We tried it. The paper dress thing. It's the thing to do, you know. I pulled tissue paper out of a drawer, located some scotch tape, showed Mazzy some pictures of Mayhem for reference and then we got to work.

We made the top of the dress out of the tissue paper, using tape to hold it together and tying a ribbon around the center to give it some shape. Mazzy was way more involved in each step of the process than I expected, dictating colors and demanding that she be in charge of the tape dispenser.

It was also her idea to use the ribbon around the waist.

When we were done with the top, Mazzy wanted to pair it with her rainbow tutu and I said, "No! That's against the rules! We must make this dress entirely out of paper or else this is a wasted exercise!"

Except I didn't say that. I just let her do what she wanted to do because this isn't a competition, right?

So, we made half a paper dress.

Then, just when I thought we were done, Mazzy had the awesome idea of taking a homemade strand of paper hearts she got as a Valentine's Day card and taping it across the top of the dress. 

It was just the thing the dress needed to make it extra special. 

Good job, Mazzy.

My only problem (and the thing holding us back from launching a paper dress copycat career) was Mazzy refusing to stay still to take a photo. The girl cannot keep her feet planted to the ground.

As a result, the photo up top is blurrier than I would like, but I love it because Mazzy is standing tall and sticking out her little belly, with a pride on her face that speaks volumes.

I took about 500 photos and the three below are the only ones that don't look like a pink rainbow blur that might or might not be a child.

I'm planning to buy some construction paper so we can give it another try. Maybe I'll even buy some glue to secure Mazzy's back to the wall, so I can take a proper photo. 

Mayhem (the little girl who started the paper dress craze) is way more advanced. This week she was over on Ellen's blog creating paper versions of the best dresses from the Oscars.

Check out Ellen's tux, Lupita's blue princess gown, Jennifer Lawrence's red tailored dress and Jada Pinkett Smith's pink number on the bottom right.

Jada is my favorite. Mazzy's favorite too, for obvious reasons.

In other paper dress news, Baby Sideburns gave paper dresses a shot over on her blog as well. She went the "Paper Dresses for Underachievers" route.

Actually, let's call it what it is— "Paper Towel Dresses"…

Pretty sure they had fun too.

All in all, I'd highly recommend making paper dresses with your kids, even if you aren't particularly crafty. They can be full-on like Mayhem, half-assed like mine or wipe spills off the floor like Baby Sideburns. It's just a fun activity that teaches kids to think out of the box and that they can create cool stuff that's actually useful.

If you are not following @2sisters_angie and Fashion by Mayhem on instagram, you are one of the only ones. She is up to 290K, in case you were curious.

While you are there, follow @mommyshorts too.

On a totally separate note, did you know it's National Cereal Day? It's true! Give your kids cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's not lazy, it's festive!

My friend Seri from Little Miss Party threw a Cereal Party for General Mills and invited Mazzy and I to celebrate.

Apparently, celebrating cereal means being forced to wear a leprechaun hat in photos. So please, celebrate responsibily! Only three bowls of Lucky Charms per person.

If you want to see the rest of the party, click here.

Have a great weekend!

— Mommy Shorts