Posted on February 13, 2020October 23, 2020 by Nicolas — 4 Comments

How to make Vintage Angel Ornaments – two simple DIY tutorials

Check out our two tutorials and learn how you can make your own Vintage Style Angel Ornaments.

The two tutorials are quite different. The angel ornaments from the first tutorial have fluffy heart shaped wings, and beautiful lace gowns whereas the angel ornaments from the second tutorial have a gorgeous traditional look in which lace is the star of the show.

Tutorial 1: Heart-shaped wings Vintage Angel Ornaments

vintage angel ornaments pipe cleaners christmas

Project materials list

Blank Spun Cotton Figurines (cone fellow – small).
Bump white pipe cleaners (one strand per angel).
Gold, or yellow, or beige pipe cleaners for the angel halos.
White craft tacky glue.
1 1/2 ” wide Ruffled lace, about 4 1/2 inches per angel.
A pair of wire cutters.
Acrylic paint for the angel faces. Your choice of color.
A black ball pen to draw the eyes and the mouths.

Blank peg dolls spun cotton — Spun Cotton Figurines

bump chenille — White bump pipe cleaner (chenille)

Step by step directions

1: Gather your materials.

2: Paint the heads of the angel ornaments in one solid color.

3: With the black ball pen, draw the mouths and the eyes.

4:. Pour glue on your figurine bodies.

5: Dress each figurine with a 4.5″ long piece of lace. Make sure the ends of the lace meet in the back (you can use a paper clip to keep them together).

6: When the glue is dry, remove the paper clips and pour a small bead of glue on each side of the figurines.

7: Fold the lace over the two beads of glue. The lace endings are now pointing forward. Keep the lace in this configuration until the glue is dry. You can use a small paper clip.

8: While the glue dries, you can work on the halos. Just create a loop with a piece of pipe cleaner, twist the ends together a few times, and cut off the excess.

9: Glue the halos to the angel heads. Try to use as little glue as possible so as not to leave any glue marks.

10: Let your ornaments rest a little until the glue under the halos and the glue under the lace pieces is dry.

11: Remove the paper clips and pour two more beads of glue on the sides of your dolls.

12: Fold the lace ends back and keep them in this position with a rubber band. Let dry.

Holiday DIY decoration ideas angel ornaments

13: Almost done. Bend the white bumpy pipe cleaners into heart shapes. Twist the ends together.

14: Cut off the excess pipe cleaner with a wire cutter.

How to make pipe cleaner angel ornaments

15: Final gluing. Pour two good size beads of glue on the back of your ornaments.

16: Gently add the wings to your angels. Make sure they are centered

17: Rest your ornaments in a safe and quiet place until the glue is dry :)

pipe cleaner angel ornaments project ideas

spun cotton pipe cleaner angel ornament tutorial DIY

YOU ARE DONE :)

Vintage inspired spun cotton angel ornament DIY tutorial

Tutorial 2: Traditional Vintage Angel Ornament

Project Materials:

– A 30mm spun cotton ball for the head. They are lightweight and easy to draw on.
– A piece of lace about 2 feet long and 3 1/2″ wide.
– A crylic paint for the head (I used a pale yellow color).
– A black ball pen (for the eyes) and a red ball pen (for the mouth).
– A piece of ribbon (about 10″ long)
– A bamboo skewer (a toothpick would work too).
– A pair of scissors and a stapler.

vintage angel ornaments lace — The lace I used

Step by step directions:

Paint the ball in one solid color and let it dry. To give the skin color a vintage look, use a pale washed off color such as pale brown, yellow or pink.
Cut your lace into three pieces: one long 12″ long piece (the body) and two short 5″ long pieces (the wings).
Prepare the wings. Fold a short piece of lace into an accordion fold and staple one end. Repeat with the other wing.
Prepare the body: Wrap the long piece of lace around the bamboo skewer making sure to create pleats as you go. Tie a piece of ribbon around the lace to secure it into place.
By now the head should be dry. With the two pens, draw the eyes and mouths.
Slide the wings down on the pointy end of the bamboo skewer. Roll the bamboo skewer through your fingers to help.
Add the angel’s head

You are done :)

I hope you enjoyed these angel tutorials and are ready to embark on your own vintage angel ornament projects. As usual, do not hesitate to ask questions, we are always happy to help. Happy crafting!

Posted on February 13, 2020October 15, 2020 by Nicolas — 4 Comments

How to make spun cotton ornaments from blank spun cotton shapes

You can make beautiful, vintage style spun cotton ornaments from blank spun cotton shapes. In this tutorial, we will explore basic craft techniques and present you with some of our favorite creations. The making of each of the following ornaments will be explained in more details further down.

elf felt hanging ornaments spun cotton DIY — elves with felt scarves

Spun Cotton Ornament glittered peach Victorian Christmas — elves with felt scarves

Spun Cotton Ornaments – A little history

Spun cotton ornaments, originated in the Saxony region of Germany back in the second half of the 19th century, during the late Victorian era. These old fashioned beauties were made with cotton batting (and sometime wool batting too), a fluffy, raw looking material made of non woven fibers.

