I wanted to use clay to make tiny coffee mugs, but right before I went to bed I had a great idea, and I decided that I would give that a go today. This next week (or until I get bored or frustrated with it) is dedicated to making stuff out of paper and glue instead of clay.

Today, it was a paper napkin, glue, and aluminum foil, and string.

Get ready for three of the cutest freaking rats you've seen in your life.  A trio of visually-impaired rodents.

First, make the shapes out of foil. Two chicken-leg shapes, one oval (trapping the string inside so most of it is visible like a tail), one teardroppy head shape, and two short sticks for arms.  Cover them all individually with bits of the napkin.  Glue is going to make it really easy to rip, so it might need more than a few coats of paper.  I used a brown napkin, and I love the way it makes the critter look.  Mottled, and furry. 

Now stick all the bits together!  I did the ears with a couple layers of napkin glued together so they'd be stronger.  Cover up any visible seams with more napkin.

I painted the tails pink, and gave them little black eyes by using the tip of a pencil as my brush.

Here we've got four bilge rats, just one is significantly taller than the other three.  It's a family portrait, really.

A closer look: