Craft Stick Puzzle

Ran across this super cute idea for a hand made children's gift the other day. I had saved a few illustrations from one of my favorite childhood books, and was trying to figure out what to do with them. Melissa at Fireflies and Mud Pies shared this idea last year on her blog using illustrations from a Christmas book. I didn't quite have all the same supplies, so I made do with what I had and changed it up a little

Since I didn't have modge podge, I had to get a little creative with tacky glue and clear coat.

First, I measured out how many sticks I would need for the illustration I wanted to use.

Next, I trimmed the illustration to make placing my sticks a bit easier.

I turned the illustration over and traced my craft sticks onto the back.

After that, I cut my illustration into stick-shaped strips.

Using the tacky glue, and a little water to thin and smooth the glue, I adhered the strips to the sticks.











I found some weighty books to pile on top while they dried, to make sure that everything stayed straight and flat.

Once dry, I took my sticks outside and gave them a few layers of clear coat. I should have been a bit more careful about moving them around on the newspaper so they didn't stick to it. My bird got a little paper stuck on its cheek. I got most of it off, though.

To finish up my project, I trimmed the excess paper from around the edges using my rotary cutter (you could also use an exacto knife, but I wasn't sure where mine was) and used an old emery board to sand and round the ends. I think it turned out pretty darn cute!