July 4th Pom-Pom Hair Band

Nobody at the fireworks will ever guess that the pom-pom on this hair band was made by recycling plastic bags!

DoorMouse in Space, Fri., 5/25 @ 10:30 on NICK

Materials

• Cardstock (or stiff paper)
• Scissors
• Blue and white plastic bag
• String
• Craft glue
• Red headband (ours has a festive stars design on it)

Directions

1. Step 1

   From the blue and white plastic bags, cut several 1-inch-wide strips. (Don't worry if the strips end up wider or skinnier.)

2. Step 2

   From the cardstock, cut two circles about 3 inches in diameter. Cut holes in the centers of them to create a donut shape. Stack the donuts, aligning their center holes. (They don't have to match perfectly.)

3. Step 3

   Starting in the hole, wrap the strips over the outer ring of the donut and back through the hole. Repeat until you've wrapped the entire donut several times. (A good way to know if you've wrapped it enough is to continue until the donut hole is halfway full.) If, as you're wrapping, a strip runs out, just add in another one without knotting it. Don't worry if your donut looks loose and messy. You'll trim it later.

4. Step 4

   Snip a 6-inch piece of string. Set aside. Slip the tip of the scissors between the strands and then snip around the circumference to reveal the cardstock donuts. Holding the snipped pieces carefully, pass the snipped length of yarn between the two donut pieces, wrapping it around the "hole." Pull tightly and then tie in a double knot. You will have a tail of string left over. Do not snip. You'll need it to add the pom-pom to the head band.

5. Step 5

   With the scissors, trim the pom-pom until it is about half the size that it was when you first finished it.

6. Step 6

   Using the tail of string, tie the pom-pom to one side of the hair band and knot. Then dab beneath the pom-pom to secure it further. Let dry.