Fixin' Leaks and Leeks

Running with scissors

The craft alarm sounds: WEE-OO

A sea star shivers

Shiver me timbers, it’s time for another alert on the high seas of crafting, which is teeming with shiny paper and googly eyes. You’ll need another margarita and probably some glue because things are about to get sparkly all up in here.

Last weekend, Nate, Alex, and I went to the Seattle Aquarium and visited the new tropical exhibit. The place was swimming with my favorite creatures: sharks, seals, and starfish. Luckily, we ate before visiting, so I wasn’t hungry. (Aquariums make me hungry.) But, there was a starfish called a chocolate chip sea star, and it really did look like yummy chocolate chip cookie dough cut into a starfish shape. It was my absolute favorite thing in the world to see, along with two juicy-licious, chonky starfish hanging out near the pier/Puget Sound downtown.

So this sea star craft is inspired by what I saw. The best thing is that it can be made with anything landlubbers might have on deck, including, but not limited to:

• Scissors
• Clear glue
• Googly eyes of different sizes
• A permanent ink marker
• A pencil
• Shiny/decorative paper
• Dreams of going overboard

Simply draw a starfish shape onto a piece of thick, sturdy shiny paper. Luckily, I collect glass starfish, so I grabbed one, stuck it on the paper, and traced around it with my pencil. Then, I cut out the starfish shape and glued the googly eyes to the front—and drew a friendly smile on its face. I also opted to empty the hole puncher and glue tiny dots along its rays/arms.

Then, when you’re done, you can pick it up and touch it without having to use hand sanitizer as you would at an aquarium.

Paper starfish bring joy by themselves, but here are some other uses:

• Hide them under the pillow in hopes that the sea star fairy will replace them with sand dollars.
• Tape two of them to some sunglasses for a party that’s beach themed. Tell everyone you’re seeing stars.
• Turn them into colorful mermaid cover-ups for yourself or your miniature mermaid diorama everyone knows you have.

Your Turn: What’s a museum or attraction nearby where you live that you enjoy visiting?