Grrl Still Kickin'

Have a geektastic holiday with these paper snowflakes of BB-8, Finn, Kylo Ren, Poe, Rey and the First Order Stormtroopers by artist Anthony Herrera.

Read more about the paper snowflakes in my CNET article here!

Download templates to the paper snowflakes in my CNET gallery here!

A shot-by-shot, low-budget fan remake of the latest "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" trailer has all the scenes we've been drooling over, but with a lot more charm.

Watch the video and read more in my latest article on CNET.

By Bonnie Burton

During this holiday season, eat your meals in style with these fancy felt napkin rings of your favorite Star Wars characters! These napkin rings are easy to make and fun to use for any meal worthy of Jabba the Hutt.

What You Need:

Velcro circles
Scissors
Craft glue
Small googly eyes
Black, beige, gray, red, dark green, light green, brown and purple felt squares

How to Make Star Wars Napkin Rings:



1. Cut rectangles 2 inches wide and 7 1/2 inches long from the felt. This will be the body of your napkin ring.



2. Cut out a slug-like shape from the dark green felt and the exact shape but smaller from the beige felt. Glue googly eyes and a thin line of black felt for the mouth on the beige felt piece, then glue that on the green piece. Now you have Jabba the Hutt!



3. For Yoda cut a circle and two small triangles from the light green felt for his face and ears. Glue on googly eyes, a small green felt square for a nose and a small red triangle for a mouth. Yay for Yoda!



4. Cut out felt squares, 1 1/2 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches long, in different colors. Glue your characters on different squares. Then glue each character square on the left end of your long felt rectangle strips.



5. Repeat step 4 with different characters if you want to make a whole set of napkin rings. We made Jabba the Hutt, Admiral Ackbar and Yoda. Use other shapes of felt and experiment with making other Star Wars characters like R2-D2, Princess Leia, Ahoska Tano, C-3PO, Anakin Skywalker, Plo Koon and more!



6. Glue a Velcro dot at the end of your rectangle strip. (Most Velcro dots are self-adhesive so you may not have to actually glue it to your felt.) This will fasten your napkin ring to the other end of the felt when you wrap it around a napkin!



7. Now wrap your ring around a napkin and secure it to the Velcro dot to make a ring. Place next to your silverware at your next celebration dinner. Time to eat in Star Wars style!

Be sure to discover more fun crafts in The Star Wars Craft Book.

Review of my book from Kirkus Reviews.

THE STAR WARS CRAFT BOOK
Author: Burton, Bonnie

Review Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher:Del Rey/LucasBooks
Pages: 208
Price ( Paperback ): $24.00
Publication Date: March 29, 2011
ISBN ( Paperback ): 978-0-345-51116-4
Category: Nonfiction
Classification: Popular Culture

A career crafter shares the unfettered joys of Chewbacca Sock Puppets and Jabba the Hutt body pillows.

Burton, creative editor and blogger for Lucasfilm's immensely popular Star Wars website, applies imagination and accessibility to creations that are "fun, not frustrating." The author makes good use of commonly available supplies found in the kitchen (dry pasta, wooden spoons), the closet (old T-shirts and socks) and the recycling bin (newspapers, bottles). She gives new life to broken toys and Halloween masks, transforming them into adorable and often practical Star Wars artwork. The book is artfully arranged into sections of varying skill levels. Some best suited for interactive role-play, such as the Yoda Felt Doll, while others incorporate holiday themes, or make for creative pet toys and home decor.

Burton's simple ideas have the potential to become functional masterworks like tote bags, pillows and blankets fashioned out of new or used Star Wars T-shirts, a Space Slug Draft Blocker made from tube socks, even an Ewok Flower Vase. Those with a flair for handiwork will delight in a section on nature-inspired projects using pebbles and moss to create "Dagobath Carnivorous" plant habitats or a milk-carton Wookiee Bird House.

Burton saves the most challenging mission for the final pages where, in 19 quick steps, readers can create a gruesomely monstrous Mounted Acklay Head. Easy-to-follow directions, patterns and an inclusive index of basic materials all contribute to the appeal of these unique crafts, including photographs of Star Wars fans alongside their own imaginative constructions.

Whimsical, straightforward fun for die-hard buffs of any age.

Craftster Sammi Resendes from Geekcentralstation.blogspot.com recently impressed me with some rather cute Star Wars Amigurumi dolls of Admiral Ackbar, Princess Leia, Slave Leia, Darth Vader, Yoda, Chewbacca and Han Solo.

So of course I couldn't help but get excited about the Indiana Jones Amigurumi doll recently revealed this week. Way to go, Sammi!

Be sure to read my exclusive interview with Sammi about how fans can start making Amigurumi dolls of their own favorite characters.

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SOURCES: Official Starwars.com Blog, Craftzine

White Mouse Feltidermy Brooch received via Bre!
Crafted by Girlsavage at Etsy!

Can't wait for May 3-4, 2008 for the next Maker Faire!