I’m not a huge fan of fortune cookies but when I get them at the end of a meal, I always have to take one and see what my quirky little fortune will be. My favorite? “You like Chinese food.” How can you not love a cookie that makes you laugh?!
The great thing about these cookies is there is no baking at all. In fact, they aren’t even edible! They are made out of cloth and you don’t need to worry about burning, breaking or ruining them in any way.
Why make cloth fortune cookies? Well, for one thing they’re pretty quirky. Have you ever gotten one before? And can you imagine getting one? It’s a gift that would stick in your mind, definitely!
The really cool thing is that there are gift boxes shaped like Chinese food take-out containers that you can put these in. And you don’t have to make up fortunes at all. Think of your favorite memories with the person, or give them promises that they can open and use throughout the year—“Good for one breakfast in bed.” The neat thing about this plan is that it’s a surprise to both of you when it’s opened what the task will be!
Cloth Fortune Cookies:
Materials and Supplies:
~ Pieces of thick material or felt
~ Craft glue
~ Pen and paper
~ Scissors
~ Craft wire
~ Wire snips
Note about the craft wire: You can find this in several sections like floral or general crafts but if for some reason you live somewhere where you can’t find it, try the hardware section. They sell that stuff you use to twist-tie up bags of things by the roll and since it’s not seen in this project--that would be okay to use. You might need a double-thickness of it or about 20 gauge wire.
Directions:
1. Cut circles out of the material. A really good size is the mouth of a plastic, 9 oz drinking cup.
2. Cut pieces of wire slightly smaller than the diameter of the circle and glue in place. If you’re like me and impatient, you can use hot glue but remember it will dry hard so you want to be neat in your application because you will be able to feel it.
3. Glue a second piece of felt on top of the other, sandwiching the wire in the middle. I use glue all around the edge leaving about .25” from the edge. Hot glue dries quickly so do about a half or less at a time.
4. Let dry. While they’re drying (do lots at a time!) you can either write your “fortunes” or memories or promises.
5. Place the fortune inside. Fold up like a taco shell then fold the two ends back toward each other. You may need to “fluff” them by putting your finger inside to push out the sides.
You also may need to put a drop of glue between the parts that touch, just to make certain it stays together.
Extra idea?
Slip a gift certificate for a yummy meal into the gift box.
If you want to do fortunes, here’s a fun site that can give you lots of ideas.
This is such a cool idea!
ReplyDelete