Sassy Barnyard Bird

This sassy barnyard bird shows the brood who's boss with her rosy cheeks, long eyelashes and wings on her hips. A great project to add a little humor to your next Easter table.

Materials:

• STYROFOAM Brand Products:
  • Eggs: 5-7/8" x 3-7/8"; 2-1/2"; two 1-1/2"
  • Ball, 3"
• Wooden dowel, 1/2" x 10"
• Buttons, 5/16", two black
• Doll's eyelashes
• Craft foam, green
• Ribbon, 1/4" x 12", orange
• Acrylic craft paint: yellow, brown
• Felt: square, yellow; scraps, pink and orange
• Feathers, yellow
• Serrated knife
• Old candle
• Craft knife with a sharp blade
• Paintbrush
• Sharp pencil
• Putty knife, 1" or thin edged table knife
• Thick white craft glue
• Low temperature glue gun and glue sticks

Steps:

1. Flatten wide end of large egg against a tabletop so egg will stand.
    
2. Make a wide hole in bottom of foam ball using pencil; twist hole onto narrow end of egg until ball and egg fit together snugly. Glue together using low temperature glue.
3. Paint body and two, 1-1/2" balls yellow; let dry.
    
4. Wax serrated knife with old candle; cut 2-1/2" egg in half lengthwise, forming feet. Using craft knife, cut two small wedges in narrow end of each half egg, forming "toes" (refer to photo). Paint feet brown; let dry.
    
5. Cut wooden dowel into four, 2-1/2" lengths. Using craft knife or utility knife, whittle ends to a point. Paint dowels brown; let dry.
    
6. Using patterns, cut wings and tail from yellow felt. Cut beak from orange felt. Cut two 1/2" circles from pink felt.
    
7. Using craft knife, make a small, horizontal slit in face for beak. Make slightly angled slits in the sides of the body for the wings and cut a single vertical slit in the back for the tail. Place a bead of white craft glue on each slit and then insert felt pieces; if needed, use putty knife or sharp table knife to insert felt into slit.
    
8. Using sharp pencil, make a hole toward back of each foot; place a generous dot of white craft glue into the hole and gently twist the point of a dowel into each hole, about 1/2" deep. Make a hole in the bottom of each 1-1/2" ball; place a generous dot of glue into each hole and gently twist the top of each lower leg dowel into holes, connecting foot to knee.
    
9. Make holes, slightly off center, in the tops of the knee balls; gently twist remaining dowels into each hole.
    
10. Make leg holes in the base of the large egg; insert legs, angled slightly in - do not glue. Test to see if chick will stand; if not, adjust angle of dowel slightly. Glue legs in place.
     
11. Cut a free-form base from green craft foam. Using low temperature glue, glue chick to base.
     
12. Using white glue, glue bits of yellow feather on either side of tail, on end of each wing, around neck, around the top of each leg and at the top of the head.
     
13. Glue on button eyes with low temperature glue. Glue on felt cheeks with white craft glue. Glue small strip of eyelash above each eye.
     
14. Tie ribbon in a bow; glue to neck.
     
15. Arrange wings; felt will stick to foam, so wings can be posed in different positions.

For pattern, click here. (pdf)

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