FUN & FRUITY

Nothing says “refreshing” like the sweet taste of watermelon on a hot summer day, but these lifelike slices are meant to be displayed, not devoured! Set them on a plate next to a bouquet of fresh daisies and a litup lantern and you’ll have your family doing a double take when they reach for this “treat.”

Materials and Tools

• 10" green craft foam disc

• Lightweight joint compound

• Craft paint in black, dark pink or red, and two shades of green

• Putty knife or butter knife

• Foam-cutting tool or serrated knife

• Fine-grit sandpaper

• Cloth rag

• Craft brushes

Instructions

1. Carefully cut the foam disc into six equal slices using a foam-cutting tool or a serrated knife.

2. Using a putty knife or butter knife, spread a thin layer of joint compound smoothly over the angled sides, curved bottom and one flat side of each slice, leaving the second flat side free of compound. Allow the slices to dry overnight.

3. Apply joint compound to the unfinished side of each slice and let dry completely. 4. Sand all sides lightly to smooth out any rough spots. Wipe off the resulting dust with a dry cloth rag.

5. Paint the two angled and two flat sides of each slice red, leaving a narrow band at the bottom edge unpainted. Stand the slices up on their unpainted bottom ends and let dry.

6. Dot the red areas with black paint to resemble seeds and let dry.

7. Apply a lighter shade of green on each slice’s unpainted band and a darker shade of green on the bottom. Let dry.

8. Paint wide stripes on the bottom side in the lighter green color as a finishing touch.