27 September 2011

The Practically Perfect Parrot





We like to make things here.  I don't consider these things to be crafts, because these things aren't made just to make them.  They have a useful purpose.  Homemade things (speaking of...have you heard about 31 Days to Homemade?  Starting right here in October.  Part of the 31 Days link party. Stay tuned).

So, when the Halloween party we are attending decided on the theme of Disney, my homemade brain started cranking away.  We decided as a family to do Mary Poppins.  I will be Mary, the Little will be Jane the girl, and the Bigs and Dad will be chimney sweeps.



Not too daunting, but I needed a little help for a couple things.  Specifically, a parrot shaped handle on my umbrella.

Fortunately, the internet is my close friend.  I found this recipe for cornstarch clay via Pinterest.  It took literally 5 minutes to whip up, with only water, salt, and cornstarch.
The clay looks like mashed potatoes when
you are mixing it

two eager helpers
From there, we turned a craft project into Halloween costume design.  I enlisted the two Bigs to mold the clay around the end of the umbrella.  Then while I formed and attached a beak, they rolled out two eyeballs.












painted parrot








It's practically perfect in every way!
We let it dry for a couple days and then painted it with some acrylic paint.  I read that if you use watercolors you might have to dry the clay in the oven again, but we did not need to with the acrylic paints.












If you ask me, this project is good enough to call done.  I think the best part is the googly eyes, because the two Bigs each made and attached one.  Parrots can be cross-eyed, too, don't you think?

And here's the thing.  It's not really perfect, I just like to imitate Mary herself when I say that phrase.  That's the charm.  It was made with 6 and 8 year old hands, hands that are proud they were a part of our costume design and creating.

















As with every Tuesday, I'm linking up with A Bowl Full of Lemons for One Project At A Time Tuesday.
Head on over and see what other people are working on this week.





2 comments:

  1. what a fun project! I would love it if you would come share this and/or any other projects at the Tuesday Talent Show at Chef In Training! Thanks so much and hope to see you there!
    -Nikki
    http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, thanks! I've linked up for today's Tuesday Talent Show - what a great idea. I really like your blog.

    ReplyDelete