Diver Puppet

By Kathleen Ballos

You Will Need:

• Paper straws (regular and jumbo)
• Toilet paper roll tube
• 5 small round wooden beads
• 1 large wooden bead
• Multi-surface acrylic paint (black and yellow)
• Paintbrush
• Pipe cleaners (black and green)
• White cardstock
• Hot glue gun
• String
• Wooden dowel

Directions:

1. Paint four of the small wooden beads, four
   regular paper straws, and the paper roll tube with black paint. Let dry.
2. Cut the straws into eight equal pieces, about 1¾ inches long, and a longer piece about 4 inches long. Fold three black pipe cleaners in half and thread the straws and beads onto each, forming the diver’s arms, legs, and torso.
3. Paint the large wooden bead with black paint to look like a diver’s face. Let dry.
4. To make the diver’s accessories, cut a jumbo
   paper straw into two lengths about 2 inches long each. Paint the paper straws, one small round bead, and a piece of white cardstock with yellow paint. Once dry, cut the now yellow cardstock into two flippers.
5. Assemble the diver by twisting the torso
   pipe cleaner onto the arms and legs. Hot glue the head onto extra pipe cleaner that extends out past the torso. Twist the pipe cleaners on the arms and legs into small loops to be hands and feet.
6. Cut the black paper roll so that it’s 4 inches long. Cut it along the length as well and re-roll and glue it so that it’s not as wide a tube. Hot glue the two yellow straws onto the back as the oxygen supply. Bend and twist a green pipe cleaner into an oblong loop and thread the yellow bead up next to it.
7. Place the black tube over the torso straw, hot gluing to secure. Hot glue the pipe cleaner mask onto the face and bend the excess pipe cleaner to connect into the air supply.
8. Cut and tie string onto the diver’s arms, head, and hips and tie to a wooden dowel.
   

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Cupcake Paper Seashells

By Kathleen Ballos

You Will Need:

• Corrugated cardboard scraps
• White paint
• Paintbrush
• Cupcake liners (full-size and mini in multiple colors)
• Scissors
• White glue

Directions:

1. Paint one side of corrugated cardboard in the color of your choice. (Using white paint allows the colors of the cupcake liners to be the main focus, but if you’re just using white cupcake liners, consider painting the cardboard blue like the ocean or pale yellow like sand.) Let dry and cut into rectangles about the size of a postcard.
2. To make the seashells, flatten cupcake liners, then cut them in half. Freehand cut each half into simple clamshell shapes, with the flat bottom edge of the liners forming the bottom of the clamshells. Don’t worry if your shells aren’t perfectly symmetrical.
3. Arrange the shells onto the painted cardboard in whatever pattern you like and attach with small dabs of white glue. Let dry.
   

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Sand Castle S’mores

By Abby Hunter

You Will Need:

• 2 boxes graham crackers
• 1 bag mini marshmallows
• 1 stick butter
• Large saucepan
• No-stick cooking spray
• Mini 1-inch sand castle molds (may be found in sand kits at Michaels)
• Bowl
• Spoon
• Food processor (or large plastic freezer bag)
• Large marshmallows (1 per s’more)
• Chocolate bars (½ bar per s’more)

Optional (flags)

