Enchanting Harry Potter toys, making a wand, child's play

15 August 2020

Make your own wand, a technique safe for kids 7+ years

You will need:

a glue gun, photocopy paper, a chopstick or 25 to 30 cm long piece of 5mm diameter dowel, acrylic paint and acrylic decoupage varnish

Place your dowel stick diagonally to the photocopy paper, holding the corner of the paper to the stick roll the paper tightly around the stick. Hold for a moment, then release to position the dowel or chopstick so that the tip is exposed as the point of the wand.

Now glue the paper onto the stick as you re-roll it. Trim the paper at the handle end to suit your design.

Use the glue gun to seal the edges of the paper and to create textures, a handle, and to build up your wand - this is where you feel like a wizard!

Paint with acrylic paint until you are happy with the result. Try dry brushing contrasting colours for an antique effect.

Allow the paint to dry before varnishing. I found that varnishing the top, drying, then varnishing the bottom of the wand worked best for me.

I used an overturned egg carton to support my wands while they were drying, I also hung them using elastic bands, pegs and a hanger.

After 2 to 4 days of finishing with varnish, you will have a beautiful wand!