Crafty Friday: Egg Carton Critters

Well, I have to admit that I did not think of a craft project until this morning. Basically, I looked in our craft cabinet, assessed our supplies, and with an overabundance of egg cartons, determined our craft. So, we’ll see how these little critters work out.

Here’s what you need:

*egg cartons
*construction or tissue paper in a variety of colors
*glue
*pipe cleaners
*markers
*buttons or googly eyes
*yarn or ribbon

I’m off to do some yard work before the temperature hits triple digits. I’ll be back soon with pictures and step-by-step instructions.

***************************************************************************************************************************Boy, I REALLY underestimated how long yard work, a quick trip to Target, and a seemingly simple craft project would take. But I learned a few things.

1. Don’t do yard work.

2. If you want to make a quick trip to Target to pick up a few things, don’t take your kids, especially if your kids love the store as much as you do. I spent the entire hour and forty minutes telling my kids, “Put that thing down,” “Let’s go,” and “No, we don’t need to buy that,” and we didn’t even go into the toy section! Granted, it was sweet that most of what they were trying to put in the basket was for me, but I really don’t need that extra temptation. Just going to Target is temptation enough.

3 . Opt for paint instead of decoupaged paper when decorating egg cartons. It’s much simpler and much, MUCH quicker.

Lessons learned. I apologize for the delay.

Critter #1 - Caden Caterpillar

Step 1 - Cut the egg carton into individual egg cups. You’ll need about 5 cups for the caterpillar (Make sure you have your thinking face on when you’re cutting.)

Step 2 – Decoupage paper onto, or paint the individual cups in the colors of your choice.

Step 3 – Once the cups are dry, poke two holes in each cup, one in the front and one in the back for threading a pipe cleaner through.

Step 4 – Make a knot at the end of a pipe cleaner and then thread it through each cup. Once you get to the last cup, make another knot to secure the cups onto the pipe cleaner. This knot will act as a nose for the caterpillar.

Step 5 – Glue buttons or googly eyes to the face of the caterpillar.

Step 6 – Cut strips of ribbon or yarn and attach them to the head with glue to act as hair…and you’re done!

Critter #2 - Shermin Shark

I made the mistake of asking Finn what kind of creature he wanted to make, and he said shark. So I improvised.

Step 1 – Cut two individual egg cups from the carton, leaving an extra long end on one of the cups in order to attach it to the other cup.

Step 2 – Paint or decoupage paper onto the cups in the color of your choice.

Step 3 – Once the cups are dry, poke a hole through the long piece of the first cup, and through the back of the second cup. Then use a brad to attach the long piece to the inside of the second cup so that the cups form a full egg shape. This will allow the shark to open and close his mouth.

Step 4 – Cut two small strips of white paper with a zigzag pattern for the shark’s teeth. Attach each strip to the inside of the mouth with glue or tape so that the points are sticking up slightly and resemble teeth. (See above picture)

Step 5 – Glue googly eyes or buttons to the face.

Step 6 – Cut a triangle shape for the fin, and attach it to the head of the shark with glue or tape.

If Shermin has a hard time standing up, you can cut a circle out of construction paper and glue it to the bottom of the shark to stabilize him.

Critter #3 – Daisy Duck

Follow the same steps for Shermin Shark to make the duck, except, instead of attaching the triangular piece to the top of the head, attach it to the front of the face to act as a duck bill and eliminate step 4.

Happy Crafting!

Nessa Dee