Now that we’ve brought in the new year, it also means that the holiday cycle begins once again! The next holiday event of the year, Valentine’s Day, is just around the corner. Still recovering from all the sweets and indulgent foods? No problem. Here are two quick and easy craft projects – both 100 percent sugar-free and fat-free. A perfect treat for everyone!
Love Bug Pencil Toppers
What you’ll need:
• Two Adhesive foam hearts
• Pipe cleaner, approximately 6”
• Googly eyes
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Marker
• Glue
Note: For this demo, I used two light pink hearts measuring approximately 1 ¼” across.
Step 1: Prep
Prepare your bug antennae. Cut into two (2) three-inch pieces. Curl one end around the pencil. Repeat.
Step 2: Assemble
Peel the adhesive paper from one foam heart. Place the heart on a surface, sticky side up. Position your heart on the pencil, about ½” from the top of the eraser. Flip it over so that the heart is now face down. Stick an antenna on each side of the pencil.
Step 3: Secure
Peel the adhesive backing off of the second heart and place it on top of the pencil and pipe cleaners, sandwiching everything together. Firmly press the hearts together to secure.
Note: If the pieces don’t stick well, use a bit of glue or hot glue to secure.
Step 4: Finish
Glue on the eyes and draw on a smile. Say hello to your love bug!
Puppy Love Pencil Toppers
What you’ll need:
• Four Adhesive foam hearts (2 large, 1 medium, 1 small)
• Googly eyes
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Marker
• Glue
Note: For this demo, I used two white hearts (1 ¾” wide), 1 red heart (1 ¼” wide), and 1 light pink heart (7/8” wide).
Step 1: Prep
Cut the medium heart in half, from point to point. These will be the ears.
The small heart will be cut into three (3) pieces. First cut the tip off in an arc shape. It should look like a wedge of pie. Next, cut the larger piece in half. (Refer to image below.) These pieces will be used for the nose and tongue.
Note: It may help to draw the cut marks on the paper backing.
Step 2: Assemble
Place the large heart on your surface, right side up, with the tip pointing upward. Take the two medium heart pieces and place at the top, creating the ears. Next, glue on the eyes and the small wedge piece for the nose. You’ll now need to remove the backing off of the white heart. Take one of the two remaining small heart pieces and position behind the white base piece to form the tongue.
Step 3: Secure
Flip the entire head over and remove the adhesive backing off of the tongue piece. Place pencil in the center, about ½” from the tip of the eraser. Remove backing from the second large heart and sandwich together. Firmly press the hearts together to secure.
Note: If the pieces don’t stick well, use a bit of glue or hot glue.
Step 4: Finish
Draw a few dots on each side of the nose for the whiskers and it’s done! A loveable puppy pencil topper that will surely put a smile on any face.
Note: A quick dust of baby powder will help with the adhesive on the back of the ears.
