Standing Easter Bunny Decorations

These funny little things came about because I bought a pack of assorted size, wooden egg shapes that were bigger and much thicker than I first thought.

https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/wooden-egg-shapes-30-pack/647358-1001

To begin with I didn’t have a clue what to do with the largest ones measuring 8 x 6cm (3.1 x 2.4 inches), then I thought bunnies ………

…….. so I painted one side of the largest and smallest sizes, thinking body and feet and when dry added the ears using brown pipe cleaners using a glue gun.  Ideally the ears should have been white, but since brown was all I had, they had to do!  However, as the sides of the shapes are quite thick and brown the overall effect doesn't actually look that random.

The rabbit then needed something to stand on, to wit a children’s domino piece covered in green gingham paper, to which I added the painted feet.

The rabbits were then given googly eyes, a pink (baked) Fimo nose, doodled whiskers and mouth, plus faux stitching around the edge using a black fine liner pen.

On the back I added a Happy Easter sentiment, but for the life of me I don’t know why I added the ladybirds instead of a white pom pom tail ....... doh?!?!

The bunny body was then attached to the base using a glue gun, as I wanted an instant fix, followed by a bow and card carrot sticker.

I then left it there, I knew it needed something else, but wasn’t too sure what.  I added a fence, but that was too much and served no purpose, however I think the grass fringe at the back works OK.  

When I saw that the fringe worked, the green Sharpie pen coloured edges of the base then started to wrankled with me, so that’s when I threw caution to the wind by adding the green Dovecraft Enamel Effects round the bottom and on the carrot stalk, which then helped to bring everything together and before I knew it out came the Range Glossy Accents on the carrot itself, so even more texture.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know really what service these perform, if I had thought about it more, I would have made the base bigger (square) and then added a small cup/basket/open box  (?) to accommodate a cream egg or something  and then use them an Easter place setting.   

I will have another think, otherwise they can just sit festively scattered here and there on my many shelves....... just because it's Easter!

Googly Eyed Wooden Cat Pin Badge Brooches

These cat wooden brooches follow on from the bear brooches I posted a week or so ago.

Made exactly the same way, just a different colourway ………

…… starting by changing the cats appearance by giving him a pair of large googly eyes ………..

……. followed by covering a 1in MDF square with a piece of scrap paper and edging the back with faux stitching using a black fine liner pen.

The next step was to add a curved piece of silk fabric paper for the body then gluing the head on at a jaunty angle using E8000 glue to make sure there was a really secure bond.

All “he” needed then was a small bow, the ends of which I painted over with PVA glue to help stop them from fraying.

The final step was a bit more  faux stitching round the edges and a brooch pin on the back.  Simples! 

Wooden Easter Bunny Pin Badge Brooches

I guess I am a proper pin badge roll at the moment as I drift further and further from card making. Everything I am making this Easter is destined to be fairing gifts for the staff at Iris and Bertie’s school, plus few family and friends. 

They are pretty cheap to make and a brilliant way of using up small embellishments that seem lost on anything else.  That being said, I don’t think I have ever made this much for Easter stuff before, always saying the colours and shapes don’t appeal to me, perhaps all this time in meltdown has finally got to me!

My first effort (above) wasn’t quite right  but once I gave the MDF rabbit shapes a layer of white Ranger Enamel Accents and a face they took on a whole new character.

The rabbits were glued onto a wooden egg shape covered with scraps of patterned paper to create a basic background scene.  It didn’t matter that the paper wrinkled a little as it would be pretty much covered over anyway.

I then added tiny Fimo nail art flowers to fill in the empty spaces and a light coat of Ranger Glossy Accents to protect the paper and give it all a bit of shine……

……. and finally, on the back, I added a brooch pin and an Easter greeting. All done and dusted!

Recycled Jenga Block Snowman Christmas Tree Decoration.

We were on the school run when Iris, Bertie and I spotted a plastic bag outside a house that said please help yourselves, well, it would have been rude not to have a little peek wouldn't it? Iris and Bertie found an unopened reward/sticker chart and Minions colouring set, so they were well pleased and I found a complete Jenga game, immediately thinking some sort of craft project.

Then I remembered that all the blocks have the Jenga logo embossed on both sides, doh! The idea I already had in my mind was to make hanging snowmen Christmas tree decorations that I’d seen on Pinterest. When I looked them up again, I could see that most people had just painted over the logo, but I knew that if I did the same and could still see the outline of the logo under the paint it would really grate on me, I needed to cover it up. 