People in those days would wrap and press the cotton batting, by hand, around a metal wire frame. Next, they would cover the ornaments with a starchy liquid to give them a smooth workable surface. Finally, when dry, they would paint the ornaments, and decorate them with glitter, home made paper trimmings, and even cut out paper faces.

Traditional spun cotton ornaments were made during the Holidays to be displayed on the Christmas tree. Families would fashion ornaments in the shape of fruits, angels, children, Santa Claus, and even animals.

In this tutorial, we wanted to present you with a twist on this traditional technique, and show you how you can make beautiful vintage style ornaments, starting from modern blank spun cotton shapes.

Making your ornements from blank spun cotton shapes – The basics

We love to work with blank spun cotton shapes because it is fast and convenient. There is no need to create a shape out of batting, just use an already existing one. The shapes come in literally hundreds of different forms: fruits, balls, teardrops…

Just like traditional spun cotton ornaments, spun cotton shapes originated in Germany. They are made of soft paper, rolled by machines inside of a mold.

Blank shapes can be painted (acrylic craft glue works great), covered with glittered (sugar style glass glitter give them a terrific vintage look), glued to other materials…

Icing on the cake, unless glass ornements, spun cotton shapes are shatter proof.

Altering the shape of the shapes – yes it’s possible!

It is possible (and easy) to compress the shapes a little bit in some areas to create ridges and small depressions. For example, you can alter ball shapes into pumpkins, peaches, oranges or plums for exams.

In the above picture, we made a ridge into a ø40mm ball. We will then use it to make a lovely glittered peach ornament.

To dent or compress the shapes, simply spray a fine mist of water on them, and use a tool to apply pressure (the handle of a metal spoon will work just fine). Let dry and voila :)

Use a wooden pick and don’t get paint on your fingers

Why not use the hole that is inherent to all of the shapes to hold your spun cotton ornaments with a pick while you work on them? It’s very convenient.

You can also use the wooden pick to rest the shape while the paint dries. When you are done painting or decorating, simply insert the stick in a piece of foam, or just rest it in a heavy cup.

Easily add hanging loops to your ornaments

Since all shapes have a hole on one side, it’s easy to add a hanging loop.

You can easily fabricate a little hanging device by looping a short piece of wire around the handle of a paintbrush. Once done, simply insert it into the hole of the shape. For a secure bond, pour a little glue into the hole before inserting the metal loop.

A few of our vintage style Christmas ornament creations

Vintage angel ornaments

We love our cute little angels and fashioned them from the 47mm tall peg doll shapes. Once painted, we dressed them with lace and created the wings with fluffy white bump chenille. You can visit our full tutorial page for all the details.

Glittered Plum Ornaments

We made our plums from ø40mm spun cotton balls and used German glass glitter to coat them.

The first step was to create a ridge along one side of the spun cotton ball. To do so, spray mist a little water on the ball and with the handle of a spoon (or a similar object), press down to create the ridge. Let dry

Then, paint the ball with purple acrylic paint. Try to blend a little bit of grey into your purple to create a more vintage color.

The leaves are made with white cardstock, painted to the desired color. Or you can simply use a dark green color cardstock if you have some, but we think it looks better if you paint your own cardstock. When the pain is dry, glue a piece of metal wire on the back side of the leave. This piece of metal wire should overhang by 2 cm.

Time to add glitter! Cover the plum and the leave with regular white craft glue (use a paint brush) and sprinkle the glitter over with a spoon. Tap of the excess. Wait a few hours until the glue is completely dry.

Almost done! Make a hanging loop (see instructions above), cover the tip of the loop with glue and insert into the plum. Without waiting, cover the tip of the wire overhanging from the leaf with glue and insert into the plum as well. You are all set :)

Spun Cotton Sugar Plum Vintage Glittered Ornaments

Vintage Lemon Ornaments – WATCH OUR VIDEO TUTORIAL

To make these sparkling beauties, we used our blank lemon shapes. The process is very similar to the one we used to make the sugar plums ornaments.

Vintage Apple and Pear ornaments

TIP : to give your ornaments a vintage-y look, try to avoid colors that are too bright or too flashy. Instead, incorporate into the paint a small amount of grey. Give them this antique Victorian style look that caracterizes vintage ornaments.

Vintage Peach Spun Cotton Ornament

To make the peach, we used a ø 50mm spun cotton ball. However, you could also use ø40 or ø45 balls and the peaches would still look great.

