Channel your inner Poe with an easy-to-make shoulder raven. Not included (and probably best avoided): a cask of amontillado.
You’ll need:
- 1 toilet paper tube
- Black construction paper
- Black drinking straw or beads
- Hole punch
- 1 piece of elastic beading cord
- Scissors, tape, and glue for construction
The raven is basically a toilet paper tube, wrapped in black construction paper, with two holes punched in the front and back. A loop of elastic beading cord threads through the holes and keeps the bird in place on your shoulder.
When the tube and cord are prepped, use more black construction paper to add all the fun details! Here’s my “deluxe” raven with lots of black ruffled layers, twisteez wire feet, and a tri-fold beak.
However! Here’s a simpler version with a simple tab-and-fold beak and construction paper feet. Also, notice the eyes on both birds? Those are little snippets of black drinking straw. To attach the eyes, dip one side of the straw snippet in a dollop of white glue, then press it on the bird’s face. The raven is now ready for some tapping at your chamber door.
Many thanks to the Scheide Library for serving as the location for our photo shoot. Part of Princeton University’s Rare Books and Special Collections Department, the Scheide Library is home to priceless literary treasures, including the first printed book, Beethoven’s musical sketchbook, and a lengthy autograph speech by Abraham Lincoln from 1856!
The credit for today’s simple project goes to my 6-year old daughter! She told me she wanted to make a tambourine, scrounged through art supply central 
You’ll need:
Quick hint for threading floppy ribbon through holes…create a “needle” using masking tape. When you’re finished, just unwrap the making tape, or cut it off the ribbon entirely.
Thread a jingle bell onto a piece of pipe cleaner, fold it into a U, and and insert both ends into a pair of holes. Unfold the ends of the pipe cleaner and secure them to the back of the lid with tape. Repeat these steps with the remaining 2 bells.
Your tambourine is finished!
Calling all demigods and satyrs…with the simple command of “Maia!” your sneakers will sprout wings and fly! This project looks awesome and is super easy to put together. However, please note that winged sneakers are not recommended for use in or around Tartarus.
Next, take a small paperclip and bend the shorter loop backwards. Wrap the shorter loop with masking tape.
Use a glue dot or hot glue to attach the paper clip to the back of the felt wing.
Repeat the above steps with 3 more wings, then slide the wings onto your sneakers! Feel free to experiment with different colors too. Here’s a nod to one of my favorite Percy Jackson characters, Blackjack.
Interested in a cheaper, simpler version of this project? We did a whole post on how we