I have a friend who teaches paper crafts to a mixed age group of students 1st thru 4 grades and I enjoy making kits she can use. Finding a paper craft that will be easy enough for the younger students and yet challenging enough for the older ones can be challenging but this Kite Sun Catcher will do the job.
You'll Need:
- Clear Contact Paper - Two 7"x9" pieces per kite
- Multiple colors of tissue paper - approximately 4" squares
- Yarn - approximately 10"
- Stapler
- Glue
- Black Card Stock
- Various Colors of Card Stock
- Optional - Bendy Straw, Scotch Tape
- Kite Images 6926 and 16758 from the Sihouette Store
Begin with image 6926, ungroup it and delete all but the largest outline of the kite.
Next, open image 16758, delete all but the kite tails.
Resize the kite to 7.5" tall x 6" wide and the tails to 1.75 wide x 1.25 tall Use the Scale Tool, un-select the "Lock Aspect" option and type the measurements into the appropriate boxes for tall and wide and select "Apply"
A kite frame is all you need for this project. To create the frame use the offset tool. Select the kite image, select Internal Offset and set the distance to .25 to create a 1/4" frame. Once you've got that, group the two kite images.
Each kite will need 5 or 6 strips of black card stock. Make the strips .25" by 7". To make these use the rectangle draw tool and draw out a rectangle that looks about right. Then use the scale window to enter the exact correct size. Once you have one just duplicate.
Peel the backing off one piece of the contact paper and fasten it to the work surface with a piece of scotch tape at each corner. This keeps the contact paper from curling up and keeps it in place while you work with it. Once it is in place lay the 1/4" strips across the frame. It's okay that the ends stick out past the frame they will get trimmed off later.
Cut various colors of tissue paper into approximate 1/2" strips, several of each color.
Tear or cut small pieces of tissue paper and attach them randomly to the contact paper. Don't worry about staying inside the lines or covering up the black strips. Overlap is okay but not too much or the light won't show through.
Once the kite is fully covered, attach the second piece of contact paper over the top. Start at one edge and pull the backing off as you press the contact paper into place. Once the second piece is on lift the entire piece off the work surface, turn it over and press around all the lines and edges with your finger to make sure the contact paper is well secured.
Use scissors to cut out the kite following the black edge of the frame all around.
For the tail place glue on each color of tail and lay them on the work surface. Lay the yarn across the center of each one and then attach the matching color over the top of the yarn.
Tie a small knot in the end of the yarn and staple it to the end of the kite making sure to catch the yarn in the middle of the staple. Trim off the excess past the staple
There you have a wonderful Kite Sun Catcher that you can attach to a window with a piece of blue tack.
An option too is to attach a bendy straw to the back of the kite with some scotch tape and then they can just "fly" them around or they could be added to an arrangement in a vase.
I hope you enjoy this tutorial for using the Silhouette Cameo to create paper craft projects for your children or students.
Kate