MP-Me Player

Total Time Needed:: Afternoon Or Evening

Fun finishing touches make this costume really rock. The music player sports a pair of old headphones, with the cord bundled and tucked safely into a waistband.

Materials

Craft knife
White foam core board (20 by 30 inches)
1 roll of blue cellophane (we got ours in the gift-wrap section of a craft store)
Masking tape
Silver poster board (one 22- by 28-inch sheet)
Metallic charcoal or gray dimensional paint

Double-sided carpet tape
Duct tape
Adhesive-backed Velcro
1 1/2-inch-wide grosgrain ribbon (2 1/2 yards)
Hand towel

Instructions

THE PLAYER Use a craft knife to round the board's corners, then make a window with rounded corners. (Score the lines first, then go over them until you've made a clean cut.)
Cut a 12- by 18-inch piece of cellophane. Stretch it tightly over the window, using short pieces of masking tape on the sides first, then at each corner. Finish with tape around the entire circumference.
THE CONTROLS Cut 2 circles from the poster board and stick them together with double-sided carpet tape. For a 3-D look, cut a 6-inch square from the leftover foam core. Use double-sided tape to stick it to the back of the controls, then tape them to the front of the board. Pencil on the letters and symbols, then go over them with dimensional paint. Let it dry for at least 4 hours.
THE SHOULDER STRAPS To work on the back of the board without damaging the decorated front, lay it on 2 folded towels. Cut the ribbon into 2 equal lengths. Using duct tape, attach the ribbons
halfway down the foam core.
Stick 3 Velcro strips on the lower corners of the board, then have your child try on the costume.
Cross the straps over her back, then pull them down. When the face opening is at a comfortable level, stick 2 Velcro strips to each strap where they'll stick to the Velcro on the board. Trim any excess ribbon.