What if we cannot find sea-colored shirts?

Any solid tee works with the accessories doing the work. The trident plus the shell necklace plus one painted detail reads as mermaid crew on any color.

How do you keep the crab on the shirt?

Tape it from inside the shirt with a big tape loop, or pin it. Do not tape it to bare skin; sweat loosens tape in an hour.

Mermaid Crew

By Billy Litner

20 min · $5-10 · Easy

Fit: One per person, so kids and adults each get a real fit. Start from clothes the wearer already owns in their size, and size every prop against them before attaching.

The mermaid, the prince, the sea king, the sea witch, or the crab: pick your role.

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DIY this week: ~$5-10, 20 min

Sketch the cheek detail on paper first.
Cut a red paper body, legs, and claws with the scissors and tape them to the smallest person's shirt.
The sea king carries the plastic trident prop.

Tip: dab the accent face paint along the cheekbones through a fishnet stocking as a stencil. The scale stencil photographs like movie makeup.

You need

T-shirt or dress in a sea color (teal, purple, red, white), 1 per person (buy: thrift store, or own)
Face paint in a matching accent color, 1 tube (buy: drugstore)
Plastic trident prop, 1 (buy: toy store)
Toy crab or red paper for a cardboard crab, 1 (make: cut from red paper, or buy: toy store)
Shell necklace, 1 (buy: craft store, or make: string pasta shells)
Scissors and tape, 1 set (own)

Steps

Sketch the cheek detail on paper first. Face paint is hard to remove and redo once applied. Paint one small matching detail per person: scales on a cheek, a seaweed swirl, or an anchor.
Cut a red paper body, legs, and claws with the scissors and tape them to the smallest person's shirt. Or hand them the toy crab instead.
The sea king carries the plastic trident prop. Everyone else picks one accessory, like the shell necklace, and stands tall for the crew photo.
Optional pro finish: dab the accent face paint along the cheekbones through a fishnet stocking as a stencil. The scale stencil photographs like movie makeup.

Common questions

What if we cannot find sea-colored shirts?: Any solid tee works with the accessories doing the work. The trident plus the shell necklace plus one painted detail reads as mermaid crew on any color.
How do you keep the crab on the shirt?: Tape it from inside the shirt with a big tape loop, or pin it. Do not tape it to bare skin; sweat loosens tape in an hour.

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