Fairy Princess

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Total Time Needed:: Afternoon Or Evening

A jeweled scepter -- fashioned from clay -- and glittery plastic gems add a royal touch to this princess costume.

Materials

12-inch wooden dowel
Purple acrylic paint
Pink and silver ribbons
Rubber band
Styrofoam egg carton
White Model Magic compound
Plastic gemstones or sequins
Turtleneck
Glitter puff fabric paint
2-inch-wide lace trim

Fabric glue
2 yards of 2-inch-wide ribbon
2 yards each of purple and iridescent tulle
3 yards of pink tulle
Needle, pins, and pink thread
Silver rickrack trim
2 self-adhesive Velcro fasteners
Pink craft foam (11x 17 inches)
Stapler
Elastic cord

Instructions

To make the magic wand: Paint the dowel purple. Once the paint dries, fold 4 15-inch ribbon lenths in half, then place the fold at the tip of the dowel and secure it with a rubber band. Push the dowel end (with the ribbons attached) into the base of the Styrofoam egg. Flatten a 2-inch ball of Model Magic clay compound to an 1/8-inch thickness. Wrap it around the egg, smoothing it with your fingers. Push in the plastic gemstones and let the clay dry overnight.
To make the lacy shirt: Lay the turtleneck flat, then squeeze decorative puff paint dots onto the sleeves and body. Once they're dry, adorn the other side. Next, glue or stitch lace trim around the shoulders and cuffs (it's easier to do if you insert a plastic container into the cuff).
To make the frilly skirt: Cut ribbon into a 30-inch length for the waistband and a 42-inch length for the bow. Next, fold each piece of tulle in half lengthwise and stack them with the folded edges together. Using a needle and a 40-inch-long piece of doubled thread, hand-stitch across the top of the skirt through all the layers. Then hold the thread end in one hand and gather the fabric together with the other until the top of the skirt fits onto the 30-inch waistband. Pin the skirt top to the ribbon, distributing the gathers evenly. Hand-stitch the ribbon and fabric together and remove the pins. Stitch or glue silver rickrack trim to the hem. To fit the skirt, wrap the waistband around your child's waist, mark where the ends overlap, and secure with self-adhesive Velcro fasteners. Tie a bow in the center of the 42-inch ribbon and glue or stitch it to the back of the waistband.
To make the royal hat: Knot one end of the tulle, then place it in the center of the craft foam sheet. Roll the foam into a cone and staple the overlap together, as shown (the top staple will secure the tulle). Evenly trim the bottom of the cone, then sew or glue the lace trim around it. Cut the elastic cord to the desired chin-strap length, knot each end, and staple the ends to the inside of the hat. Spiral silver ribbon around the cone from top to bottom and glue it in place.
To put the whole thing together: Have your princess put on the lacy turtleneck and a pair of leggings or tights. Then wrap the skirt around her waist, put on the hat, and -- ta-da! -- hand her the magic wand.