Total Time 1 to 2 hours Ages school-age
Of all the fairies, the tinker talent fairies have an extraordinary knack for using odds and ends in the most useful ways. For example, in the right hands, a handful of copper end caps and/or plastic leg tips (sold in most hardware or home supply stores) are the makings for a whole pantry full of fairy cookware. And a package of tiny cork pads can be magically transformed into a tray of tiny chocolate chip cookies.
by Cindy Littlefield
What you'll need
- Assorted copper end caps (1/2 to 1 inch size) *
- Small white plastic leg tips (3/4-inch size works well)
- Flexible craft wire
- Glue dots
- Buttons
- Small pony beads or similar size beads
- Small package of 1/2-inch cork pads
- Brown marker
- Aluminum foil (or a small piece cut from a disposable aluminum pan)
- Paper clip
- Small piece of plastic from the recycling bin
- * These are the caps that fit over the ends of copper pipes
How to make it
To make a saucepan, use a 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch copper end cap for the pot and a shank-style button for a lid. For a handle, bend one end of a 12-inch length of craft wire into an S-shape (about 1 1/2 inches long), as shown.
Then wind the long end of the wire around the bent portion, keeping the coils close together.
Stop about 1/4 inch from the bottom and trim the wire ends even.
Bend the wire ends at a 90-degree angle and glue them firmly to the side of the pot.
For an enamel pot, use a plastic leg tip, and create a handle out of black craft wire as described in step one. Create a cover by gluing a small bead atop a white button.
For a Dutch oven-style pot, use a 1-inch end cap. For each handle, twist two short lengths of wire together and then shape them as shown.
Glue the handles firmly to the pot.
To make a tray of chocolate chip cookies, use a sheet of 1/2-inch cork pads. Leave them right on the paper they come on (it will resemble parchment paper). Use a brown marker to draw on chocolate chips. For a baking tray, cut a rectangle out of foil that is slightly larger than the sheet of cookies and fold over the edges.
For a mini spatula, bend a paper clip as shown. Then cut a small spatula shape from recyclable plastic and glue it to the end of the paper clip.
