Dress Your Pet as a Fairy for Halloween

H. Camille Smith

Materials Needed:
- 2 sheets of blue glittered card stock
- 2 sheets of purple glittered card stock
- sharp scissors
- scrap paper for template
- pencil
- craft knife
- glue stick
- spray adhesive
- 3" foam sphere
- serrated or electric knife
- old candle (optional)
- hot glue gun and glue sticks
- clear glitter
- pink acrylic paint
- chip brush
- vest, jacket (or any other clothing item that attaches under their tummy) that snugly but comfortably fits pet
Cut Out Wings
First, create a template by sketching a wing shape onto scrap paper — these can be any shape you'd like but keep the size proportionate with your pup. When you're happy with the shape, cut out the template then add a small square of paper to the wing's center. On the back of each piece of card stock, trace 2 wings — making sure to flip the pattern over when tracing the second wing (Image 1). Use scissors to cut out wings. You should have 4 total wings for each color as shown below (Image 2).


H. Camille Smith
Glue Wings Together
Using a glue stick, adhere wing cut-outs together so each glittered wing has a front and back side.

Paint and Glitter Foam
Using a serrated knife, cut foam sphere in half (this will be used to keep wings stationary). Tip: Rubbing an old candle over the teeth of the blade will make cutting easier. On a protected work surface, paint foam half with pink craft paint (Image 1). After paint has fully dried, coat foam half with spray adhesive. Allow a minute or two for adhesive to tack up then sprinkle on glitter (Image 2).


H. Camille Smith
Insert Wings in Foam
Using a craft knife, cut 2 slits, spaced evenly apart, near the center of the half foam sphere (Image 1). Slide wing tabs into slits — they should fit tightly in the foam. Near the base of the half foam sphere, cut 2 more slits opposite each other (Image 2) and insert the other pair of wings to give your fairy wings a fluttering effect (Image 3).


H. Camille Smith

Dress Your Pet
Decide which clothing item you'll attach the finished wings to — it should fit comfortably but snugly and fasten under their stomach. Place the clothing item on your pet, then hold the wings over their back to determine, and mark, exact placement — you don't want the wing tips hitting them in the back of the head or brushing their ears. Remove the clothing item then find the clothing's center back and attach the wings with a liberal blob of hot glue (Image 1). Tip: Remove your pet's costume for trips in the car and keep a close eye on them when playing with other dogs.


H. Camille Smith