Make a Crepe Paper Laurel Crown
The laurel leaf crown was awarded to winners of the Olympics and similar sports held in Ancient Greece. You can make an inexpensive version suitable for an Ancient Greek or Roman costume using crepe paper (streamers) and pipe cleaners. Easy, quick and effective.
Steps
- Cut a section of crepe paper that is about 20" (50 cm) long.
- Fold it lengthwise (so that it is still 20" (50cm) long, but now only about an inch (2.5 cm) wide) and crease the folded side.
- Cut half-ovals or half-circles on the folded side. Leave 1/8" (3.1 mm) at one side of the shape, so that the paper remains intact, all along the length of the streamer.
- Wrap the streamer tightly around the pipe cleaner, leaving the half-shapes free and dangling. Fasten the paper to the pipe cleaner by folding the wire or taping it.
- Carefully unfold the dangling shapes, resulting in symmetric leaves.
- Shape the pipe cleaner into a headband or crown. Secure it to the head with bobby pins, miniature hair claws, or simply by weaving the ends through the hair.
Tips
- Be careful to fold the crepe paper evenly, so that you don't accidentally cut past the edge and separate the paper.
- Half-ovals make laurel or olive leaves, half-circles make eucalyptus leaves––be creative with sizes and shapes to create different leaf types.
- The tighter you wrap, the more realistic the laurel crown looks. If you hold the already-wrapped end of the pipe cleaner and let the streamer hang down, a tight wrap can be achieved by simply twisting the pipe cleaner. It's much more manageable than trying to flop the paper around the fuzzy wire.
Things You'll Need
- Crepe paper
- Pipe cleaners (chenille sticks)
- Scissors
- Bobby pins or similar for attaching