• Washi tape
• Thin wire
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Crush 3 cups of graham crackers using a food
   processor. If you don’t have a food processor, place the graham crackers in a sealed plastic bag (with as little air as possible), and crush them using your fist.
2. Melt 1½ tablespoons of butter over low heat in
   a large saucepan, and add 2 cups of mini marshmallows. Stir until completely melted, then remove from heat. Add the crushed graham crackers, and stir until well coated in marshmallow sauce. The crushed graham cracker crumbs may still appear dry.
3. Spray the inside of your sand castle molds with no-stick cooking spray. Pack a handful of your graham cracker/marshmallow mix into the sand castle mold, a little at a time, until full. You may want to use the tip of a small, pointy knife to cut around the very edge of the sand castle to loosen it from the mold. Shake, wiggle, and gently squeeze the “sand castle” out of the mold, and onto a plate. Set aside. Note: After you have completed step three a few times, you will most likely want to heat up another 1½ tablespoons of butter, and stir in another 2 cups of mini marshmallows until melted. Add the marshmallow sauce to the graham cracker crumbs to re-moisten the mix. It’s easiest to pack and remove castles while the mix is still warm.
4. Toast a large marshmallow over a fire, over the heating element on the stove top, or in the microwave (for about 10 to 15 seconds) on half of a graham cracker and chocolate bar. Allow to cool for a few seconds, and then stack your sand castle on the marshmallow, with a graham cracker base, and chocolate center.
5. Optional: Use thin wire, washi tape, and scissors to create mini flags to stick on top of the castles. Cut off about 2 inches of washi tape, and a 2-to-3-inch piece of wire. Place the top of the wire in the center of the washi tape, and fold the tape in half over the wire. Cut the tape into a triangle, trim the wire, and insert the end into the top of the castle.
   

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Candy Lobster Cupcakes

By Kathleen Ballos

You Will Need:

• Cupcakes
• Blue frosting
• Red shoestring licorice
• Red licorice bites
• Swedish berries
• Big Foot candy

Directions:

1. Ice your cupcakes with blue frosting and place a licorice bite in the center.
2. Cut a Swedish berry in half vertically and place both above the licorice—these will be the claws.
3. Cut two small pieces of shoestring licorice to connect the claws to the body.
4. Cut six short pieces of shoestring licorice and arrange next to the body to look like legs.
5. For the tail, cut a piece of the Big Foot off into a trapezoid shape and place it on the other end of the licorice bite.
   

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Paper Plate Sunglasses

By Kathleen Ballos

You Will Need:

• Acrylic craft paint
• Paintbrushes
• Paper plates (small and large)
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun

Directions:

1. Pick out a shade of paint and grab two small paper plates and one large. (The plates should not have a plastic coating; paint will adhere better to regular paper.)
2. On the two small plates, draw heart shapes for your sunglasses. Outline the shape along with an inner line—this is where the lenses will go later. Fill in the frame of the sunglasses with the paint color of your choice. Use the same paint color to paint one half of the large plate. Let dry completely.
3. Once the first paint color is dry, use black paint to fill in the inside to create lenses. Let dry.
4. On the large painted plate, draw two arms for the sunglasses and a little rectangle that would rest on your nose. Cut them out.
5. Use a hot glue gun to attach the two arms and nose segment to the back of the plates.
   

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Crab Cupcakes

By Kathleen Ballos

You Will Need:

• Frosted cupcakes
• Hot Lips gummy candies
• Red MIKE AND IKE candies
• Red shoestring licorice
• Round white sprinkles
• Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Begin by placing one Hot Lips gummy into the center of the cupcake. Place it right-side down, so that the flat, less detailed side is visible.
2. Cut two pieces of red shoestring licorice, about ¾ inches long. Place them on the frosted cupcake touching the top of the Hot Lips, curved gently.
3. Grab a red MIKE AND IKE candy and use a kitchen knife to carefully cut it down the middle, forming two equal-sized pieces. These will be the claws. Place the claws directly above the licorice pieces, just touching them, making sure that the cut edge faces down and the rounded end is up.
4. Cut four more pieces of red shoestring licorice, just longer than ¼ inch long. Place them below the Hot Lips, two on the left and two on the right.
5. Finally, add the eyes. Use a toothpick to apply a dab of icing onto the backs of two white sprinkles, and gently place onto the top of the Hot Lips, using the other end of the toothpick to nudge them into place as necessary.

Handmade Charlotte celebrates every day with DIY crafts, recipes, and ideas for creative family living. Find more crafty ideas at handmadecharlotte.com or in The Handmade Charlotte Playbook, which features over 100 fun-filled activities.