Learn how to make a beaded pencil topper that will help you stay ahead of the rest of the class.

What You'll Need:

Paper egg carton
12 inches copper craft wire, 20 gauge
4 inches white craft wire, 20 gauge
Chenille stems: white, silver
Paper clay
Acrylic paint
Wiggle eyes
Small pink sparkle pom
Scissors
Low-temperature glue gun and glue sticks
Pencil
Paintbrush
Craft glue
Black permanent marker
Colored plastic tape
Note: Adult help needed

beaded pencil topper
Beaded Pencil Topper

  1. For each pencil topper, cut two egg cups from the egg carton. Trim the edges neatly.

  2. Bend the end of the copper wire into a loop. Ask a grown-up to help you glue the loop just inside the edge of one cup using a glue gun and glue sticks. (This is where the "neck" of the animal will be.) Let dry.

  3. For rabbit: Cut a white chenille stem in half, and bend each half to form an ear. Hot-glue the ears onto the top edge of the cup, opposite the wire loop. For dog: Cut the bottom off another egg cup. Hot-glue this piece to the bottom of the cup with the wire in it. For cat: Proceed to step 4.

  4. For all animals, hot-glue the open ends of the two cups together to make an egg shape. Let dry. Coil the wire around a pencil to hold the head still.

  5. Mold paper clay to add ears and noses. Follow the package directions to dry the clay. Glue the ears and noses in place; let dry.

  6. Paint the head and paper clay ears. Let dry. Glue wiggle eyes in place using craft glue. Cut white wire or chenille stems for whiskers; glue in place. Draw a mouth and other facial details with black marker. (For the rabbit, cut a silver chenille stem into six pieces, and glue into place to make whiskers. Glue a pink pom on top for a nose.)

  7. Make sure the wire is wrapped tightly around the pencil, and cover the bottom of the wire with plastic tape.

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