How to Make a Hawaiian Lei With Coffee Filters

Are you planning a tropical themed party? Nothing says "Hawaii" like a Hawaiian lei. To make your own Hawaiian lei for each of your guests out of simple coffee filters, or as a craft with children, follow these simple steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Basket style coffee filters
• Food coloring or markers
• Bowls of water
• String or twine
• A needle (or hole puncher if working with children)

1. 
    
   Start of the Hawaiian lei.

   Color the coffee filters. Decide what colors you want the flowers of your Hawaiian lei to be. You can add food coloring to the water, then dip the coffee filter upside down so the edges get colored and the center stays white. This will give the flower for your Hawaiian lei some "depth." You will want to make at least 15 of these for each lei. Make more if you want the flowers to go all the way around the string for your Hawaiian lei.

2. If you are working with children, here is an alternative to step 1. Have them color the coffee filters with washable markers, then drip water on to achieve a "water color" effect for the flowers of your Hawaiian lei.

3. 
    
   A flower for a Hawaiian lei.

   Poke your finger into the center of the flower for the Hawaiian lei, and wrap a rubber band around it. This will make the "petals" splay out a bit. It will also create a separator, so when you string your flowers together they don't all bunch up together like the filters did in the package! While you allow the wet coffee filters to dry, cut the string to the desired length.

4. String the flowers together. Using a needle, poke the string through the center of each flower for the Hawaiian lei. Tie the string so you have a ring of flowers in the form of a Hawaiian lei to hang around your neck. Aloha!

Tips & Warnings

• If you are working with children, here is an alternative to step 6. Before you even color the coffee filters, punch a hole in each one. That way children can thread the string through the holes instead of threading them with a needle.

[chameleon]

on 1/27/2009 Great way to use up coffee filters! I linked to your article from http://coffeebreak.today.com

[QueenofMisc]

on 12/5/2008 It seems the coffee filters make big fun leis. Adding favors to any party makes it that much better and it is inexpensive. Quite creative!