Total Time 1 to 2 hours Ages school-age
You'll feel a little bit like a mad scientist while you are putting this cardboard tube Beaker together.
Polka Dot Cardboard Tube Tulips
by Amanda Formaro
What you'll need
- 4-inch cardboard tube
- 3 (3/4-inch) Styrofoam balls
- Paint: peach, dark peach, black
- Scrapbook paper: one green pattern, one solid dark green
- White construction paper
- Orange yarn
- Tools: Black marker, white craft glue, scissors, glue stick, toothpicks
How to make it
1. Paint the cardboard tube peach and set aside to dry. Paint one of the Styrofoam balls dark peach and set aside to dry. Hint: if you put the ball on a toothpick it's easier to handle and you can poke it into a cork board or foam core board to dry.
2. Use the handle end of a paintbrush to dot black on to the other two Styrofoam balls for the eyes. Set aside to dry.
3. Use a glue stick and patterned scrapbook paper to cover the bottom 1-inch of the cardboard tube.
4. Cut a simple tie shape from dark green scrapbook paper and attach to the patterned paper (shirt) with a glue stick.
5. Cut a 4"x2" piece of white construction paper and glue to the bottom portion of the tube, lining it up with the shirt. Tuck the excess white paper up into the bottom of the tube. Lapels for Beaker's lab coat are optional. If you would like to add them, just cut from white paper and glue over the white coat, lining them up with the top of the paper.
6. Find the center of the tube, measuring from the top of Beaker's tie up to the top of the tube. This is where his nose will go. The nose will intersect at the top of Beaker's frown/mouth. Draw his mouth with a black marker and add some white glue for the nose. Use scissors to trim a little bit off of Beaker's nose to make one side flat and press it into the glue. Trim the eyes the same way and glue them right above the nose. They may slide around a little, so you may need to hold them until the glue gets tacky. Check them once in a while to make sure!
7. Holding all four of your fingers together (like you are going to shake someone's hand) and wrap the orange yarn around those fingers 40 times.
8. Using the end of the yarn, tie a knot in one end of the loops you just created.
9. Use the scissors to cut through the loops at the opposite end from where you tied the knot. Add white craft glue generously inside the top of the cardboard tube. Insert the yarn into the top of the tube, with the cut ends sticking out. Press the yarn to the sides of the tube to allow it to grab.
Crafts
