Framed Bunny Tutorial

 I just love the cute, faux animal heads I have been seeing around blog land and on Pinterest. I don't think they are something I would put in my living room, but I do think they are pretty cute in a kids room or office. I have been wanting to do some kind of faux animal in my daughter's room for awhile now. And with Easter being only a few weeks away I thought a bunny would be perfect. 

Here are some of the supplies I used to get started:

Mod Podge

Hot Glue Gun

Ribbon

White Napkin (Mod Podged to body)

Felt (for ears)

Styrofoam Ball (can be found at any craft store or dollar store)

Pom Poms (for mouth and nose)

Buttons (for eyes)

Black Thread (whiskers)

I cut my styrofoam ball in half. I felt like I was cutting up a piece of fruit. I had the cutting board and knife 

out . I wasn't messing around here peeps.

 After I was done cutting I laid out my napkin and cut off a square to put around the bunny's head. I wanted a little texture and the styrofoam was a little to blah for me. 

I then wrapped the napkin around the cut half of the styrofoam ball and taped the napkin to the back to make it lay flat. I then started to apply the Mod Podge.  You will need to let it dry for about 20 minutes before handling it.

I also Mod Podged black thread to use for the whiskers. I didn't want droopy whiskers so I used Mod Podge to make them stiffer.

I then cut the strands of thread into pieces (after the Mod Podge was done drying). I hot glued the cut thread to the pink and two white poms and then glued it to the stryofoam half. 

I then cut out two ears from white felt and hot glued them to the styrofoam ball and also glued the eyes on. I didn't use a pattern for the ears I just started cutting until they started to look like ears. I am sure there are bunny ear pattern that you could use.

I used this pink brush pen that I got in a kit from Hobby Lobby to color inside the bunny ears.

Once I colored the inside of the ears, I added a little bow and tucked in a little piece of pink felt under the two white poms for a bunny mouth.

I had an old frame and mat from a project that never got done so I decided to use that to frame the bunny.

And since this is a framed bunny, I decided it needed a name plate. I had this label from another project, but you could easily cut out your own. I colored in the corners with the pink marker I used for the ears and glued it onto the mat.  

My daughter name the bunny Babsy. I think it is a combination of bunny and baby. :)

I used double sided tape to stick Babsy onto the wall. 

I think Babsy turned out pretty cute!

I am linking to: 

Coastal Charm
Savvy Southern Style
Fox Hollow Cottage
Debbie Doos
House of Hepworths
The 36th Avenue
Tatertots and Jello
Under The Table and Dreaming
DIY Show Off
Mom 4 Real
Home Stories A to Z
Funky Junk Interiors

Dollar Tree Shamrock

Now, that we have Valentine's day under our belts I have been itching to get my St. Patty's Day decor out. I found a cute shamrock at the Dollar Tree this past weekend. I didn't know what I was going to do with it when I bought it, but I was thinking spray paint or Mod Podge. Well, since it has been so cold out I can't spray paint anything so out came the Mod Podge. I thought it would be fun to do a little tutorial for you. This is a super easy and cheap way of decorating because I only used what I had on hand.

This is picture of the shamrock when it came straight out of the bag. It has a beautiful picture of Ireland (I assume).  It's not a bad looking shamrock but I think it could use a little help! 

The first thing I did was I cut off the green ribbon as well as the tags. Don't get too crazy with cutting of the ribbon because you are going to need that later (remember we are using what we already have).  I then picked out some green polka dot paper that I had on hand from forever ago. I traced the shamrock onto the paper and create a template to cut.

 I then glued my shamrock paper cut-out onto the Dollar Tree shamrock. It is probably best to use spray adhesive, used a roller tape to adhere the paper to the shamrock. 

I then brushed the Modge Podge on top of the shamrock (I used a small foam brush, but any brush would work). I wanted to use Modge Podge to give it more of a sheen look. Did you know Modge Podge comes in different finishes? I prefer the matte finish.

I did have to go back and dab a little hot glue around the edges after the Mod Podge dried. That's why I think spray adhesive might be a little better to use in this project.

I wanted to create a banner across the shamrock that said "Lucky" for St. Patty's day. I had alphabet, rubber stamps that I had bought from Hobby Lobby a few years back. I am sure you can something like these at any craft store.

I found some burlap color scrapbook paper in my stash and decided to use that for the banner. I first stamped a spot on the paper and created a triangle around it. I used this as my template for the rest of the letters. I would just cut this one out and trace it for the rest of the letters and then stamp. Stamping on a full sheet of paper is easier then stamping on an itty bitty piece. You might have already known that, but just in case.

I arranged my "Lucky" letters to my liking on the shamrock and then hot glued them down and added some buttons (each color of the rainbow) and twine. 

I also glued back that little green ribbon to use for a hanger.

And here is the finished project, I thought it turned out pretty cute for $1.07 (gotta include the tax). :)

I am linking to:

Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday Party
DIY Show Off Party
Home Stories A to Z: Tutorials and Tips Party
House of Hepworths
Fireflies and Jellybeans
We are That Family
Tater Tots and Jello
Skip to my Lou
Or So She Says
A Glimpse Inside
Debbiedoo's
Diana Rambles
Mom 4 Real

Gotta Love Modge Podge

Today was the first time I had ever used Modge Podge and I gotta say that I LOVE it!  It is so easy to use and the results are awesome.  I decided that I wanted to do something simple for the 4th of July.  I have a jar in my kitchen that I always try to decorate for each holiday.  While I was at my local Dollar Tree yesterday I noticed these American flag napkins and a light bulb went off in my brain....I could use Modge Podge on these.  I had bought these styrofoam balls and Modge Podge from Hobby Lobby a few months ago. I didn't really have any big plans for them until yesterday.

I first unfold the napkin and cut it into fourths.  I used 1/2 of the napkin to cover each ball with the Modge Podge.  It was a little tricky trying to wrap a napkin around a round object and I soon realized that  it is OK if it is not perfect.  I just took the napkin corners each piece at a time and covered with Modge Podge. Once I had all of my corners taken care of I then applied Modge Podge over the entire ball.

After the Modge Podge dried (takes about 15-20 minutes but if you are going to stack them like I did 30 minutes is better) I stacked them in my jar.  It was a very easy project and the napkins only cost $1.00.  I also thought about maybe stapling or gluing twine to them and hanging them from my patio umbrella. The other nice thing about napkins from Dollar Tree is that they change every season.  You could create these for each holiday. 

I am linking to:
   

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2010/06/stars-and-stripes-party/