We had a soldier ornament on our Christmas tree that had a pull cord — you yank the cord, and his arms and legs fly up like magic! My kids sure miss tugging on that little soldier… so I have a feeling they'll love making their own version of it, insect-style! Even better, I'm pretty sure I already have all the materials on hand.

Eva Mon­león is a contributor at Handmade Charlotte, and she has an ingenious little tutorial on making these cute bugs. Using a toilet paper roll, some cardboard from a cereal box, and some string, she shows you exactly where to snip and where to tie to create your own little insect.

Go see a detailed materials list and neat, photographed instructions over at Handmade Charlotte.

(Image: Eva Mon­león for Handmade Charlotte)