Nothing beats quality time with family, when it’s away from screens and cell phones buzzing on the counter top. No matter how many gadgets this digital world comes up with, every little young lady will revel in a fun project involving glitter and flowers. This Unicorn Dream Catcher is simple to make by rifling through that spare bag of yarn and string we all hold onto after unwrapping birthday or holiday gifts plus a quick trip to the local craft supply store. Everything needed to make this beautiful project should keep the tab under $15, if you’re using your coupons!
What You’ll Need
- Cardstock Paper: one sheet each of Ivory, baby pick, sparkling gold*)
- Note: You can find cardstock sold as individual sheets in the scrapbook/stationary section of most craft supply stores.
- Pencil
- 6 inch Wooden hoop (or 12 inch if you want to go big)
- Embroidery Floss or Yarn (pick your favorite color)
- Twine for the dream catching center (waxed twine is easier to work with, but any twine will do)
- Paper or craft flowers
- Thin ribbon (favorite colors or whatever you have in the gift wrap storage)
- Hot glue gun
- Craft Glue
- Scissors
Start by doing some prep work so you can enjoy the crafting with your little one. Print out the stencils, (Click to Download) then cut out the two ear pieces and the horn. Next lay out all the items on a covered work space with plenty of elbow room for everyone participating. Now the fun begins.
First, tie one end of the string to the wooden hoop and lay the leftover end of the string along the back of the hoop. Together, begin to wrap the string around the hoop, wrapping over the tied string to cover it. Add a small dot of craft glue if you want to avoid unraveling or if you are using multiple colors. Once you have wrapped the string all the way around, tie it off with a few double knots. You can use some craft glue to secure the ends into place if you wish.
TIP: This part of the project is a bit time consuming. If you are working with younger, less patient children, you can either choose to use a thicker string, twine or yarn for this part or simply help out with the wrapping while your little ones pick out the flowers they want to use for the crown.
Next, ask your fabulous helpers to trace the horn, big and small ears, each on a piece of cardstock. We used ivory cardstock for the big otter ear and light pink for the inside ear. We also found a giant 12 x 12 piece of gold glitter scrapbook paper at Michaels. Let your artistic helpers pick out what color the unicorn’s ears and horn should be… this is always the best part!
Cut out two big ears, two little and two horns (the horn will be glued together.
Use craft glue (stick glue is fine if you’re working with younger helpers) to glue the little ear to the big ear. Repeat this step and glue the other two ear shapes (small goes on top of the big ear) together.
Tip: align the bottoms of the big and small ears up so there’s a little more room at the top of the ear than on the sides and then press them together.
Glue the two horn shapes together so they will be visible from the front and back side of the dreamcatcher. Place both ears and horn to the side of your workspace to dry.
Now help your helpers to wrap twine in a pattern of their choosing around the hoop. To do this without incident, tie one end of the twine off at the top (where you began with the string.) First make a hexagon around the hoop, roping the twine around the bottom and then through the hoop. This will keep the twine secure. Then, wrap the twine through the first layer, rather than using the wooden hoop. We tried to make a star pattern with our twine. But creating a unique pattern is a part of the fun, so let your helpers have at it. Repeat looping the twine through until you are all happy with the dream catching potential. Tie off the end of the twine (double knot it) and cut the extra off.
For the grown ups only: Turn on your hot glue gun and bring the hoop, ears and horn over to an area that’s away from younger children. Glue on the ears and horn and set aside to dry. Turn off the glue gun and return to the workspace.
Note: You don’t have to use a glue gun here. Regular craft glue will work fine… but if you have impatient little helpers who want to play with their dream catcher as soon as it’s done, this little machine will come in handy.
While the ears and horn dry, ask your helpers to pick out their favorite colored ribbons and cut long pieces (at least 24 inches long). If you have a bag of ribbons that you’ve collected from birthdays and holiday gift wrapping, this is a great upcycle use for that bag. Patterns and mismatching ribbons are great and will give you a bohemian look to this special masterpiece.
Take one piece of ribbon and pull both end at their bottoms so you have a loop in the center. Place the loop about an inch above the hoop. Insert both ends through the loop and pull. Maneuver the ribbon so the knot that has been created is at the base of the hoop. Repeat this step as many times as you want, or until you run out of ribbon. This is a simple enough step for your helpers to do with you. We held the loop for our young artists while they inserted the ends through for us.
Finally, glue the paper flowers (we found a box of these in the scrap-booking aisle at Michael’s for under $6). If you are using different sizes, start by adding a layer of small flat flowers first, before adding the big. Be sure to glue them over any knots to hide any mistakes or extra string.
Tip: You can use the craft glue for these or the glue gun. Just make sure to take safety precautions for your little assistants if you opt for the glue gun.
Find a perfect place in your little helpers bedroom to catch happy dreams of unicorns and magical places. We said a dream mantra before placing ours…
Oh Magical Dreamcatcher… May you only bring us happy visions of Mermaids singing, narwhals belly flopping and unicorns winking at all we are thinking.
Sweet Dreams!