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Writer's pictureFranzi Shelton

Under the Sea: Birthday Ring and Mermaid Garland

Updated: Dec 31, 2020

Below, you will find some beautiful birthday ideas for the little mermaids in your life.

Birthday Ring Tutorial:


What you need:

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup fine salt

  • 1/4 cup warm water

  • 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

  • 4 birthday candles (0.5'' wide, 4.5'' tall)

  • hot glue gun and glue sticks

  • Decorations: beads, shells, sea snail shells

  • OPTIONAL: beeswax pellets and candle wicks to create sea shell candles, metallic paint to create 'mother of pearl' accents

Directions:

  • Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup of flour with 1/4 cup of salt and 1/4 cup of warm water (the ratio is 2:1:1).

  • Add 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon (this will smell amazing once baking). Knead until a smooth dough forms.

  • Use your hands to form a 9 inch ring (~1/2 inch thick).

  • Using a 0.5'' wide candle, create four indentations (at 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees).

  • Bake for 2.5 - 3 hours.

  • Once baked, let cool for 20 minutes before decorating.

  • Use a hot glue gun and glue sticks to adhere your decorations to the birthday ring. The decorations are entirely up to you. I used shells, beads, and metallic paint.


OPTIONAL:

  • To make sea shell candles, melt beeswax pellets in a sauce pan (I have a pot that is entirely dedicated to working with beeswax - that way I do not have to clean any beeswax residues - highly recommend).

  • Add small candle wicks to deep clam shells or mussels.

  • Pour the melted beeswax over the candle wick without submerging it in the melted wax.

  • Let harden for 15 minutes.


Mermaid Garland Tutorial:


What you need:

  • Watercolor Set (I used this brand)

  • Watercolor Pad (I used this brand)

  • Large Brush

  • Sharp scissors

  • Black felt pen (I used this brand)

  • Hole puncher

  • Ribbon (I used to shade of tulle: turquoise and baby blue)

  • Thread

Directions:

  • Begin by prepping the background. The technique you will be using is called "wet-on-wet painting". Dip a large painting brush into clean tap water and use this brush to moisten your watercolor paper with water. Once moist, choose different colors and loosely apply them to the paper using the same big brush. Do not spend too much time adding detail to the page. The colors will merge beautifully on their own - simply by applying them to the wet paper.

  • Let your background dry for a minimum of 30 minutes.

  • Once dry, use the mermaid stencils posted below to draw mermaids on the BACKSIDE of your colored watercolor paper (this way, you won't have any black lines on the front of your mermaids).

  • Cut out your mermaids using sharp scissors. Using a hole puncher, add a small hole to each of the mermaids. Use thread to attach the mermaids to the tulle ribbons.


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