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Treasure-Keeper Frog | Recycled Crafts

Treasure-Keeper Frog

Total Time Needed: 2-3 Hours

What tadpole wouldn't love to fill this case with marbles, coins, or trinkets? We've come up with a trick for attaching the zipper in a snap.

Materials

  • Masking tape
  • 2 clean plastic 2-liter bottles
  • Craft knife
  • Scissors
  • Fabric tape measure
  • Marker
  • Pushpin
  • Towel (optional)
  • 12-inch purse zipper
  • Embroidery needle and floss
  • Wine cork
  • Paintbrush and green acrylic paint
  • Glue (we used Crafter's Pick The Ultimate glue)
  • Googly eyes (we used 1/2-inch)

Instructions

Treasure Keep Frog Step 1

1. To make the frog shown here, wrap masking tape around the 2-liter bottles about 2 1/2 inches from the bottom. To make the taller frog, place the tape about 3 1/2 inches from the bottom. With a craft knife or scissors, cut each bottle along the tape's top edge (a parent's job).

Treasure-Keeper Frog - Step 2

2. Using the tape measure, mark 1/2-inch increments all around the tape, about 1/4 inch from the cut edge. Punch a hole through each mark with the pushpin. (Tip: Work on a folded towel to keep the plastic from slipping.) Remove the masking tape.

Treasure-Keeper Frog - Step 3

3. Close the zipper and wrap it around one bottle, as shown, using small pieces of tape to hold it in place. Thread the needle with 40 inches of floss, then knot the end, leaving a 3-inch tail. Sew the zipper to the bottle, starting from the inside and pulling the thread in and out of the punched holes. Remove the tape as you go. At the end, knot the floss and tie both tails together, then trim off the excess floss. Open the zipper and sew it to the second bottle in the same way.

Treasure-Keeper Frog - Step 4

4. To make the eyes, use the craft knife to cut the cork in half. Cut a section from each piece, as shown, to make a flat edge (a parent's job). Paint the corks and let them dry, then glue on googly eyes. Glue the flat edge of the eyes to the bottle.

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