Craft tiny sea horse ornaments for the feather tree!

Miniature sea horses made from cotton batting
in four colors: pink, lavender, coral and blue.

        These sweet little sea horses are not found under the sea...but hanging from our family feather tree. Paint them pinks, lavenders, and blues and sprinkle with glitter too!

Supply List:

• acrylic paints in pastel colors
• white cupcake liners
• translucent glitter
• white school glue
• hot glue gun and glue
• one chenille stem per sea horse
• puff paints for eyes

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut a chenille stem into approx. half length.
2. Unravel several cotton balls and set these aside.
3. Shape the bottom end into a spiral. Shape the opposite end into a hook for the head of the sea horse. Both of these ends will be reworked later but having them bent early will help you to understand the proportions of the sea horse as you work.
4. The belly of the sea horse will require you to build up more batting than you will need at either end.
5. Layer white glue and batting fuzz around the belly first.
6. Now unbend the hooked head and gradually twist batting around the chenille end to bulk up the head area. Bend this end back in place and compare it with the photos of mine. When you are satisfied with your results let the head dry and harden.
7. Now do the same for the spiral tail. You will need far less cotton batting for this end. Make the application of cotton far less and gradually smooth it down from the underside of the sea creature's belly.
8. Bend the spiral tail back into place and let it dry completely.
9. Add pastel color washes to your sea horse.
10. Cut small rippled sections of the white cupcake liner for the dorsal and pectoral fins and glue them in place with hot glue. 
11. Paint the fins
12. Paint on the eyes using puff paints to make them more dimensional
13. Smear on a bit of white school glue and sprinkle on glitter.