Materials: 20 x 20 piece of Luan
Half of a seedless watermelon
Assortment of seasonal fruit (cantaloupe, blueberries, kiwi, strawberries, etc)
Melon baler
Two 24" wooden dowels
19 x 25 sheet of parchment- colored artists paper
Scissors
Sanding block
Small handsaw
Apple Barrel acrylic paint ("Liberty Blue" -- # 20563)
Sheet of craft paper
Pale blue broad-line paint marker
Water-based polyurethane
3" bristle brush
2" bristle brush
2" foam brush
Plate
Construction paper (assorted colors)
Pencil sharpener
Pencil
Ruler
Jigsaw/saber saw
Safety goggles
Single hole puncher - Draw curvy water pattern on sheet of craft paper (think of a puddle or cloud) to be your base. Place the pattern on Luan and outline it (figure A) it with a pencil.
Tip: Luan tends to fray when cut, so trace pattern on underside and cut from there. - Using a jigsaw (be sure and wear safety goggles), cut the design out. Using a sanding block, sand lightly along the edges to get rid of any roughness (figure B).
- Paint with two coats of "Liberty Blue" acrylic paint and allow to dry.
- Draw curvy water ripples with a pale blue Decocolor broad line paint marker ( figure C). Just have fun with it. Let this dry completely.
- Apply 2 or 3 coats of water-based polyurethane using a 2-inch foam brush. This will protect it from any juices from the watermelon boat.
- To make the sails, cut the dowel off with a small hobby saw (figure D). Using a regular school pencil sharpener, sharpen ends of dowels that will go into watermelon.
- Cut sheet of white artist's paper into quarters. This should give you four sheets at 9.5" x 12.75" each.
- Using hole puncher, center a hole .5" from top, and a .5" from bottom on sheet of artists paper.
- Choose any color you want for the flag and fold your craft paper in half and sketch a flag design onto the paper. Cut the design out (figure E). Opening the flag back up, using a little white glue apply it all over the inside of the construction paper. Fold it back over and smooth out the glue and then reopen the flag. This will make the adhesive dry faster and is easier to work with. Place the dowel between the 2 pieces of the flag and fold it back over (figure F) and smooth it all out and hold for a few minutes so that it will get a nice tack to it.
- Feed sails onto the dowel beneath the flag by placing the dowel in the first punched hole and move dowel underneath the paper and out the front of the second hole (figure G). Bring it up to the size you want (9" used here).
- Cut your watermelon in half. You can use an ice cream scoop to scoop it out until it is all hollowed out. For a cantaloupe you can scoop out melon balls with a regular melon baler. Wash and cut up any fruits of your choice. If you are doing it for a theme party, think about the colors of your fruit. For the fourth of July, blueberries add great color. Fill the watermelon up with melon balls and other assorted fruits.
- Wait until you arrive at the party to insert the sails. Firmly stick dowels into watermelon rind, spacing them evenly to form masts (figure H). You now have the perfect centerpiece.
RESOURCES :
Fantastic Food Decorating
Model: 0806955139
Author: Manuela Caldirola and Sergio Barzetti
(October, 2001)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com
Toast the Host: (Great Gifts)
Model: 0865739889
Author: Creative Publishing International
(March< 1999)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Creative Publishing International, Inc.
Website: www.creativepub.com
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