DIY Paper Cats Valentine

Meow + You = Together Furever! Learn how to cut and create a purrfect and colorful 3-D paper cat using a few basic craft materials! Great for a fun February craft activity or to make a pop at your Valentine’s Day party! You can even turn these into cards for all your feline friends!

Materials

• Fiskars 5’ Kids Scissors
• Confetti-Making Set
• Bone Folder
• Paper Trimmer
• Colorful Cardstock 
• Markers or Colored Pencils 
• Glue Ball Point Pen, Glue Stick or Craft Glue
• Optional – Googly eyes

How to:

Pick out different colored carsick. We chose different shades of pink and teal, but feel free to use whatever color you want!

Cut out the body and tail:

Use the paper trimmer to cut out a 2”x11 strip the body of the cat. Cut out a .5”x11” strip for the tail. Use a pair of scissors to create a rounded edge on the end of the tail. Tip: The paper trimmer will help you easily get a straight cut, but if you don’t have a paper trimmer use a ruler and a pencil to map it out before cutting with a pair of scissors.

Create and embellish the face:

In true Valentine’s Day fashion, we wanted the face of the cat to be an upside-down heart! Hearts are symmetrical and can be tricky to cut free hand. Make a template by folding a piece of paper in half, draw half a heart on the folded seam and cut it out. Place the heart onto the color cardstock you want for the face, trace it and cut it out. Use the template if you’re making a handful of these!

Now it’s time to embellish your cats face! This is the fun part, get creative with how your cats look! If you want to replace ours, this is how we did it!

Punch out a heart for the nose and glue it right at the edge of the upside-down heart. We love using a glue pen for this project, because it allows you to be very precise when gluing.

Use different sized heart punches for the eyes and layer them with different colored cardstock. Glue the eyes together and then glue them to the face. Layering different color/textures of paper is a great way to add a pop of detail to any project.

Cut out little thin triangles for stripes. Glue them to the top of the head letting them overhang and then trim the overhang for a clean look.

Cut out two hearts for the ears…another small detail, that you really notice from the back. Tip: If you are working with younger kids or want to keep it simple, use googly eyes and have them draw on extra features!

Assemble your cat:

Fold the body of the cat two inches from each the end and glue together, so the paper creates the letter “D” or an an arch when it’s sitting flat. Tip: Get great creases by using a bone folder.

If you want to mail this little cutie, don’t glue the body together and leave a little note on how to pop it up!

Make the head of the cat 3D by creating a neck. Cut out a 2′ piece of cardstock and fold it like an accordian, back and forth. Glue the back of the head to the accordion and then glue it to the body.

Glue the tail to the backside of the body. Curl the tail, similar to a ribbon, by holding the tail between the bone folder and your thumb and pulling the tail. If you don’t have a bone folder you could wrap the tail around a maker or pen.

Add two little paws to the front of the body, by cutting out a circle and then cutting it in half. Glue the two halves in the front of the body under the face.

How adorable is this little one?? Remember if you’re making these, take liberties and just have fun!

Every month we teach a FREE craft class with Fiskars through Michaels, we will be teaching this one and would love for you to craft along or just watch!! You can sign up here!

If you love this little cat, check out our paper owls, they are so cute and could be made for any holiday or time of year depending on the color choices!

Happy Valentine’s Day!