DIY Minnie Mouse Ears

Back to Livy's Minnie Mouse party preparations...

...DIY Ears!

Let me start by saying this project isn't difficult; just a bit tedious.

I started by looking at this tutorial from a fellow Mom & used it as my guide.

Ideally, I was looking for black headbands to negate the need to cover each band

 but couldn't find them in packs so I settled for these multicolored packs of 6 from Dollar Tree.

We had already bought the "special" sequin ears for the birthday girl 

before I decided to delve into this project:)

I already had the black felt, red polka dot ribbon and my handy dandy hot glue gun on hand, so the first step was to make a pattern for the ears...

...I found using the headband covers, taped together, formed a great pattern- 

one less thing to make from scratch! 

Next I traced the pattern onto the black felt.  

I can also attest that sidewalk chalk will work in a pinch;)

Now it's time to cut the felt strips to cover the headbands- 

approx 2.5 times the width & add an inch to the length.

TIP: a rotary cutter works so much better than scissors for this step!

Grab some fun foam (or a cereal box!) and cut circles slightly smaller than the ears-

these will reinforce the ears & help them stand up:)

Get your glue gun ready and adhere the cardboard circles to the ears- 

I just used one circle per "ear".

Next adhere the ears together, leaving some room at the bottom to slide onto the headband before being permanently attached.

Time to cover those headbands, the most tedious part.  

I started at one end and gradually added beads of glue along the outer spine, 

pressing the felt in place to smooth the glue.

Then do the same for each side of the felt, 

overlapping and smoothing, running the glue to the end of the felt- 

clip off the ends, even with the headband, for sealed edges.

Finally slide the ears in place and add beads of glue at the base, pinching & pressing.

If you're making Mickey ears, you're done.  

Otherwise, make a bow and attach in place for Minnie:)

I made a dozen and called quits but I'm glad I made the effort...

...the birthday girl was pretty happy...

...and so was our 'Mickey'!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

Minnie Mouse Favor Bags

I forgot to share these yesterday: Minnie Mouse Favor Bags...

...made with love to hold the pinata loot!

 I found some polka dot wrap at Dollar Tree to cover the 'skirt' portion of plain white craft bags...



...topped it with some scalloped black polka dot ribbon...

 

 ...& card stock circles to form Minnie's head, suspended with Dimensionals...

 ...and finished with a "Minnie" bow, made with my handy dandy glue gun:)

Simple & easy:)

And these came to approx $0.45 each!

Next up: Minnie Mouse Topiary!

Tiffany

DIY Minnie Mouse Pinata

See this?

Well, it was created to form the base for my first ever DIY pinata!

I can't believe it but our special girl will be turning 4 in just a few weeks...sigh....

...and she recently became interested in pinatas after watching a Curious George episode...

...so after some pinterest searching, I came across this tutorial from a fellow DIY loving Mom

 and tweaked it a bit.

Here's my version:

Supplies:

White foam board (Dollar Tree)

Black Crepe Paper (Dollar Tree)

Mailing Tape

Craft Glue

Red Polka Dot Ribbon

Hot Glue Gun

I started with white foam board from Dollar $ vs the Huggies diaper box in the linked tutorial- I wanted my Minnie head to be larger than my diaper box would allow.

I used some pot lids to form the circles and cut with scissors, twice for 2 bases- 

a craft knife would have been much easier with the foam but I couldn't find ours:/

Next I unearthed a box that had just the right width to form the sides (thank you previous house owner)-

 it even came with the perfect window for stashing the loot!

I opted to use a flange of cardboard to secure the side piece of the pinata to one of the bases- 

it may have taken a bit longer vs the linked tutorial as I snipped along the flange to ensure proper curving 

but it worked well and seemed appropriately secure.

Here is the side, completely attached at intervals with strips of mailing tape-

 I did roll the box piece along the edge of my dining room table to loosen it up:)

And here is the second base attached on the outside at intervals with mailing tape.  

At this point, the kids & I were quite excited:)

TIP: This is the time to make the holes for the wire to suspend your pinata!

 Next I ran lines of craft glue along the top & sides and pressed in black crepe paper to seal the edges...

...which worked like a charm- this also hid the wire holes.

FYI, I opted to skip the black tissue paper step from the linked tutorial.

Then I tackled the ears, covering the center with a crepe "rosette", all adhered with craft glue.

TIP: By pinching the crepe as its placed on the lines of glue, it forms a ruffled appearance.

 

  After both ears were filled in, I tackled the "face" and then repeated on the opposite side.

 Lastly, I pressed the crepe paper along the sides

 and then created a ruffle down the center to hide the seam (photo of ruffle not shown).

And now the pinata is ready for loot!

I bought everything at Dollar Tree & Big Lots.

The birthday girl has a special affinity for lollipops

 so I included 2 bags of Dum-Dums & 1 bag of heart lollipops, sure to please:) 

I left a smidgeon of room at the top of the pinata...

...and then hot glued a bow on "Minnie"!

I'm really chuffed about this project and only regret procrastinating about it so long:/

Even with poorly little Ms, I was able to get this done in one day 

with Jonah handing me strips of tape & Olivia sorting the loot:)

Cost:

White Foam Board: $1 (Dollar Tree)

Black Crepe Paper: $1 (Dollar Tree)

Box: free

Adhesives & ribbon: free (my stash)

Loot: $13 (Dollar Tree/Big Lots)

Total Cost: $15

Another successful pinterest party DIY project in the bag!  

And speaking of bags, next I'll share the favor bags in progress:)

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

DIY Minnie Mouse Picture Frame

So after much deliberating, planning & discussing,
Olivia will be celebrating her 4th birthday with a classic Minnie Mouse themed party:)

And as I'm scurrying to get details in order, props in place and
new projects rolling, I started with this simple DIY endeavor: a custom frame.

I took an unfinished, $ frame from the craft store and topped it with some red craft paint-
the cut out was already present.

Next I took some scalloped polka dot ribbon and adhered it to the sides with
my handy dandy hot glue gun...



and made a bow the same way.



Finally I looked at some Disney font and free handed
the birthday girl's name and some funky "ears" with a Sharpee-
I'm afraid I never did well in art class:/

Livy was thrilled with the results though &  it should look sweet
nestled on the mantle during the party, 

complete with a photo of Livy & Minnie Mouse:)



 Until I can get Livy to model her skirt, here's my next party project in process:)

Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany