Is it an idea? Is it a light bulb? Is it a light bulb idea??! YES!
Okay, so if you read my last post, you'll recall that at this point in the post, I told you about a tangent I went on, creating another design for the light bulb project. So we'll pick up from there.
I decided to try some other hats, since I was also considering doing a caroler, or a group of them (apparently, a group of 300.) So I grabbed some fleece to make a mini sock hat to experiment with.
These are super easy to do and you can see how to make them in my mini fleece hat tutorial.
I was liking the hat on the flesh-color painted bulb, but I had something else in mind. So I grabbed another bulb.
I grabbed a piece of scrap paper from my recycle pile, cut a couple of circles, and set them on the hat.
Then I set a black pom on the tip of the bulb.I am definitely seeing a mouse!
So I painted a bulb white and started putting together my prototype.
I used the paper circles as a template and cut two circles from white felt. To form the ears, I added a dot of glue to one edge, then pinched the felt.
I glued the ears to the top of the fleece hat.
I needed eyes, and remembered these that I got on clearance sometime back. They're called wiggle eyes, except they don't "wiggle." They're flat on one side -- and perfect for my design.
I pencil marked a couple of dots for eyes.
White glue is more forgiving, so I went with that for the eyes. You might recall from my last project that the paint comes off with the glue, if you try to make a change later.
I thought these looked VERY much like mouse eyes.
I used a brush and some blush to pink the inside of the ears.
I thought the ears were set too far back on the hat, so I took them off and moved them up just a bit.
Next, I needed a nose. I could have used black...
... but white mice have pink noses. (They also have red eyes, but that creeps me out a bit.)
So I went with pink.
I liked it so far, but it was just a little ho-hum. So I tried adding some chenille stems for arms.
I cut them to length. Now, what to do with the arms?
I tried having him hold a present.Something wasn't right. Maybe it was the size of the present, the color, maybe the position, but it just didn't work for me.
So I opted to tuck a scarf into the side of his hat. I liked it! Almost looked like it was blowing in a chilly winter wind.
He needed a mouth, so I penciled on the shape and outlined it with a black permanent marker. I also added a touch of blush to his cheeks.
I added a string to the top, using a needle. I might have been able to come up with an alternative method, but it just wasn't needed for this project.
Okay, I was still thinking about his arms. I tried it with the scarf. Not bad, but still not doing it for me.
I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out a tiny Christmas wish list.
I used a pencil to roll it and shape it so it wasn't just flat.
I held it up for size. A little too big, so I trimmed it down.
Next, I took a toothpick and cut it in half.
On one end, I used black marker to add a pencil tip.
On the other end, I used a pink marker to add an eraser.
I wrapped the chenille stem around the pencil, to make a hand.
Then I mounted the wish list on the other chenille stem.
And that's it! I think he turned out great! I like things that are cheerful and whimsical, and this one fits my bill perfectly.Thoughts? Ideas? Let me know what you think.
** NOTE: Please vote for me at Michael's handmade holidays contest!!.
If you liked this version of the tutorial, please leave a comment. These posts are quite a bit more work, but I'm willing to do it if it's "what the people want." And while you're at it, click to follow me too, please. I'm feeling rather lonely...
And don't forget to check out the endless list of inspirational ideas at my home page childmade.com.
