Summer Paper Plate Crafts

It just hit me this morning that July 4th is next week.  Next week. Summer is just flying by!  Ahhhh!  So I feel the need to do some summer crafts and that's why I made these super easy paper plate crafts.  I dunno about you, but when I imagine summer, I see outdoor picnics, grill outs, and beach adventures.  These activities usually involve disposable paper plates... which are such a great item to craft with because they're super cheap and super versatile.

Fun Summer Paper Plate Crafts for Kids

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So these are my summer inspired paper plate crafts.  They're super easy to make, colorful, quirky, and just scream SUMMER FUN!

Materials Needed to Make Summer Paper Plate Crafts

• Paper Plates
• Craft Paint 
• Paint Brushes
• Scissors 
• Exacto Knife
• Yarn
• Hole Puncher
• Stapler
• Tape
• Pencils
• Jumbo Popsicle sticks
• Construction Paper
• Glue

Let's Make a Vintage Swimmer Paper Plate Mask!

Way back in elementary school we had to wear swimming caps when we went to the public pool.  I hated it because my cap made me look like a strange bald egg.   Now that I'm older, I still don't like the idea of wearing swim caps... but I really dig the way that those cool, retro, vintage swimming caps look.  The colors!  The flowers!  Ooh la la.  They are seriously adorable.  So that's why I made a DIY vintage swimmer paper plate mask.    

To make the mask, I simply cut out two holes for the eyes.  Then I painted a face on the front of the paper plate and cut out some flowers from construction paper.  Then I glued on the flowers and taped on a  jumbo popsicle stick to the back of the paper plate.

Tada!  I've secretly named the mask Lola and wear her around to make Chuck laugh.  He thinks that she is hilarious looking.  I have no idea why. 

Ack!  Scared ya, didn't I?

Now Let's Make Some Food Purses!

When I saw Mer Mag's super cute DIY Bunny Plate Purse awhile back I wished for an instant that Chuck was a girl... just so I could make a little purse for him.   (Bad, right?)  With July 4th around the corner, I made these DIY food plate purses... because I love the image of little girls eating at picnics and grill outs... in cute outfits... carrying around some super cute (and yummy) DIY purses.

You need 2 paper plates for each purse.  Here are the ways that I cut out both plates to make each purse:

After cutting the paper plates, I placed them one on top of the other and used a hole punch to punch matching sets of holes in each plate.   Then, I painted the plates to look like a watermelon and doughnut. Once the paint dried, I stapled the plates together and used some yarn to make a little strap.  (I also placed some tape on the ends of the yarn to help it slide through the tiny holes.)

Tada!  And now I have two DIY Food Paper Plate Purses:

(which I will probably give away to some of the little girls in our play group... or wear out myself... )

Ack.  So cute. 

Looking for other cool paper plate crafts?
I don't have that many here on my blog... but check out fellow blogger Rachel's blog I Heart Crafty Things or her Pinterest Boards. She is a paper plate guru!  You're sure to find are tons of cute ideas there!

Looking for other fun summer crafts and activities?
Check these ideas out below!

• Cute Stenciled Bags
• Styrofoam Gliders
• Easy Paper Kites

And, of course you can always check out my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts for more fun ideas.

Happy making, friends!