Have Fun with Kids!

With a little under-the-sea magic and a clothespin, your little girl can make her own mermaid!

What you’ll need for each

❏ Antique wood clothespin 3" long

❏ 1" round wood bead with 1/8" hole

❏ Glue gun and hot glue

❏ Wire

❏ Loctite® Gel super glue

❏ Embroidery floss, 2 skeins hair-and-tail color, 1 skein each cream and accent color

❏ 1/2 yd. narrow trimming in accent color

❏ Felt scrap

❏ Faux flowers 2"-3" wide

❏ Sticky back gems

❏ Light cardboard scrap

❏ Optional: rhinestone chain

❏ Black, blue, white and blush pink paint

1 You hot-glue bead to clothespin top, hole on top. Arms: With clothespin’s split at center front, your child wraps 7" wire 1 1/2 times around neck, cuts ends 1 3/4" long, uses pliers to turn back ends 1/4". While you secure at intervals with dabs of super glue, starting at neck, your child wraps cream floss around one arm to end, back to neck, repeats with second arm then down to doll’s waist. She repeats with tail-colored floss from waist to end of tail, gluing securely at bottom.

2 Starting at waist, your child spirals trim around tail. Enlarge patterns (below, right) at 200%. Your child cuts felt bra; glues on, adds tail flowers, gems.

3 Your child opens hair floss skein into a ring, folds a bit of wire around it; twists. You glue wire into hole in bead. Your child cuts and styles hair.

4 Your child cuts cardboard crown. You glue to hold then paint glue over it. When dry, your child wraps with floss; you glue. Your child adds gems. Help her paint eyes and blush. Optional: Eliminate trim and crown; use chain for headband and belt.