Snow day crafting with my boys.....
My 7 year old constantly asks if he can get a fish or a turtle of some sort. My answer, every time.....NO! Sounds a bit harsh, huh? Well, we have been down this road before. It was my bright idea to get them a beta fish about 2 years ago. How did it go, you ask? TERRIBLE! Caring for that fish was a headache and I was the ONLY one doing it. Changing the water, alone, was a song and a dance. So, I made an executive decision and that fish had to go *in my Kevin Hart voice* LOL! So, to meet somewhere in the middle, I decided to create this Fish Bowl Night Light. Who says I don't know how to compromise? : )
How to:
 |
What you will need: Fish bowl, tank or vase
Elmer's glue, water, paintbrushes, tissue paper, green paint, a sheet of white construction paper, string of lights and lei for the top of the bowl (optional) |
 |
| Prep you bowl by washing it clean and drying, completely. Tear about 3 inch pieces of tissue paper and crumble. |
 |
| Carefully open up tissue paper. This creates a nice crinkle effect. |
 |
| Next, mix 2 parts glue to one part water. Use your paintbrush to paint on a thin layer of glue. |
 |
| Work one side at a time. Add tissue paper to bowl (on top of glue). Gently smooth onto bowl with fingertips, adding another layer of glue on top. This technique is called decoupage. It works for walls, home decor and I recently saw something similar using paper bags to cover a floor! The possibilities are endless! |
 |
| Repeat the process until the entire bowl is finished. Layering pieces creates a pretty cool effect once the lights are in place. Cut out small fish using your white paper. Glue fish onto bowl and seal with another thin layer of glue. Make sure all pieces are sealed with glue in order for the bowl to dry properly. |
 |
Using green paint, paint some seaweed on the inside of the bowl. I had to do this step twice and it came out much better when I had the lights on to see exactly how it would look. If you have flowers or lei, wrap around the top of the bowl. Let dry for about 2 hours. Place your string of lights inside the bowl and you're done!
My boys LOVE it and stared at it until they feel asleep : )
Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!
|
Jazzy might like this. I had a fish while at college, an orange beta my best friend gave me. But the fish (named Wildchild) got hurt during my last semester and never healed right. She passed away Christmas that year. Jazzy would hold the fish whenever I'd get picked up from school for vacation. Now she looks at the tank and asks me about the fish every time she comes over. So maybe I'll make her a bowl that looks like mine and put an orange fish on it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea, Crys! I'm sure she will love it!
Delete