Lucky Penny Dolls Tutorial

Last summer, I made these Lucky Penny dolls from champagne corks, origami paper, silk scraps, paint and other bits. It was so much fun that I shared it last week with my library Journaling class: a mixed group from 12 years old to adults. The materials are simple:
Wine or champagne cork
Wooden Bead (for head)
Colored Tissue Paper
Any kind of pen to use for patterning the paper (we used gold and silver Shadow pens from Sakura).
White glue
Hot Glue Gun
Yarn, pipecleaners, fibers for hair
Buttons, beads, or other bits/bobs for embellishments
A penny.

We started by choosing colored tissue to be used as the clothing and did some pattern-making with the pens. The shadow pens show either gold or silver in the center of the line with a shadow on each side of the line in the color of the pen. Very cool effect.

Next, smear some glue onto the cork evenly and then just roll the cork up in the tissue. All dressed! 

Use the hot glue to attach the wooden bead to the top of the cork for a head. Hair, hats and other embellishments are best added with the hot glue gun. I added a penny (heads up, of course) at the bottom of the cork to keep it standing steady. Project Runway, here we come! It doesn't have to be a girly doll. It could be any kind of creature. Enjoy!