Got a couple of clothes pins lying around the house? Then you’ve got what you need to make the cutest little giraffe decor piece for a child’s room. It’s fun and easy to create the giraffe by using clothes pins and a few craft supplies, and when you’re finished, you can display him on a shelf, a desk or even on a lampshade.
Make the giraffe in no time when you start with a piece of flat wood. You’ll find wooden shapes of all sorts at any craft store. Choose a round or oval shape of thin, unpainted wood. The wooden piece should be about three or four inches in diameter. If the shapes are featured in painted varieties choose a round or oval shape of white, orange or yellow. If you don’t have a wooden shape you can use for this craft simply cut a circle or oval from a piece of thick cardboard. Use markers or paints to paint the cardboard white, orange or yellow. It might take more than one coat – whether you’re using cardboard or wood – to get the shade and the coverage you want.
Choose three equal-size clothes pins to make the giraffe. The pins should be the normal size and should be the type that you squeeze to open. Paint the clothes pins the same color as the wooden piece or cardboard piece you’re using. In addition to the clothes pins you’ll also need a cork. Paint it the same color as the wood and clothes pins. Allow all paints to dry completely before moving on with the craft.
You’ll need a second color of paint to finish the giraffe. If you’re using white paint for the clothes pins and wood, use brown, orange or yellow for the giraffe’s spots. If you’re using yellow for the main pieces make the spots with orange or brown paint. If your background color for the giraffe is orange you can make spots of yellow or brown. To make the spots, place a little bit of paint on a paper plate, then dip your finger in it. Wipe off any excess and touch your painted fingerprint to the wood piece. Make several fingerprint spots on the wood or cardboard – front and back- and several on each of the clothes pins. Although the clothes pins should be painted so that they’re covered completely the spots only need be on the outside of the clothes pins. Be sure to make the fingerprint spots on the cork, too.
Apply enough paint with each fingerprint spot that you won’t need a second coat. Trying to align the fingerprints a second time is next to impossible and you end up with a blurred look to the spots. After you’ve applied all the spots, and the paint is completely dry, you can move on to the easy assembly of the giraffe. Simply attach two of the painted clothes pins to one side of the circle or one long side of the oval. Leave a space between the two clothes pins which form the legs of the giraffe. Clip one clothes pin above the front “legs” and slant it outward to make the neck of the animal. Glue the cork to the two ends of the clothes pin to form the face. Glue the cork so that the largest side is up against the clothes pin. On top of the cork, near the clothespin, glue on two wiggly eyes from a craft store.
There are a few alternatives you can use if you don’t have some of the items needed for this craft. Instead of wood or cardboard you can use a thick piece of paper for the body of the giraffe. If you don’t have paint you can use markers or even colored pencils. No cork for the face? Use a piece of rolled-up foam or cardstock. You can glue a circle to one end of the rolled-up piece to form the snout and face. Or, use the tip cut off of a paper cone. Cut the very tip off the cone, then cut the end off of the tip, and glue it in place on the clothespin. If you don’t have any craft store wiggly eyes just draw the on with a black marker or even glue on tiny black beads.
The finished giraffe is adorable and makes a fabulous decor piece for a child’s room. Simply stand it up on a table, shelf or desk to display. Or, slide the open end of the clothes pins over a lampshade and he’ll stand there until you take him down. Do something similar with the tie-backs on the room’s drapes or curtains. The giraffe can also be balanced on some picture frames and mirrors, hampers and other things around the house. You’ll love him – he’s cute, he’s cheap and he’s very unique!
