DIY Flamingo Straws
In a few short weeks, we will be hosting a baby shower at our home. My oldest daughter, Danielle, is having a baby girl! This is Danielle's first baby. After having major surgery when she was young, we feared she couldn't have babies. I had given up and felt sad that she would never experience the joy of having her own child. Well, I guess God had other plans. We have been surprised, happy for her, and excited for the month of August!
One of my boards on Pinterest is 'Alice in Wonderland'. I have wanted to plan a party with an Alice in Wonderland theme for years. Well, when I asked Danielle if she had any thoughts on a theme, she said 'Alice in Wonderland'! Just imagine my excitement!
Okay, so I have a lot of plans, which will need to be finished in the coming weeks. I want the party to be whimsical, so the flamingo straws were perfect! They were one of the first projects that could be completed ahead of time! These DIY Flamingo Straws were inspired by a pin on Pinterest. The flamingo straws on that pin were made by Abby Hunter. I thought they were absolutely adorable. Her original post can be found on Fete Gazette.
When I made the first flamingo, it looked more like a beautiful pink swan. It needed a head and a beak, so I changed Abby's design a little bit. The head looked better with my change, but I felt it also needed black on the tip of the beak. I wanted to be sure it was unmistakably, a flamingo. The wings also had to be positioned more downward to mimic a flamingo. After making a few little adjustments, I was tickled with the results.
The supplies for this are simple. You will need a one and one-half inch styrofoam ball for each bird. I used the smooth ones. (I think Abby used the other kind.) The glitter used on these was from Hobby Lobby. The color is 'Pink Ice' and it is the extra fine glitter. You will also need pink feathers, pipe cleaners, a toothpick to make a hole in the styrofoam ball for the pipe cleaner, a black felt tip pen, a ruler, Mod Podge, Tacky glue and a pair of scissors. I found these straws at Michael's for $9.99. I had a forty percent off coupon so I paid six dollars for one hundred straws. I love the polka dot and stripes together.
To begin with, you need to make a hole in the ball. The smooth ones that I bought already had a hole about a half inch deep in them. I used my handheld drill and a 7/16" drill bit to gently drill through the premade hole to the other side. (The regular styrofoam balls would be much easier to push a sharp awl or screwdriver through.) In order for the straw to slide onto the ball relatively easily, I had to slide the drill back and forth a few times. Be sure the straw fits completely through the ball before going on to the next step.
Paint Mod Podge onto the ball and sprinkle the glitter onto the ball. I rolled the ball into a bowl of glitter but found that holding it on the end of a round handled paint brush and pouring the glitter over it worked better for me. Let the glue dry.
Using the toothpick, make a hole in the ball where you want the neck to be. Cut a 12" pipe cleaner in half, making two six inch pieces for the neck. On one end, bend and loop the pipe cleaner to create the head and an 'S' curved neck. (Click here ► for detailed instructions.)
Using the felt tip marker, tip the end of the beak with black. Insert pipe cleaner into the hole made with the toothpick.
Insert the straw into the hole in the ball at desired height. Choose two feathers approximately the same size, trim if necessary. With the Tacky glue, attach to the ball on each side. Flamingo wings usually are positioned down rather than up like the swan.
That is all there is to it! How cute these DIY flamingo straws are going to look on the table next to the beverage dispenser!
