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How to Make Russian Paper Toys

There has always been something intriguing about the classic Russian ̶0;peasant̶1; dress that has long been glamorized in movies and folk tales. You can make your own Russian ̶1;peasant̶1; doll toy using paper and other materials purchased at a hobby or art crafts store. The Russian ̶0;peasant̶1; doll made will be a stylized representation of how Russian women used to dress in the past, and will bring a spot of color and whimsy to the home mantle.

Things You'll Need

A4 Pale blue cardboard card
A4 Red cardboard card
Blue dotty paper
Pale blue paper
Pale pink paper
Pattered colored paper
White glue
Utility knife
Black magic marker
Red magic marker
Two flower gems
Scalloped scissors
Russian peasant costumes pictures book
Tracing paper
Pencil

Instructions

- 1
  Go to the library and check out a picture book of Russian peasant costumes.
  
  Put the tracing paper down on a picture of a women wearing a Russian peasant costume. Trace the picture using the pencil.
- 2
  Fold the pale blue cardboard card in half with the fold on the right side. Turn the tracing paper over. Put the tracing paper onto the front of the pale blue cardboard card up against the fold. Trace the picture onto the front of the pale blue cardboard card.
- 3
  Use the scalloped scissors to cut away the outside of the doll while leaving the fold line intact.
- 4
  Cut the pale blue dotty paper into tiny bits. Glue the tiny bits all over the front of the pale blue cardboard card.
- 5
  Cut out a few thin strips from the patterned papers. Glue the strips along the bottom of the pale blue cardboard card.
- 6
  Cut out a rectangle from the red card that is the length of the bottom of the pale blue cardboard card. Glue the rectangle to the bottom of the pale blue cardboard card.
- 7
  Fold the red cardboard card in half with the fold on the right side. Turn the tracing paper over. Put the tracing paper onto the front of the red cardboard card up against the fold. Trace the picture onto the front of the red cardboard card.
- 8
  Use the scalloped scissors to cut away the outside of the doll. Cut off the head from the body of the red cardboard card. Glue the head of the red cardboard card onto the top of the pale blue cardboard card.
- 9
  Use the utility knife to cut out a circle from the pale pink paper. Glue the pale pink circle onto the red cardboard card.
- 10
  Use the utility knife to cut out a half circle from the pale blue paper. Glue the Pale blue paper to the top of the pale pink circle. Glue a flower gem to the right corner of the pale blue paper.
- 11
  Draw in eyes with the black magic marker. Draw in cheeks and lips with the red magic marker.
- 12
  Use the utility knife to cut out a half circle from the red paper. Turn the half circle upside down and glue it to the bottom of the red paper. Glue some of the tiny bits of dotty blue paper to the half circle.
- 13
  Put a flower gem at the center of the pale blue cardboard card.
- 14
  Use the utility knife to cut out six small ̶0;leaf̶1; shaped shapes. Glue three ̶0;leaf̶1; shaped shapes to each side of the flower gem.
- 15
  Unfold the pale blue cardboard card so that the Russian ̶0;peasant̶1; doll toy you have made can stand up.

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