maybe inside the box! This section focuses on special places to store personal keepsakes. Why shouldn’t the exterior of a container be as  impressive as, or more impressive than, its contents? And why should you bother wrapping a gift, when you can make the gift box itself a treasure? You might be surprised how just a little fabric, some ribbon and a few stitches can make a plain old container spectacular! Some of these projects incorporate store-bought containers, such as wooden and papier-mâché boxes. These are like prefabricated blank canvases, with surfaces that are ready to be decorated. Other containers are waiting to be discovered in the most unexpected places. Who would’ve guessed you could recycle old mint tins or crocheted potholders in such a unique way!




                                       MATERIALS AND TOOLS
 
papier-mâché boxes    (set of three, if desired)     cardstock    fabric (in three coordinating patterns,
if desired)    ribbon (coordinating with fabric)     scissors    fabric glue    liquid seam sealant (such as fray check)    hole punch     eyelets   eyelet setter   pencil    ruler   iron


 
1.  Cut fabric

__Cut a length of fabric to fi t around the sides of a papier-mâché box, allowing about 2" (5cm) of fabric     around the top edge of the box and 1" (3cm) of fabric (or less) around the bottom edge of the box .



2.   Adhere fabric to box

 Use fabric glue to adhere the fabric to the box. Fold the 2" (5cm) of extra fabric into the box,  adhering it to the interior sides with glue.

3.  Glue bottom edges of fabric

Fold the remaining fabric over the bottom edges of the box and glue the fabric to the bottom surface.

4.  Cover bottom surface with fabric

Cut a piece of the same fabric used to cover the box, trimming it just slightly smaller than the box’s bottom surface. Glue the fabric to the bottom, then add liquid seam sealant to the fabric edges.

5.  Line box interior

On a piece of cardstock, trace around the bottom edges of the box. Th en, measure the sides of the box; using these dimensions, measure and mark pieces of the same cardstock to line the box interior. Cut out the bottom and side pieces. Use the cardstock to line the box, adhering the pieces to the bottom and side panels with fabric glue.

6.  Cover box lid

Cut a piece of fabric 1" (3cm) wider and 1" (3cm) longer than the box top. Glue the fabric onto the top surface of the lid, centering the lid so there is ½" (12mm) of fabric on either side. Cut the corners of the fabric at an angle, then glue the corners in place for a mitred look.

7.  Prepare fabric for sides of lid

Measure the width of the box lid sides. Cut a long strip of fabric that is double this width. Fold in both sides of the strip to make the width equal to the sides of the box lid, then glue and iron the strip.


8.  Cover sides of lid

Glue the fabric strip around the sides of the lid. If the strip is not long enough to cover all four sides, repeat Step 7 to make another strip. Line the lid of the box, as you did the bottom in Step 5.


9.  Set Eyelets

Determine a center placement for the eyelets on two opposing sides of the box. Punch one hole on each side, then set the eyelets with an eyelet setter.






10.  Tie bow

Cut and place a length of ribbon around the exterior of the box, running each end through an eyelet. Put the lid on the box, then bring the ends of the ribbon on top of the lid and tie the ribbon in a bow. If desired, cover two more boxes with coordinating fabric to make a complete set.