Contact paper has been on our craft wish list for a while now. It’s one of those things that I always mean to get, but never remember when I’m actually at the store, nor am I entirely sure what the right store is to find it in! Then, last week we came across No Time For Flash Cards‘ Simple Sequin Suncatchers, and I immediately went to Amazon and ordered a roll. They were so cute – we had to try them for ourselves! We made Easter-themed Sequined Suncatchers, but you could create them for any holiday.
Sequined Suncatchers
These DIY suncatchers require very few supplies, and are a great craft for kids of all ages!
Supplies:
Cardstock
Contact Paper
Scissors
SequinsCost: Less than $10
Prep Time: Less than 15 minutes
Clean-Up Time: Less than 5 minutes
I recommend using cardstock for your suncatcher, as it is a bit stiffer than construction paper and allows for re-placement of the contact paper, if necessary. With construction paper, if you need to lift it up and reset it, the paper may tear. We folded our cardstock in half and with a pencil, drew half a butterfly and egg then cut out first the shape, then cut out the insides to create a frame.
Next, I set the cut out shapes on the contact paper and cut a square large enough to cover the entirety of the shape. I found our contact paper on Amazon – it came on an 18″ x 24 feet roll for $12, or $0.50 a foot. I used about a foot for two large suncatchers. I peeled the backing off, and firmly pressed along the outline of the shapes to adhere it to the contact paper. Lastly, I laid the backing back over it and trimmed off the excess around the edges. This just made it easier to trim, without the contact paper sticking to my hands and the scissors. Now they were ready for the girls to decorate!
I had an assortment of sequins already in the crafting closet, but I also just found these super cute butterflies at Hobby Lobby this week. They were definitely both the girls’ favorites. I also found an assortment of multi-colored sequins at the Dollar Store in the craft supplies on my last trip. In lieu of sequins, you could also use confetti, shape-punched paper and even tissue paper square. The sequins were a great fine motor skill challenge, especially for Lil’ M, who really had to work and concentrate to pick them up from the table.
The Ms, crafting side by side… Lil’ M after “more bu’flies”
I gave each of them an assortment of sequin shapes, and let them go to it. Lil’ M came and went from working on hers over the course of an hour. Big M carefully considered and painstakingly placed every single sequin. The greatest thing about crafting with contact paper is it removes messier media, like glue, from the equation, allowing kids as young as Lil’ M (almost 20 months) to craft right alongside older preschoolers and elementary-aged kids, like Big M (3.5 years). And, other than requesting more butterflies, once the shapes were cut out, they could both do it entirely themselves with very little clean-up.
Big M was quite proud of her masterpiece, and even prouder to be able to place them on the window herself! She finished off Lil’ M’s butterfly after completing her egg. The remaining exposed contact paper can be pressed directly to the window to hold the suncatcher in place.
Do you decorate your windows for the holidays? What is your Easter decor of choice? If you enjoyed this craft, be sure to check out our Spring and Easter boards on Pinterest for even more great, kid-friendly ideas!
Follow Meghan @ PlaygroundParkbench’s board Easter on Pinterest. Follow Meghan @ PlaygroundParkbench’s board Spring on Pinterest.
6 comments
[…] saver since Lil’ M wants to do everything big sister does these days. We’ve made a few suncatchers with contact paper before, but this week, we made some patriotic themed ones for July […]
[…] Day’, and can’t wait for their Easter egg hunt. We have been prepping for days, making decorations, attempting to answer questions about its ‘real meaning’ in terms a preschooler can […]
Love this idea! An easy craft for a non-crafty mom.
Super easy, and great for any age… and you can always print a template from online to trace if you don’t want to freehand the outline. I can’t wait to make some for the 4th of July and Halloween 🙂
These look like so much fun!
They definitely are… Think we are going to have to make them for every holiday!