This fun fish headpiece, a perfect costume for Halloween, is inspired by actress and author Isabella Rossellini's "Green Porno" short films and book.
Tools and Materials
Anchovy body, fin, and tail templates
One piece blue poster board, cut in half
One piece gray poster board, cut in half
Aluminum foil
Metallic blue paper
Craft knife
Scissors
Transparent tape
Bone folder
Xyron Creative Station with permanent adhesive cartridge
Hot-glue gun and hot-glue sticks
Newspaper
Duct tape
Screw punch or hole punch
Ribbon or string
2-inch clear acrylic split ball ornaments
Drill
Gray cord elastic
1/8-inch-thick blue fun foam
Black card stock
Circle cutter
Anchovy Body How-To
1. Print templates, enlarging when indicated. Tape template for fish body to a double layer of gray poster board and cut out with a craft knife. Tape templates for fins and tail to a double layer of blue poster board and cut out with a craft knife.
2. Attach the two body pieces along the inside top edge with tape.
3. Cut two pieces of aluminum foil to the shape indicated on the template in light gray. Cut two stripes of metallic blue paper to the shape indicated on the template in blue. Run all pieces through the Xyron to back them with adhesive.
4. Adhere blue stripes to foil pieces as shown on template.
5. Adhere foil and blue stripe to one side of fish body. Smooth with bone folder. Repeat for other side of fish.
6. Run the two top fin pieces and two tail pieces through the Xyron to back them with adhesive, making sure as you position them in the feeder that they will stick back to back.
7. Attach top fins and tail to fish body, following guides on the template, sticking the pieces back to back with the edges sandwiching and attaching to the body.
8. Cut tab line on fish body and pull forward, as indicated on the template, lining up bottom edges. Secure in place with hot glue.
9. Use hot glue to attach 1 triangle piece to the fish body, under the rear area, so that the tail piece is dimensional. Stuff this area with a ball of newspaper to keep the shape.
10. Hot glue the bottom fins to the fish body as indicated on template, placing them back to back. Hot glue the bottom portion of the fins together.
11. Reinforce the inside front bottom edge of head piece with duct tape on both sides.
12. Punch a hole, where indicated on the template, on both sides of body. Attach a ribbon through the holes on both sides, long enough to be tied under chin when wearing head piece.
Eye Goggles How-To
1. In both halves of a split clear plastic ball ornament, drill a small hole 1/4 inch from the edge, directly across from the ball's hanging loop.
2. Feed a piece of string through both drilled holes and tie to make about a 2-inch loop.
3. With a circle cutter, cut a 2-inch circle in blue or grey fun foam. Without lifting up the cutter, cut another 2 3/4-inch circle, to make a ring. Repeat to make a second foam ring.
4. Use hot glue to affix the foam rings to the edges of the ball halves.
5. Cut two 1 1/2-inch circles out of black card stock with a circle cutter.
6. Tape black circles to the inside of each ball half to create pupils.
7. Tie each end of a 14-inch piece of elastic to the hanging loop in each ball half to create a head strap.
Resources
Clear acrylic ball ornaments are available from Paper Wishes. Creative Station with permanent adhesive cartridge is available from Xyron. Tools are available from Martha Stewart Crafts. All other materials are available at most crafts or art-supply stores.
