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Chrysalys Crafts: PROJECTS
*** MERMAID BAY ***

Mermaid bay is a play scene constructed from boxes, cardboard tubes, newspaper and 'mud rock' on a cardboard, hardboard or thin plywood base. It can then be painted and varnished.

As well as mermaids, ours has been used for pirates, rabbits and dinosaurs. Such scenes can also be constructed for model railways, and for role-playing games.

People, animals and characters can be made for the scene from playdough, saltdough (for recipes for these see 'Tips') or clay.

 

You can, as with many projects, make your own designs. You could use a couple of different sized packing pallets as a base to make underground caves beneath your scene - the ideas are endless. Send us photos of your finished scenes, and we will show them on this website.

Materials

  1. A sheet of thick card, hardboard or thin plywood. Make this base a convenient size for your model to fit onto a table or play space
  2. Packing tape
  3. Glue

  • Strong cardboard boxes, tissue boxes, cardboard tubes

  • Additional cardboard. A semicircle of cardboard makes a cone for a mountain.
  • Chicken wire, or wooden 'props' if you need to strengthen any structures
  • Newspaper
  • 'Mud rock' - Plaster of Paris impregnated fabric
  • Aluminium foil, coloured tissue paper, and/or paints for decoration
  • Varnish and a cheap, disposable paintbrush

     

    Equipment

    1. Scissors
    2. Stapler
      3.

    Method
    1. Make a plan of your play scene. You can see our plan above.
    2. Place the cardboard boxes, card cone mountains, cardboard tubes etc on the base and fix in their final positions with staples, packing tape or glue.
    3. Strengthen where necessary with wooden props and/or chicken wire. Remember the Plaster of Paris is initially wet and may collapse soft card boxes.
    4. Fill in any odd corners with cardboard or folded/scrunched up newspaper to support the final level of the ground or sea.

    5. Cover the whole area with a couple of layers of newspaper. Leave gaps for only for any cave entrances or volcano tops and access areas like trap doors.
    6. Cover with mud rock and allow to dry.
    7. Decorate with paints and/or tissue paper.
    8. When dry, varnish to make the scene last longer.
      		9.

    9. Send us photos of your best scenes, and we will display them on this website, like "Dinosaur Island" below.

     


    This page was last updated 29th March 2000
    © 1998, 2000 Chrysalys Crafts