Make your own Spy x Family arts and crafts projects with this DIY guide

Are you ready to strut your stuff this cosplay season? Your mission: Build some seriously sneaky Spy x Family cosplay crafts using everyday items, pieces of paper, and craft supplies. Don’t worry, you don’t need to have psychic powers to follow along with these simple craft projects, as every item has step-by-step instructions, recommendations, and tips to take you from start to finish.

Anya’s hair clips

Let’s start by making a pair of Anya’s iconic hair clips. They won’t let you read minds, but you won’t need to, because you already know everyone you see will be thinking, “Wow, what cool head cones.”

Recommended supplies: A pair of hair clips, black craft paper, gold paint or foil card, glue, a pair of scissors, and access to a printer

Step 1: Download the printable craft template here. There’s a pre-textured version of the template that you can print out, build, and wear immediately. Alternatively, you can take your craft creation to the next level by printing out the blank version of the template and coloring it in yourself using colored craft cards or paints.

Step 2: Print out the template and cut out each cone piece along the solid black outlines.

I printed the template onto black cardstock and then printed the same template again onto some white cardstock, which I then painted gold, to add a little extra depth and detail to the design.

Step 3: Curve the cone around and align the edge with the dotted line before gluing in place. Fold the two strips down and glue them together on the underside of the cone to create a brace. If you’ve made a separate golden section, glue it onto the cone as shown.

Step 4: Attach the cones to a hair clip. You can do this by simply placing a clip over the thinner section of the brace or by using glue. For a more anime-accurate look, use a smaller pair of hair clips. I’ve used very large clips in the image below because I don’t want them to fall out as I’m perusing the bargain manga boxes on the con floor.

Yor’s headband

If you’re looking for a more challenging craft project and have the patience to wait and watch paint dry, you can put together your own Yor-style headband.

Recommended supplies: An old hairband, gold foil card, gold paint, bendy wire, chopsticks, split pins, scissors, and access to a printer

Step 1: Paint your hairband gold. I painted my hairband using a chrome gold spray paint to get a fine and even coating, but you can use acrylic paint instead. Plastic hair bands might be tricky to paint due to how slippery the surface is. If this is a problem, you can sand the hairband with a rough grit to make the surface rougher and make it more likely the paint will adhere.

If you’re planning to spray paint your headband, make sure you do it in a well-ventilated area and surrounded by things you don’t mind getting potentially splattered with paint. For me, that meant in the back garden, between two bins on top of a milk carton and garbage bag. It’s not a pretty setup, but it meant I could get the job done without ruining anything unintentionally.

Step 2: Print out the flower template here. Print it onto some sturdy, printer-compatible cardstock and carefully cut out the four parts of the flower following the solid black outline.

Step 3: Trace around the cut-out parts of the flower using a pencil on the back of gold foil-coated card, as shown.

Step 4: Cut out the gold foil flower pieces, folding the petals inward towards the center. If you want your headband to look great from all angles, paint the backside of each flower piece using gold paint.

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Step 5: Combine the parts of the flower together by carefully pushing a split pin through the center of each part, going from smallest to largest as shown.

Step 6: Cut two pairs of chopsticks down to your desired length and then paint them gold.

Many disposable wooden chopsticks come covered in a waxy coating. This can make getting paint to adhere to the chopsticks difficult, though it can be removed with a light sanding. I found that the first coat of paint didn’t stick to the chopsticks very well, but a second coat stuck a lot better and gave a great result.

Step 7: Carefully curve the ends of the split pin around into a tight circle, then place the chopsticks into the metal loop as shown. You can make the chopsticks stay in at your desired length based on how loose the split pin loops are, or by using hot glue.

Step 8: Attach the flower assembly to the side of your hairband using two sets of bendy wire. Most headbands come with notches on the inside, which will help hold everything in place. Just be careful to cut off any excess wire and bend it away from your scalp.

Repeat these steps to create a second flower assembly and attach to the opposite side to complete your Yor look. If you’re worried about turning your head too quickly and jabbing another convention attendee in the eye with a set of chopsticks, consider substituting them for foam elements or cardboard. Remember, safety first. No one’s going to be eyeing up your crafty cosplay if they’re all too scared of getting their eyes poked out to take a closer look.

Loidman mask

If you’re looking to take your Loid cosplay to the next level, and reference a specific part of the anime, why not make your very own “Loidman” mask?

Recommended supplies: Black card, black felt, foam strips, string or pipe cleaners, glue, a pair of scissors, and access to a printer

Step 1: Print out the Loidman mask template here. There are two versions of the template included; one is pre-textured and ready to go as soon as it’s cut out and glued together, and the other is a blank version, which means you can color it in yourself.

Everyone’s head is a slightly different size, so there is no “one size fits all” template. I would recommend printing out the blank version of the template onto standard printer paper and cutting out the eye holes to check how the template fits on your face. Most printing programs allow you to scale the image up or down depending on if it’s too big (scale down) or too small (scale up).

Step 2: Carefully cut out both parts of the template along the solid outlines (red on the pre-textured template, black on the blank template).

Step 3: Fold the nose section along the dotted lines following the key in the image below.

Step 4: Glue the nose section onto the eye section.

Step 5: Attach the sides of the mask together using either string or pipe cleaners. You can push the string/pipes through the holes on either side of the mask and then tie them at the back of your head to make sure the mask fits perfectly.

Step 6 (optional): You can add some extra detail and depth to your mask by adding additional elements to it. I glued the template to some black felt and added accents using stripped foam to get a more traditional comic hero look.

Hopefully, these Spy x Family arts and crafts projects have given you some inspiration to dig out the PVA glue and start sticking things together. Remember, you’re making crafts, not fine art; any imperfections or mistakes you make along the way will only add to the unique charm of your handmade cosplay components. Happy crafting!