The month of May is coming to an end. It’s time to break out the stars and stripes. The last Monday of May is Memorial Day in the United States. The day honors soldiers who have died serving America. Honor these brave soldiers by creating a red, white, and blue suncatcher with News-O-Matic.
What You’ll Need
• White copy paper or cardstock
• Red or blue colored paper or cardstock
• Scissors
• Clear
or plastic wrap
• Red and blue tissue paper
• Pencil with an eraser
• Ruler
• Clear glue or tape
Steps
1. Shining Stars: With an adult, find a printable page of different sized stars online. Print it out on white paper. Carefully cut out each star. No printer? No problem! You can draw the stars by hand. Then cut out the shapes. You may also choose to create different shapes. Be creative!
2. Frame It: Choose a color for your frame. We suggest red or blue. Take a ruler and a pencil. Trace the inside of the frame as follows. In each corner, measure a 1-inch (2.5-cm) line from the edge of the paper. Do this in all four corners. Then, draw a rectangle connecting the end of each diagonal line. Cut the inside of the paper out along the rectangle you drew. Now you have a frame!
3. Clear Cuts: Roll out the contact paper on a flat surface. The paper backing should be facing up. Take the scrap paper that you cut out of the center of your frame. Place it on top of the contact paper. Measure about 0.5 inches (1 cm) around all sides of the scrap paper. Draw a rectangle. The rectangle should be a bit bigger than the scrap paper. Repeat this process with another sheet of contact paper. Then, cut out both shapes. (If you do not have contact paper, you can use plastic wrap!)
4. : Peel the backing off one of your contact paper rectangles. Be careful! Stick the contact paper to your frame. Smooth out any bumps. Flip over your frame so the sticky side of the contact paper is facing up. If you are using plastic wrap, tape it down to the back of your frame.
5. Decorate!: Place the stars on the contact paper however you like them. Then, rip some small pieces of the red and blue tissue paper. Stick them on the contact paper. Once you’re done, seal the suncatcher with the second piece of contact paper. If you are using plastic wrap, use clear glue to stick your decorations down.
6. Test It Out!: Hold your suncatcher up to a window or a light. Watch the light shine through the colors! You can hang your suncatcher in a window using some tape.
Updated May 25, 2022, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Amanda Salazar
