Are you missing Parks & Recreation? Have no fear—these crafts will help revive your love for one of the best shows to grace our televisions in a long while. Here are some fun crafts that pay homage to both the show and its D.I.Y.-superhero frontrunner, Leslie Knope.
1. This pattern advises to crochet a tiny horse in pink and white…
but two shades of brown will better resemble Li’l Sebastian, the miniature horse (don’t call him a pony!) greatly beloved in Pawnee, Indiana.
2. When my friend Amanda and I were searching for Parks & Rec-themed Halloween costumes this past year, we decided to be Pawnee Goddesses, a Girl Scouts-esque group Leslie created to combat her colleague Ron’s all-boy Pawnee Rangers. This pattern provides more detailed instructions, but Amanda and I didn’t have a sewing machine, so our vests were a little less intensive.
After purchasing fitted lavender t-shirts and giant royal purple ones, we cut the sleeves of the purple ones and cut them down the middle and – TA DA – a vest. We then sewed on ric-a-rac and patches from the local craft store and purchased genuine Pawnee Goddess stickers to round out the costume. Everyone who wasn’t totally baffled by the costume loved it. The bandanna ascots are mandatory!
3. As Leslie Knope says, “We need to remember what’s important in life: friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn’t matter, but work is third.” You can manifest Leslie’s love of waffles by making a waffle purse out of duct tape that looks just like hers!
4. Leslie Knope’s love of crafts truly shines each year on Galentine’s Day, an annual affair that occurs on February 13th to celebrate friendships between women. One year, she created needlepoint pillows with an uncanny recreation of each attendee’s face as well as a headline from her day of birth.
If you’re new to needlepoint, you probably can’t freehand your BFF’s portrait quite yet, but you can get started with these kits! Soon enough, you’ll be able to embroider some of the show’s most quotable phrases.
5. One of the most adorable moments on the show is when Leslie is unveiled wearing a dress made of newspaper articles for her rather spontaneous wedding. The dress is every ambitious bride’s dream, comprised of clippings from all of her greatest achievements and portraits of her role models. You can create a dress of equal significance with this tutorial!
6. Politics aside, one thing you’re likely to have in common with Leslie Knope is a love of Harry Potter. If you and your Muggle pals are ever throwing a Hogwarts-themed celebration (something Leslie didn’t do onscreen, but totally would), you can use these recipes to recreate practically authentic Butterbeer and Polyjuice Potion.
7. The D.I.Y. attitude isn’t just for tangible crafts; it’s also totally useful for creating your own holidays— each one with its own requisite homemade gift, of course. An always-relevant option is a scrapbook, which can commemorate every occasion from Mail Day to Sex Day.
8. If you’re more of a Tom than a Leslie when it comes to your desire to craft, strap your iPod dock to a Roomba for your next party to create the iconic DJ Roomba. Works every time.
Images via FaveCrafts.com, Amanda Livingston, Etsy, Buzzfeed, Kirston Mann, & NBC
Videos via Karen Kavett and Just Quality Music
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