Designed by Allison Smith.
Excerpted fromSummer Style by Paige Gilchrist (Sterling/Lark, 2003).
These cheerful fans are so enchanting, just looking at them will make you swear you feel a breeze. Gather a bunch in a colorful bucket; stand them upright in pails of sand (or wedges of watermelon); or hand them out, wait one second, and watch wrists start gently waving.
What You Need
• Scrapbook papers in complementary colors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Large craft sticks
• Colored craft wire
• Craft glue
• Clothespins
What You Do
1. Stack the paper and measure its width. Divide the width by two. Subtract 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the width, and make a note of the number, then add 1 inch (2.5 cm) to the width, and make a note of that number. Cut the paper into two pieces using the two measurements. (For example, if the paper is 10 inches [25.4 cm] wide, half the width is 5 inches [12.7 cm]. Subtract 1 inch [2.5 cm], and you get 4 inches [10.2 cm]. Add 1 inch [2.5 cm], and get 6 inches [15.2 cm]). The goal is to end up with two strips of paper, one slightly smaller than the other.
2. Stack two different paper colors, one piece smaller and one larger, with the smaller piece centered on top of the larger. Fold them accordion style, with the depth of the folds matching the width of the craft sticks.
3. Holding the folded accordion in one long strip, trim the ends at a 45º angle. Tightly secure the center of the accordion with a small piece of colored wire. When you finish, the wired piece should look like a bow tie.
4. Pull up the two top edges of the bow tie, and glue the edges together, holding them with clothespins until the glue dries.
5. Attach a craft stick to each bottom edge of the bow tie with glue. Hold everything in place with clothespins until the glue dries.
6. Remove the clothespins, join the craft sticks, and wrap a small piece of wire around the sticks to keep the fan open.
