Latest news, food, business, travel, sport, Tips and Tricks...

Handy Hamm Piggy Bank Craft

Handy Hamm Piggy Bank Craft

Total Time 1 to 2 hours Ages school-age

He may be a wisecracker, but no other toy in Andy's room is more hog wild about Woody than Hamm. No surprise then that this personable little porker would play a leading role in rescuing the kidnapped cowboy from all kinds of trouble. Made in Hamm's likeness out of a plastic jar, this portly piglet can be banked on to help your child save his pennies. Not only is there a slot in his back for dropping in coins, but his snout screws on and off, making it a cinch to empty the bank when it's full.

Recycled Piggy Bank

by Cindy Littlefield

What you'll need

  • Plastic jar and lid (a 30-ounce mayonnaise jar works well for this project)
  • Craft knife
  • Newspaper or cardboard (for covering your work surface)
  • Scissors
  • Plaster cloth (sold at craft stores)
  • Container of warm water
  • Cardboard egg carton
  • Craft paint (pink and black)
  • Foam brush or paintbrush
  • Ruler
  • Pink felt
  • Hot glue gun
  • Pencil
  • Black permanent marker
  • Pink pipe cleaner

How to make it

1. For the pig's body, set the jar on its side. Use the craft knife to cut a coin slot in the pig's back (a parent's job).

Handy Hamm Piggy Bank 2

2. Cut out a bunch of plaster cloth strips (about 1- by 6 to 8-inches) and rectangles (about 3- by 4- inches).

3. Remove the lid from the jar. Dip a piece of plaster cloth into the warm water and apply it to the jar. Continue doing this, overlapping the pieces a bit, until the outside of the jar is covered. Do not cover the coin slot or the threaded portion of the neck where the lid screws on. Use the same method to cover the top and sides of the lid. The lid will serve as the pig's nose when you screw it back on later.

Handy Hamm Piggy Bank 4

4. For the pig's feet, cut four cups from the egg carton and trim the tops evenly.

Handy Hamm Piggy Bank 5

5. Use additional strips of plaster cloth dipped in water to attach the feet to the bottom of the body. Then apply a second layer of plaster cloth to the jar and lid. Let the cloth dry (it generally sets up in about 20 minutes).

6. Paint the dried plaster cloth pink.

Handy Hamm Piggy Bank 7

7. While the paint dries, fashion a pair of felt or foam pig ears. For each ear, cut a 1 1/4- by 3-inch rectangle from pink felt. Shape it into a cone and glue the edges together to secure it. Trim the cone to resemble a rounded ear. Glue the ears to the top of the head.

8. Use scissors to cut each googly eye open and remove the black pupils. Glue the pupils to the bank for eyes. (If you don't have googly eyes, you can simply draw the eyes.) Draw on eyebrows with the black marker.

9. Paint the feet black (you can set the jar upright while you do this).

Handy Hamm Piggy Bank 10

10. When the paint is dry, add a squiggly tail. Wrap a pink pipe cleaner around a pencil and then slide it off. Trim the tail to the desired length and glue it to the back of the jar.

//