Wheel Appeal: Crafts to Customize Your Car

Put On a Happy Face

Give your car's rear end a facelift with giant googly eyes, eyebrows, and a super-sized 'stache.

Cut the eyebrow and mustache shapes from brown woodgrain Con-Tact paper. For the googly eyes, place a 2-inch black pom-pom inside a clear plastic tub (we used a Ziploc extra small bowl). Top the rim of the tub with double-sided carpet tape (available at hardware stores) and adhere it to an oval cut from a magnetic sheet. Create a face you like on the back of your car, avoiding the license plate, taillights, and all trunk or tailgate edges.

• Download the templates for this project.

Seatbelt Snuggies

Our snazzy belt sleeves add both fun and functionality to the backseat, thanks to their miniature mouth pockets, which can hold earbuds or small media players.

Cut an 8-inch square from fleece and another from felt. Fold the fleece square in half and cut an opening in the center that is at least 1 1/2-inches wide. Lay the fleece open, fuzzy side down, on a work surface and dab on lines of fabric glue. Press the felt piece into place on top. Use more glue to attach felt eyes and Velcro closures, positioning the strips about a half inch from the edges. Secure the snuggie around a seatbelt using the Velcro.

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Magnetic A-door-nments

Give your car new personality with a set of magnetic shapes that are easy to move around but stay put when you drive.

Use permanent markers to draw colorful shapes on a magnetic sheet. Let the ink dry. Cut out the shapes and adhere them to your car, avoiding all door edges.

• Download the template for this project.

Incog-neato Headrest Covers

Kids can add a personal touch to their seats with a fun felt headrest cover that doubles as a clever disguise.

With a cloth measuring tape, determine the circumference and height of your headrest. Using the diagram, cut a rectangle of felt. Dab on lines of fabric glue along the edges, then fold the fabric in half. Press the edges together and let the glue dry.

Turn the cover right side out -- we left the top corners tucked in -- and slide in newspapers or a sheet of cardboard while you work. Cut decorative shapes from felt. Attach them with fabric glue, along with any other embellishments (we used metallic pom-poms on our top hat, alien antennae, and crown). When the glue is dry, fit the cover on the headrest and trim the bottom edges, if necessary.

Originally published in the May 2012 issue of FamilyFun magazine.

• Download the template for this project.