Circus Time

Create the magic of a circus right in your own backyard. From clown cakes to animal charades, this party will pack in the fun.

Draw or create a collage of a clown head on lightweight card stock; cut it out and cut a slit in its mouth. Unfurl a party blower and write all the information along it; insert the end into the mouth of the clown. Deliver by hand or mail them in padded envelopes.

Set the theme with a flourish of felt pennants.

• Card stock
• Scissors
• Several colors of felt
• Pinking shears
• Fabric glue
• Fabric scissors
• Animal templates
• Yarn
• Hole punch

Draw triangle with sides measuring 12"x 9"x 12" onto card stock, and cut out to make template. Draw slightly smaller triangle with sides measuring 11"x 8"x 11" onto card stock, and cut out to make a second template. Trace outline of large triangle template to felt, and cut out using pinking shears. Trace smaller triangle template to a contrasting color of felt, and cut out using straight-edge scissors. Enlarge animal template, trace to felt, and cut out using straight-edge scissors. Punch holes in two corners (the ones bordering the shortest side) of each finished scallop-edged triangle. Thread yarn through holes. Layer triangles, placing the straight-edged triangle on top, and glue together. Glue felt animal to top of straight-edged triangle. Repeat until you have enough triangles to fill the length of your garland.

Yarn from Coats and Clark; call 800-648-1479 for stores. Felt from Kunin; call 800-292-7900.

The perfect centerpieces, our decoupage buckets hold a ton of treats.

• Mod Podge
• Quilling paper
• Metal buckets
• Metal paint
• Patterned paper
• Circle craft punch
• Scissors
• Paintbrush

Cut triangles from different colors of quilling paper to fit dimensions of bucket. Adhere to bucket using Mod Podge, alternating color and direction of triangles. When finished, seal with layer of Mod Podge.