With less than two weeks until school starts we are winding down our summer here... We've squeezed in a ton of fun and adventure over these summer weeks. But now as we slow things down a bit in preparation for regular bedtimes and school time routine the adventures will likely be pushed more toward the weekends. But, that doesn't mean there can't be a few post school crafting afternoons!
We made these moveable craft stick puppets last year...
as a guest post for MollyMoo as a prelude to the Happy Handmade ebook (which you can buy here!)
and now I'm thinking that it might be time for updated versions this year...
Anyhow, check it out...I promise these are loads and loads of fun!
Hi there! I'm Jane and I blog over at Buzzmills where you will often find me sharing a variety of sewing projects, but my two children also like to get in on the creative fun and love to craft, create and sew with me as well, so really it's a balance of creativity between us all!
Today, I am so excited to be here on mollymoo and to share this super fun project with you! It's one of those projects that's been floating around in my head for quite some time so I'm glad to finally get it out there in the open!
This project is pretty quick, doesn't require too many supplies, and it will surely give you loads of entertainment afterward.
To get started here is what you will need:
A photo of you, your child, your pet, etc...
cardstock
scissors
mini brads
craft stick
tape
Begin by taking a photograph of the person (or pet) that you'd like to turn into a puppet. For people it's best to have them stand with their arms out to their side and legs slightly spread apart, this makes it easier to cut out. Once you've taken your photo upload it to your computer, edit it and print it, as large as you can (fill the entire page), onto a piece of cardstock.
Carefully, cut your "puppet" out.
Next, it's time to make all of the parts movable! Cut puppets apart at joints such as knees, shoulders, and elbows. I cut the head for some of my puppets, but also left it attached for others.
Reattach joints using your mini brads. Lay the main body of your puppet on top of the unattached limb, carefully poke a small hole through both the main body and loose piece where you will be reattaching. Insert your mini brad through the hole and now you have a movable joint! After making the joint I moved it around and carefully rounded off the edges in all directions. Once you've reattached all pieces to make move-able joints tape a craft stick to the back of your puppet and then play!
Have fun with your new puppets and put on a fun puppet show!
My kids had a blast watching their photos come to "puppet-life" and then had even more fun putting on a fantastic puppet show for me...one in which they went for a walk to the nature center and ran into a forest of fairies!
There are so many ways to have fun with these movable photo puppets! I see entire families of puppets, perhaps even giving them as gifts!
I hope you enjoyed this project! For some more creative kid crafts check out these kid made & sewn toy stuffies, fun scrappy fabric bowls, hand drawn fabric bags or this hockey stick horse! We love to create something little everyday in our home whether it's sewn, crafted, planted or explored and imagined...it's what gets us through the day and fulfills us!
Keep up with our creative adventures on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, G+, Bloglovin', Etsy
Thanks for having me here today Michelle and letting me share with your mollymoo readers!
Now, time to enjoy the last days of summer!
Have a great day!
