How to Make Coffee Filter Monsters
These coffee filter monsters are SUPER cute and a lot of fun to make! You can create so many awesome crafts just by using coffee filters! They’re inexpensive, come in different sizes and are really easy to work with. We love Halloween and this project was a big hit with my kids. It’s also a great option for a “non-spooky” Halloween craft if your kids are on the younger side.
One of the coolest things about coffee filters is how the colours blend together once you add water. It creates an amazing tie-dye effect! No two coffee filters will look exactly the same and each of your monsters will be totally unique! Your kids can also add small touches and really personalize their monsters to give them even more charm. Multiple eyes, extra arms or antennae, funny faces – there are so many options! These monsters are super easy to make – all you need are some washable markers (otherwise the colours won’t bleed) and some simple dollar store craft supplies!
We’ve had so much fun with coffee filter crafts this year! So if you already have the coffee filters and markers out, check out our coffee filter dancers, coffee filter spiderwebs, and coffee filter bats for even more inspiration. These adorable monsters are an awesome Halloween project and super fun for a monster themed party. And kids seem to really LOVE making them!
Coffee filter crafts are fun for kids of all ages! We’ve made so many coffee filter crafts and my kids never get tired of colouring the coffee filters. Even I get excited to see what fun colours we’ll end up with! With these monsters, my kids really enjoyed choosing the different eyeballs. None of the monsters ended up looking the same and just like my kids, each one had it’s own little personality!
I love that these super cool monsters came from a boring old coffee filter?! With only some markers, construction paper and googly eyes the coffee filters transform into something super fun! If you don’t have the supplies lying around, you can find everything you’ll need at the dollar store.
Check out our video for how to make Coffee Filter Monsters:
It’s pretty obvious I’m OBSESSED with coffee filter crafts! Here are some of my favourite ones:
How to make Coffee Filter Monsters:
Here’s a list of what you’ll need. The affiliate links below will take you to products on Amazon that are similar to the supplies we used to make this craft:
- 2 Regular sized Coffee Filters
- Washable Markers (we used Crayola)
- Water
- An Eye Dropper or Spray Bottle
- Googly Eyes (different sizes)
- Crafters tape
- Coloured Construction Paper
- Regular Tape
I bought the coffee filters at the dollar store. The size doesn’t really matter, but we used the regular ones meant for 8-12 cup coffee makers. I also recommend giving each child a baking sheet to work from. It makes things easier and helps to contain the mess!
Layer two filters together, one on top of the other.
Do your best to flatten out the coffee filter before you get started. Now you can start colouring them!
Since the colours are going to mix together, it really doesn’t matter what you draw. Just keep in mind that the more you cover the filter (the less white the better), the bolder and brighter the colours will be when you’re done!
You can use any colour combination you like!
Once you’re finished colouring your filters, use an eye dropper (a small spray bottle will also work) to drip water onto the coffee filters.
You want the entire coffee filter to be wet. Just make sure it’s not super water logged or it will take forever to dry. The coffee filters should be wet, but not in a giant puddle of extra water.
How to Dry Coffee Filters:
You have two choices:
1. You can leave them overnight to dry (or longer if they are really wet).
OR
2. You can dry them in the oven! This is our favourite option since it saves SO much time. But it will only work if your oven will heat to a very low temperature. We dry ours at 115F and it only takes about 30 to 40 minutes. DO NOT dry them at a temperature higher than 130F, or you could end up with a smokey situation! Be sure to watch them carefully, and take them out as soon as they’re dry to prevent the edges from curling up.
Once they’re completely dry – and it’s important that they’re completely dry otherwise your fingers will get very messy – you can start cutting!
Make sure your two identical coffee filters are still on top of each other. Then grab some scissors and start cutting thin, equally spaced strips around your filter to create a “fringe.” Cut all the way around the coffee filters.
Now you can start creating your monster’s face. Add some eyeballs (it’s a monster, so the more eyes the better!), a smile, a silly face or whatever you want!
Next, pull your two coffee filters apart. Rotate the bottom filter slightly so that they don’t line up perfectly, then tape the two filters together using crafters tape or double sided tape. (See the video above)
I like to “fluff” the fringe on both filters just to give the monsters a little more dimension.
Next, add his arms and legs! Grab some construction paper and cut 4 strips – two thick (for the legs) and two thin (for the arms).
Fold each strip like an accordion, making sure you leave a longer bit at one end so you can tape it to your monster.
Tape the arms and legs onto the back of your monster using regular tape.
It’s ALIVE!!!
Aren’t they cute?!!
These little monsters are ready to be played with or hung on the fridge or in the window as decoration!
There are so many ways to decorate your monsters!
These coffee filter monsters are SO FUN to make and they look amazing! They’d look great hung up on the wall or window! This is such a fun Halloween craft for kids. It would also be a great craft for a monster themed birthday party. Such a simple way to make some non-spooky Halloween decor! With so many ways to colour and decorate, no two monsters will be exactly the same!
For even MORE coffee filter craft ideas check out:
For more fun craft ideas, check out our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids for 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books- A- Million | Indiebound | Indigo | Amazon Canada
