At Pinwheel Crafts, we love unique and interesting animals. While perhaps not the cutest animal out there, llamas are more than deserving of a bit of love and attention. National Llama Day may be in December, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate these creatures any time of the year! 

Llamas are species of camelids that live in South America. These six foot tall, vegetarian, long-distance spitters (don’t ask) can live up to 20 years and are sometimes used as therapy animals. What’s even cooler is that you can turn them into crafts! Okay, that probably sounded a bit weird, but llama wool spun into yarn is an extremely versatile crafting supply. Beyond that, these sturdy pack animals also make for an adorable craft theme.

This week, we’ve rounded up a few fun crafts for you to do to pay homage to these sweet fluff balls. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

Paper Plate Llamas

Paper plates are such a versatile craft supply. With some cutting, gluing, and a little bit of paint, you can create just about anything, and llamas are no exception. Using a bit of creativity, and maybe a little hot glue, you can whip up a herd of these adorable camelids in no time. Read on to find out how to make your own!

You will need:

• Paper Plates
• Scissors
• Paper and Markers
• Paint and Brushes
• Hot Glue and Regular School Glue
• Pom Poms and Glitter
• Toilet Paper Rolls

Directions:

1. Cut a paper plate in half.
2. Paint the center of the plate whatever color you like (this will be the saddle). Leave the rim of the plate white to look like llama fluff.
3. Use a hot glue gun to add pom poms along the edge of the saddle, or school glue and glitter as a kid-safe alternative.
4. Using scissors, cut out a llama head from paper and use the markers to draw a face on it.
5. Glue the paper head to the far left or right of the straight edge of your paper plate half (attach it to the back edge of the plate).
6. Cut a toilet paper roll in half and paint it white to match your llama, or apply glue and wrap a piece of paper around it.
7. Cut two slits across from each other on one side of each toilet paper roll half approximately one inch deep.
8. Wedge the rounded edge of your llama into the paper roll slits and apply glue to hold them in place.

If you are better with visual guides, check out this awesome tutorial from ABCDeeLearning! It walks you through every step of the process and provides great ideas for how to make your llama extra unique.

Llama Puppets

Isn’t it great when a craft can double as a toy? Once your kids are done making these adorable little llama puppets, ask them to put on a play for you, or to take their new, paper friends on an adventure outside. Whatever they do with their llama puppets, they’re sure to have fun.

You will need:

• Rigid Crafting Material (Cardstock, Chipboard, Craft Foam, etc.)
• Scissors
• Jumbo Craft Sticks or Tongue Depressors
• Hot Glue Gun
• Paint, Glitter, Pom Poms, and Other Craft Supplies

Directions:

1. Using a simple template, cut out a llama shape from your rigid material.
2. Paint the llama cutout whatever color you like.
3. Draw or paint on a face and decorate your little llama with whatever your heart desires!
4. Now attach a jumbo craft stick to the back of the llama.
5. If you’re feeling extra crafty, you can create a mirrored version of your llama and glue it to the back. Now, your puppet can walk both directions!

We got this great idea from the Big Family Blessings Blog! There you can find a step-by-step guide with pictures, and an AWESOME free template to help you get started.

Yarn Weaving Llama

What better way to celebrate the llama than by making a craft using yarn? Wool made from llama fur is very soft and warm, but it’s also very lightweight! This makes it great for yarn used to weave and knot into blankets, coats, and other winter gear. We’re not going to take on anything as ambitious as those items, but we have found a great project that will let you incorporate yarn into your llama crafts!

You will need:

• Rigid Craft Board (Cardboard, Chipboard, or Craft Foam)
• Llama Template
• Scissors
• White Paint and Brushes
• Multicolored Yarn
• Hot Glue Gun
• Pom Poms
• Markers

Directions:

1. Using a simple stencil, cut out a small to medium llama shape from your rigid craft material and paint it white (or whatever color you prefer).
2. Cut an equal number of half inch cuts evenly spaced apart along the llama’s back and belly.
3. Wrap yarn across the top and bottom of the llama cutout by wedging it into the half inch cuts. Once they are strung tightly, tie the ends together in the back. These vertical strands will form the warp of your yarn weave.
4. Using a separate piece of yarn, weave between the vertical strands, alternating between going above and below each warp. These horizontal strands are called the weft.
5. With each turn, press the wefts together to compact the strings into a tight weave. Do this until you have covered most of the middle of the llama. When you reach the end, simply wrap your weft strand around the final warp, and move back in the opposite direction, continuing to alternate above and below. 
6. Using a hot glue gun, attach rows of pom poms along the top and bottom of the weave.
7. Draw a face and other decorations on your llama, or even attach it to a jumbo craft stick to make an extra special llama puppet!

Check out the awesome step-by-step guide provided at the Create and Craft Blog. They walk you through the whole process with copious pictures to make sure you won’t get lost.

Conclusion

That wraps up this week’s round up. We hope you and your family have fun making all your llama-themed crafts together. And make sure to share your adorable creations with us on Instagram! And, if you’re finding yourself pressed for time, make sure to check the Pinwheel Crafts complete line of all-in-one craft kits. Everything you need to create some fun, all in one box. Go shop the selection now!

Until next time, happy crafting!