A Bat in my Belfy Craft Project

This is a very easy and fairly quick Halloween project once you have gathered the supplies.

Supplies needed:

2" styrofoam ball
4" styrofoam egg
2 toothpicks
White craft glue
1 black stretchy sock
22 ga. black wire or thin wire easily bendable with fingers
1 black chenille stem
Black felt, stiff type (I used a sparkly one)
Scissor
Craft knife
3 beads for eyes and nose
Halloween ribbon, approximately 6" long
5x7 picture frame w/o glass
5x7 decorative paper
Hot glue gun & glue sticks
Acrylic paints, optional

Press the styrofoam ball on a hard surface flattening one side.  Press the short end of the styrofoam egg the same way to make the end flat.  Insert the toothpicks down in the flat end of the egg.  Add some white glue over the flat area. Press the flat end of the ball onto the toothpicks and gently push down until it is flush with the egg.  Let dry.

Take the stretchy sock and carefully pull it down over the styrofoam shape starting at the ball, making sure the toe seam is across the ball. Keep working the sock down across the body until it is smooth.  Tie off the sock beneath the egg with the wire.  Snip off the excess sock leaving about 1/2" (kinda like a balloon).  Take the chenille stem and wrap around the wire twice.  Trim the stem to about 2" on each side, then bend up 1/2" at the end for feet.

Make the wings and the ears.  Look at the photo below and make a wing template that is approx. 4-1/2" long and 4-1/2" tall at the widest part (on the right side).  The ear template is 3/4" wide and 1-1/2" tall.  Fold the felt in half and place the template on the folder where specified and cut one.  Cut 2 ear templates.

Fold the flat part of the ears together and place a dot of hot glue in between and pinch until glue has dried.  Decide where you will place the ears.  With a craft knife or other sharp knife make a slit for each ear and add a drop of hot glue.  With the end of one scissor blade, push the ear down into the head and let dry.  Now attach the wings to the back with the hot glue gun.

Attach the beads for the eyes and the nose with not glue.  If your beads have holes you can hide them with some glitter glue.  I used purple.  I also added a heart with the same glitter glue.

If you like the frame the way it is, no preparation is needed.  I thinned some black & purple acrylic paint and splattered it all over as my frame was too plain.

Cut a piece of decorative paper to fit in the frame as a background.  Now take your ribbon and glue one end to the back of the bat.  Place the bat against the frame where you want it; holding it in place, glue the other end of the ribbon over the top and onto the back of the frame.  That's it!  Now stand back and admire your work.  Place it in your belfry or on a tabletop or wall and you now have a new Halloween decoration that you made yourself.

(Adapted from Holiday Crafts 2014 magazine.)

Enjoy!