Springtime craft

Painting three ways - projects from Woman's Day magazine

Brighten up your life and home with these fun craft ideas by Emily Somerville-Ryan

1. Party cup dolls

What you’ll need:

Resene testpot paints and sealer, Plastic cups, Wooden beads, Skewer, Pipe cleaners, Wooden pegs, Hot glue gun, Masking tape, Paintbrush.

Make cute coloured party cup dolls for your kids

Instructions:

Gather together a collection of different shaped plastic party cups. Remove the base off each cup and recycle it. Seal the cups with two coats of Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer. Carefully pierce a small hole through the neck of the cup where your dolls’ arms will be. Paint each cup inside and out in fun, bright Resene colours.

I’ve used (clockwise from top left) Resene Divine (lilac), Resene Fountain Blue, Resene Pursuit (red), Resene Glamour Puss (pink) and Resene Wild Thing (yellow). Once dry, cut a piece of pipe cleaner in a co-ordinating colour to roughly 10cm in length and thread it through the two holes.

Using a hot glue gun, take a large wooden bead and glue a small wooden bead to the top of it. Once dry, paint the hair and faces onto the dolls’ heads using a variety of colours. I have used Resene Wild Thing (blonde), Resene Pursuit (red), Resene Sunrise (auburn) and Resene Triple Dune (black). Once dry glue the heads to the top of the cups using a hot glue gun. Tape around the bottom of your wooden pegs with masking tape, leaving a gap of exposed peg at the bottom. Paint the end of the peg in your chosen colour to make the shoes. I’ve used the same colour as the dress of the doll but contrasting shoes could look just as fun. Peel off the tape. Finally, using a hot glue gun attach the legs inside the party cup dress and hold in place until glue has set.

2. Beads of joy

What you’ll need:

Resene testpot paints, Assorted wooden beads, 4.5m Leather thonging or natural twine, Embroidery hoop, Scissors, Ruler, Paintbrush.

Create a bright bead mobile

Instructions:

Paint an assortment of different wooden beads with two coats of vibrant Resene paint, leaving some unpainted. I have used Resene Divine, Resene Fountain Blue, Resene Pursuit, Resene Glamour Puss and Resene Wild Thing.

Cut 2 x 1.25m, and 4 x 45cm leather strips. Thread the two long pieces up through the embroidery hoop and down the opposite side knotting it into place with a bead above and below the hoop, leaving roughly 42cm hanging below.

Thread the remaining four short pieces, into the spaces between each existing strip and knot a bead above and below as before. Tie on the rest of your beads down each of the 8 strips in your chosen order. Finally, loop together the strips above the hoop with a 20cm piece of leather, threading both its ends through a large bead knotting

3. Blooming plant pots

What you’ll need:

Resene testpot paints, Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer, Assorted tin cans, Paintbrush, Assorted pot plants.

Paint can for pot plants

Instructions:

Seal your tins with two coats of Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer. Once dried, paint each tin with two coats of your favourite Resene spring tones.

I have chosen from left to right, Resene Pursuit (red), Resene Fountain Blue, Resene Wild Thing (yellow), Resene Divine (lilac) and Resene Glamour Puss (pink). Once completely dry, plant your favourite spring blooms into each tin and group together in a fun combo or gift to your friends.