favor for the 4th of July!
Supplies:
Toilet paper tube
Pieces of newspaper, magazine pages or craft paper
Scraps of black and white paper
1 “pipe cleaner”
Black marker
Colored markers (optional)
Glue stick
White glue
Sharp pencil
Scissors
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Here's How:
2| Trim away the excess paper.
3| Make facial features with black and white paper, adding details with a black marker as needed, and use a glue stick to adhere them to the front of the tube.
4| Use a sharp pencil (a parent’s job) to poke one hole on each side of the tube.
5| Push the pipe cleaner into one hole and out the other side through the other hole, then bend the ends to create arms with little hands.
6| Now, with a pencil, trace the bottom of the tube twice—first onto the back of a piece of black paper, and again on the back of a piece of colored paper. Draw two foot shapes onto the traced circle on the colored paper, then use scissors to cut it out as one piece and to cut out the black circle.
7| Next, with a sharp pencil, poke a hole in the center of the black circle and use white glue to attach it to the top of the tube and to attach the feet to the bottom.
8| While the glue dries, use scissors to cut a couple dozen (or more) very thin strips, about 11” long, from several types of paper.
9| Gather the strips together and carefully push them into the hole on top of the “firecracker”, fan them out a little and then find a good spot to display the fiery little friend!
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
More Ideas:
• If using black and white newsprint to cover the tube, color it completely with marker if desired (as shown in the photo).
• Try using the Sunday comics, old sheet music, spare gift-wrap or aluminum foil to cover the tube.
If one is on hand, use a hole-punch instead of a sharp pencil to make the holes in the project.
• To make a Dynamite Gal, add red lips and a skirt fashioned from a silver muffin liner.
• Help pass the wait for fireworks by having each family member make his or her own Dynamite Guy or Gal.
• To make the firecracker have an unlit “fuse,” replace the paper strips with a pipe cleaner.
• Turn the project into a party favor by filling the tube with candy or other small surprises before gluing on the top circle of paper.
• To create place markers for the picnic table, make one guy for each guest. Then, write their names onto small strips of paper and stick them into a hand on each guy.
• Try using “googly eyes” instead of paper ones.
• Ball up a small piece of paper and glue it on for a 3-D nose.
• Have the guy wave a little American flag in one hand.
• Make a whole parade of firecracker guys to march down the center of the party table.
---------------
Pamela Frye Hauer is an artist, author and mother of two busy little boys. Her craft and scrapbooking projects have appeared in numerous books and magazines. Her most recent book is “Memories in Miniature.” Photo by Pamela Frye Hauer.