I tried all sorts of things, it was tough and I am fussy, but in the end I settled, weirdly, for a couple of light layers of Aleene’s True Snow (??? I know) because filled the embossing, where all efforts with other materials had failed. The texture was perfect for a snowman, so once it was dry, I gave the blocks two coats of ordinary white emulsion paint. I'd sorted it, it may have taken me two days of experimenting, but I got there in the end, 

With the blocks painted, the rest was a doddle, using a short length of 6mm red gingham ribbon for the scarf, various sized, black, flat back domes for the eyes, mouth and buttons, plus a tiny scrap of orange card for the nose, with a little Ranger Glossy Accents for added depth and texture.

Admittedly the screw eye hook was a bit fiddly because the wood used for the blocks is really hard. Now, do I hang a small coloured jingle bell from the bottom?  

I am thinking that as I have 54 of these blocks the snowman would make a perfect small, fairing gift to make en mass to send in place of a Christmas card this year, as they could go through the post as a large letter, we shall see.  Now, what can I do for Halloween?

Easter Bunny Easter Hanging Decorations

After making so many Halloween and Christmas decorations making a basic house shape using small Hobby Craft sticks (£1 pack of 50) I seem to have developed a formula for making similar decorations for all seasons, with suitably proportioned embellishments provided of course.

So, today we have an Easter themed hanging decoration using said formula.

This was my first effort, which didn’t really work, but after a rethink, deciding the bunny should be white and replacing the sign post for an Easter egg I think I got it right.

First I made up the house shape using small craft sticks.

Then I covered the bunnies, bought from eBay, with white Ranger Enamel Accents.  The colour from the MDF bleed a little into the Accents which also settled into the grooves of the bunny, but I think it works. When dry the bunnies were given googly eyes, a black flat back nose and whiskers.

 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16x-Easter-Rabbit-Bursting-Egg-4cm-Wood-Craft-Embelishments-Laser-Cut-Shape-MDF/264402034635 – I found the ears are a little fragile, some broke off as I removed them from their base board, so they need to be securely glued on to prevent them from catching on anything and breaking off.

The wooden egg shapes were covered with small patterned paper, with a hand written sentiment and a few tiny flowers, bought on eBay from China which are really tiny nail art decorations ………

…….. and finally the tiny MDF carrots, which were coloured first, a few lines added, then given a layer of Ranger Glossy Accents

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wooden-Carrot-Craft-Shapes-Carrots-Easter-Craft-Reindeer-Carrot-Blanks/152030717290?var=453358163329

With all components lined up I was ready to put the whole thing together.

My apologies for the still wet Glossy Accents!  I used green Dovecraft Enamel Effects for the grass.

The carrots on the “shelf” were the last bits to go on, plus a few more tiny flowers to the roof.

On the back I glued a small jewellery bail to hang the decoration from and for fiddle farts sake I coloured the back bits of the embellishments that you can see (the carrot and the Easter egg) et voila!

Easter Carrot Pin Badge/Brooches

Sorry, sorry, sorry ........ more pin badges today.

I found the wooden carrots on eBay ……

… and thought it might be fun to make a few badges with them https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wooden-Carrot-Craft-Shapes-Carrots-Easter-Craft-Reindeer-Carrot-Blanks-/152030717290 – I went for the option of 20 4cm x 2.2cm mixed for £3.95 inc P & P.

I first covered the carrots with scraps of orange patterned papers, the grooved carrots were a bit fiddly to cut around so in the end I resorted to using a blade cutter. 

When the paper was dry I went round the edges with an ultra fine, black liner pen, adding a few lines here and there for carrot ridges, followed by 3 layers of green Dovecraft 3D Enamel Effects on the carrot leaves and a single layer of Ranger Glossy Accents on the body.

After leaving overnight to dry thoroughly  I sort of scribbled over the carrot body with an orange Sharpie pen which seemed to give the effect extra depth, if that makes sense?

I was also then able to glue the carrots onto a small green coloured craft stick (Hobbycraft £1 for 50 small assorted coloured sticks) with a small brooch fitting …… voila!

I love the dried textured finish of the green enamel effects on the leaves.  They are just a bit of cute and quirky fun, however I am not sure how durable the badges would actually be if the leaves got caught on something and pulled, as the stalk is pretty narrow, but as a fairing gift just for Easter Day I think they work.  Now, what to do with the other 11 carrots?