Pretty Hats, Pretty Purses, Pretty Ladies!

Oh, the fun that lurks inside a paper pack of plates! 

Like most little ladies rockin' the age of six, my trio of Grandma Campers loves crafting and performing. Just moments before their arrival, I quickly added a back-up, time-filler project - one heeding my own advice to "over-plan" the hours ahead. Did I expect it to be the hit it became?

Absolutely not!

Dig out your paper plates and bowls, grandma, I think you're going to enjoy this one, too!





















10" plates and 6" (10 oz.) bowls make fine hats and purses to match. Little ladies relish decorating them, and the entire family will pack the stadium to applaud the fashion event you narrate to show them off!

Place a bowl face down on the back surface of a plate, centered. Trace with pencil. Cut center of plate out on a line about 3/4" inside that one. Run a line of craft glue all along cut edge and put bowl in place to dry. Spray paint the hat.

Fold a 10" plate in half, bottom surface out, and staple both sides about 3" up from folded edge. Spray paint the purse.

My campers made their color choices, opting to "match" rather than "mix" purse and hat colors. And then we gathered at the outdoor crafting table, greeting a smorgasbord of decorating choices.....

There were stickers and feathers and yarn skeins galore, 
Crepe paper streamers, buttons and beads, and lots and lots more!










I tutored a quick tissue paper flower making session first - a skill that all little ladies need to own! The results were duly plopped atop, but deemed too time consuming to repeat. The immediate allure of the aforementioned goodies was just too irresistible!

With my occasional assist to staple purse handle choices, cousins chattered away, exchanging ideas, making each hat and purse a couture creation of personal originality.





















What surprised me most was the enthusiasm with which the girls anticipated the upcoming fashion show. Our tradition concludes each Grandma Camp week with a showcase of talent.....magic shows, puppet shows, bake sales, art exhibits.....all before an appreciative audience of parents, siblings, and aunties and uncles.

The girls embraced dress rehearsal, insisting I take group shots: models with hats alone, then purses alone, then finally with both hats and purses! (whew!) They giggled uncontrollably when it was decided in unison to end the show with a bang up surprise - a final group deep bow to send all hats flying!

Pretty hats, pretty purses, pretty ladies....I think they did a pretty good job being pretty amazing!

Models wait in the wings to strut the fashion show stage!

And yes! -  that final bow most certainly did have the impact we expected!