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Description
Be inspired by this brilliant and unique costume submitted to last year's contest on Family.com by cbcluff of Seattle, WA . . . This gives the term "Bag Lady" a whole new meaning! My kids and I love making brown paper bag puppets, so this year I dressed as a giant one! This very simple costume is made using brown packing paper and any embellishments you wish to add. To make our giant puppet look like the miniature version we usually make, we added a giant "button" (made out of a plastic plate) and a "macaroni noodle necklace" (made out of manicotti noodles). There's no end to the creativity you can glue on your giant puppet!
Materials
1 Roll of brown packing paper (sold at any postal supply store. You could also use a roll of white butcher paper).
1 Roll of Crepe Paper Streamers for hair.
Several Sheets of Colored Paper for eyes, cheeks and lips.
3-4 Feet of String and 1 Box of Manicotti Noodles for a necklace.
1 Plastic tablecloth for clothes (scrap material works well too).
1 (or 2) Plastic Plate for giant button.
1 Roll of Crepe Paper Streamers for hair.
Several Sheets of Colored Paper for eyes, cheeks and lips.
3-4 Feet of String and 1 Box of Manicotti Noodles for a necklace.
1 Plastic tablecloth for clothes (scrap material works well too).
1 (or 2) Plastic Plate for giant button.
Instructions
With your arms up in the air, stand on end of brown packing paper and have somebody roll it up and over your arms and back down to your feet. Before cutting, roll out about 2 additional feet of brown paper for slack and then cut.
Fold the brown paper in half. Staple the sides together. Bend the top (the end with the fold) down an additional 1-3 feet (depending on how tall you are)creating the "flap" of the paper bag (this will become the mouth).
Get inside the bag and cut a hole for your face. It should be slightly under the "flap" (your face becomes part of the mouth).
Glue or tape crepe paper streamers on for hair. You can make pigtails by bunching a group of streamers together and stapling them to the sides of the bag. Bangs can be made by gluing or taping small strips of paper streamers across the top of the bag.
Use white paper to cut out large eyes. Trace a dinner plate if you want a perfect circle. Cut out a smaller circle of colored paper for the iris and black paper for the pupils. Glue or tape in place.
Use black paper to make eyelashes and curl the ends by wrapping them around a pencil. Glue or tape in place. For a nose, either draw a nose or glue on a giant pom-pom. Cut out two rosy cheeks and glue or tape on.
Cut out a top lip and bottom lip from red paper. Glue top lip to the edge of the flap. Glue bottom lip under the flap, but still visible with the flap down.
Make a macaroni necklace by stringing manicotti noodles onto a string. Staple both ends of the string to the back of the costume.
Use the plastic tablecloth to make clothes. You can also use material scraps to embellish the clothing on the puppet.
Cut two holes in a plastic plate to resemble a giant button. Glue the plate onto the clothes of the puppet where desired.
Climb inside the bag and cut holes on either side for your arms to come out.
Tips for Taking a Great Photo:
- Avoid clutter. Keep the background simple -- your costume is the star!
- Daytime, natural light is best. If your area is bright enough, try taking the photo without the flash.
- Upload a horizontal photo. If you crop the image on your computer, make sure you keep a landscape 4:3 aspect ratio.
- For best results, make your image 1200x900 (or "save for web").
- With a digital camera, you can take as many photos as possible and choose the best one. Have fun!
