Paper Cup Royalty

Make princesses, princes, kings and queens out of paper cups and Styrofoam balls.	Safety Tips Small craft materials such as beads or sequins are choking hazards. Not appropriate for use by children below the age of three. Watch out for this sign . It means an adult's help is needed for the particular step.
Materials Paper cup or Styrofoam cup Styrofoam ball Acrylic paint Construction paper Paint brush Markers Scissors Pencil White glue Glue gun Crepe paper, yarn or cotton Sequins, rhinestones and other embellishments

Steps

	1.	The basic materials for making a paper cup princess or royal character is a Styrofoam ball for the head and a paper cup or Styrofoam cup for the body.
	2.	Draw a pair of arms on construction paper or cardboard. Cut out both arms.
	3.	Before gluing on the arms onto the paper cup, you may try to play around with how to position the arms. You may place them along the sides of the paper cup.
		Or find interesting positions - maybe with hands clasped at the center or arms raised up. Once you're decided, glue on the arms. *Instead of cutting out paper or cardboard arms and gluing them onto the paper cup (Steps 2 & 3), an easier option for younger kids is to draw the arms directly onto the paper cup. See how it's done in Step 5 of our Paper Cup Angel craft.
	4.	Lightly draw details on the paper cup to make the character's gown or garment. *If your paper cup has a full color print or if it is too glossy, it would be best to paint or prime the paper cup with white acrylic paint in Step1.
	5.	Paint the paper cup with the desired colors for the garment. Paint the hands as well.
		You may paint on a pair of stockings and a cape to make a king or prince's attire.
	6.	Paint half of the Styrofoam ball with a skin-toned color. Light skin tones can be achieved by adding a bit of brown or orange to white acrylic paint. Dark skin tones can be attained by adding a bit of black to brown or orange paint. Allow the painted Styrofoam ball to dry.
	7.	Once the paint dries, draw the facial features on the Styrofoam head using markers. Be careful with applying too much pressure since the Styrofoam gets punctured easily.
	8.	Here's an optional step if you want a big upturned collar on your queen or princess. Simply cut a rectangle from crepe paper. Glue the bottom edge of the crepe paper on top of the paper cup, right along the edges.
	9.	Use hot glue gun to attach the head to the body. White glue can be used but it will take a lot longer to dry.
	10.	Make the hair out of any of these materials and glue them onto the head: a.) Make the hair out of yarn following these instructions. What's cool about yarn hair is that you can style it the way you like!
		b.) Cut crepe paper strips into the desired length. Longer strips can make long hair; crumple them a bit to make wavy hair; or crumple them up into balls to make short curly hair.
		c.) Cotton can be used to make hair for elder royalty. You can also line the eyebrows and make a mustache or beard out of cotton.
	11.	Cut out a small crown from construction paper, glue the ends together, and decorate it with sequins, rhinestones and/or glitter glue. Put the crown on top of the head. You may glue it in place if you like.
	12.	Add embellishments on the royal garment. You may decorate it with glitter glue or puffy paint. There are lots of materials that you can glue on as well like beads, rhinestones, sequins, small buttons, bows, fabric and lace.
	13.	It would be fun to make these paper cup characters to go along with a favorite fairy tale or story.
		Make several of them for endless hours of role playing and imaginative play!