Festive shakers
by Kathy Cano-Murillo - May. 4, 2002 04:16 PM
The Arizona Republic
Here's a wonderful and easy craft for kids (and anyone else) that will help put the whole family in the fiesta spirit.

At a glance, it's hard to tell that these musical shakers are created from your average plastic drinking cups.

That fact won't even come to mind once you see how well they enhance the rhythm of the music, spirit and celebration behind the holiday.

Musical Cinco de Mayo Shakers

SUPPLIES:
• 2 colored plastic cups (8 ounces each)
• Scissors
• Assorted acrylics
• Paintbrush
• Assorted Mexican-theme stickers
• Miscellaneous embellishments: beads, glitter, sequins, etc.
• Party streamers in bright colors
• Hot glue
• 1/8 cup of sand, uncooked rice or seed beads

DIRECTIONS: Use the edge of the scissors to poke a 1/4-inch hole at the bottom of each cup. Decorate the outside of the cups with painted designs, stickers, glitter, sequins or beads. Turn the cups upside down and let dry.

Cut eight strips of party streamers, each 10 inches long. Fold four of the strips in half and use scissors to make vertical snips to create fringe. Twist the top of the fringed crepe paper (the edge that is not snipped). Add a bead of hot glue around the hole in the bottom of the cup and slip the twisted end of the crepe paper through it. Repeat process for the other cup and let dry.

Pour the sand or rice into one of the cups, then attach the two cups by adding a bead of hot glue around the rim of one of them. Press the other cup's rim onto the glued rim and hold firmly in place until the glue sets. Add a string of beads around the glued seam if desired.

TIP: Have Mom or Dad help with the glue gun and scissors.

VARIATION: While you're at it, make an extra set of shakers to take to Diamondbacks games. Decorate in purple and teal and add rattlesnake designs with paint pens or stickers.


* For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: back to school, Cinco DeMayo, Latin-inspired, multi-culti, recycled