DIY Mermaid tail

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Yoohoooo! It’s June and summer is here! All the Mermaids and the Mermen are starting the undersea party!! Will you join them? The Meri Meri Brand helps you do that with a brilliant idea! Make your own mermaid tail using metallic foil cupcake cases.

Meri Meri’s fabulous design team have created a shimmering tail for you to make. You can use a variety of colors or stick to one shade. Combine blue and silver or create a unique gold tail. The tail looks amazing when worn over a swimming costume, or leggings, shorts and a top.

Pictures and content from Meri Meri:

You will need:

Metallic cupcake cases, a long piece of paper (wrapping paper works well), double sided sticky tape, elastic or ribbon, stapler, sticky tape, scissors, measuring tape and aluminium foil.

Instructions:

Step 1: Measure your child’s waist and divide in two and measure the distance from their waist to the top of their ankles and draw a tail shape on a large sheet of paper, wrapping paper.

Tip: fold the paper in half. Along the crease, mark the height measurement and along the top, mark a quarter of the full waist measurement, leaving a little extra room for the waistband and draw half the tail and cut it out.  When you fold out it will be a symmetrical tail.

Step 2: Fold out flat all of your cupcake cases.

Step 3: Fold them all in half and cut them in two.

Step 4. Cut one into quarters, this is your first scale.

Step 5: Time to start adding the scales. Add double sided tape underneath the top section of each cut case. If you do this, then the bottom section of the case overlaps nicely like scales.

The first ‘scale’ is the quarter case. Stick it down, but let it slightly overlap the bottom of the paper. As all the scales are added, try not to let any of the paper underneath peek though. Arrange each row as you go before sticking down.

Step 6: When you reach the top of the tail, then you can fold the top section which has the extra waistband allowance in, over the elastic or ribbon waistband. This can be secured with staples.

Step 7: Cover the folded section with tape, this will smooth the cases and their edges against clothing or skin.

Step 8: For the tail fin, use some aluminium foil and fold it into a concertina fan, then staple it behind the tail underneath an overlapping scale.

(You could also use something softer here, like paper, or fabric which would be soft against the feet.)

Step 9: Now everything is stuck down, it is time to cut corners of the cases and the fin if need be. This will stop them catching on anything.

At first the tail may be stiff and flat, but you can help fold the tail around your child by smoothly shaping with your hands at the sides.

And if it all turns out to be a disaster or you already got discouraged by the long instructions, there’s always the safe call of the Mermaid costume from Meri Meri Brand, available on Inspiration Tales online boutique.

Good luck and have fun!!!!!

(Source: Meri Meri)