Leis are a quick-and-easy Hawaiian craft.
Making Hawaiian crafts at home is a great way for kids to pass the time whether they're home from school for the summer or helping prepare for a luau-themed party. Hawaiian crafts feature bright colors and tropical themes, and many types of crafts are available which can be easily adapted to the crafter's skill level.
Hawaiian Costume
Crafting a Hawaiian costume allows for a lot of creativity and can be enjoyable for crafters of all ages. An easy place to begin is to create a lei, a traditional Hawaiian necklace made from flowers. Instead of using real flowers, string together paper flowers (craft your own using construction paper cutouts) or fake flowers; for a fun addition, alternate flowers with drinking straws cut short when stringing. Flowers can also be cut from craft foam or tissue paper. Create a hula skirt by stapling crepe paper strips to a cloth belt; pair with a bathing suit and a real or tissue paper flower in your hair.
Hawaiian Mirror
Give a mirror a Hawaiian flair by decorating it with seashells, using an unfinished craft or other small, framed mirror. First, paint the frame your desired color -- try an ocean blue or sand-colored beige, or exotic tropic colors for a bright look. Pour some crafting glue on a paper plate; dip seashells in the glue to cover the edges. Place the shells carefully on the frame and allow it to dry.
Coconut Tree
Younger kids will enjoy creating a paper coconut tree, which can then be used to decorate their bedroom or the walls during a luau-themed party. Using a template (found online) cut on a trunk, palm branches and coconuts. Color and glue together. For extra pizazz, add three-dimensional objects, such as wooden balls, in place of the coconuts, little fake flowers, or fuzzy felt strips to enhance the palm branches. For a really festive tree, sprinkle with glitter.
Hawaiian Quilt
A Hawaiian craft that necessitates dedication but produces a beautiful result is a traditional Hawaiian quilt. These quilts consist of a unique, snowflake design, appliqu d to quilting fabric to form a beautiful pattern. Traditionally, only two colors are used in the design of these quilts and feature a geometric-yet-natural design which mimics the ebb and flow of ocean tides and the shape of the Hawaiian islands. Each appliqu piece, as well as the base squares, are cut from fabric, then painstakingly pinned, appliqu d and the squares sewn together to create a lovely quilt.
Tags: fake flowers, Hawaiian craft, Hawaiian crafts, luau-themed party, palm branches