One of the most difficult thing with peach ornaments is to blend the yellows, the reds and the oranges and create realistic ombre effects. You may have to practice a little. It is important to work with all colors at the same time, so one doesn’t dry out before the other.

TIP: Spray mist a little water onto the blank ornament before adding the paints. This way, the cotton won’t absorb the paint too quickly and the paint won’t dry too fast. You will have more time to work on a perfect color transition.

However, don’t sweat it too much, people will be impressed even if your blending technique isn’t perfect. And don’t forget: a little sugar makes everything better :)

Elves with felt scarves spun cotton ornaments

This one is a little different from the others because we used a string to create the hanging loop instead of using a piece of metal. We used ø 20 mm balls for the heads, painted them with a solid color, and simply dabbed 2 black dots for the eyes. The felt hats are stitched in the back and glued onto the heads. We used hot glue to fold the scarves and to attach them to the heads.

Happy Crafting with SPUNNYS
Please feel free to leave a comment or contact us

Posted on February 10, 2020March 12, 2023 by Nicolas — 34 Comments

How to paint peg dolls (wooden or paper): tips and tricks

Painting peg dolls is fun and addictive. Check out our list of tips, tricks and advice and learn how you can paint beautiful peg doll people. All of our tips apply to both wooden peg dolls and spun cotton.

Peg dolls can be painted after family members, pets, super heroes, school teachers….The sky is the limit. Peg dolls can also be accessorized with materials such as felt, pipe cleaners, fabric…

How to paint peg dolls – our best tips, tricks and advice

1: Have faith in yourself, it’s much easier than you think

There is no need for fancy paint, fancy brushes, and there is certainly no need to be an artist. Actually I know several people who are famous for their work with peg dolls and who were not artists in the first place. The learning curve is fast. And there is no shortage of ideas out there to get inspired. So trust in yourself, you will do awesome!

2: Know what doll shapes are out there.

There are many different shapes and sizes out there so make sure to use the ones that fit your project the best. You will find female shapes, man shapes, shapes with a large head, shapes with a small head, shapes with rounded bodies, shapes with slender bodies….If for example you are painting peg dolls after your family, make sure to use different size peg dolls to differentiate between adults and children.

3: Prep your doll shapes.

If you are painting a wooden doll, make sure it is smooth. You may have to sand it a little bit. Always sand in the direction of the wood grain.

4: It’s much easier to outline first.

I have painted hundreds of dolls but I still use a pencil to outline things like the eyes, the mouth, the clothes, the details..You can use a pencil eraser directly onto a wooden peg doll or a paper peg doll. If you don’t outline and make a mistake while painting, it will take a long time to correct this mistake.

5: How to make peg doll hair buns

You have several options. I recommend spun cotton balls (ø8, 10 or 12 mm). Use tacky glue to fix the balls to your dolls (wooden or spun cotton), it works very well. You can also gently squeeze the balls to flatten them a little and make the bun more of an oval.

The other way to make hair buns is to use wooden balls. However it’s not as easy because you will have to drill a hole in the wooden ball, a hole in the doll head, and join them together with a toothpick and wood glue.

Peg doll hair buns DIY tutorial — ø 10 mm ball (left) and ø 8 mm balls (right)
Peg doll on left is 2″1/4 tall, Peg doll on right is 2″ tall.

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6: Learn to position your facial features.

Too often the eyes are positioned too high on a peg doll face. To help you position all the facial features where they belong, there is a simple trick. Just imagine (or draw with a pencil) two intersecting lines dividing the peg doll’s head in 4 equal parts. Position the eyes on the horizontal line. Then, use the vertical line to position the nose and the mouth. That’s it. The eyes may seem too low this way but they aren’t. After you draw the hair or add a hat to your doll, your peg doll will look perfectly normal and well proportioned.

7: Small details are better achieved with a small brush.

This sounds obvious but it is so true. You got to have the right tools. I made a $5 investment 2 years ago in a tiny size #10/0 round brush and today I cannot imagine myself without it. I use it for almost all my peg doll projects. You can also make a small brush by cutting the bristles of a small round brush.

8: Save money. You don’t have to buy too many paint tubes.

If you are on a budget, it’s much better to buy only a few tubes of high quality paint than to buy many tubes of low quality paint. High quality paint is easier to work with (creamier), makes for a more even coverage, and will look much better once the paint is dry. I like to use acrylic paint. I was once told that the following eight colors are enough for most purposes: yellow ochre, gamboge, light red, crimson lake (carmine), Van Dyke brown, ultramarine blue, Hooker’s green, and Payne’s gray. I would definitely add white to this list.

9: Watch your paint consistency.

Paints that are too thick in consistency may be very difficult to work with, especially when painting details, or when painting a clean border between 2 colors. Acrylic paint for example can get thicker with age. I notice this with some of my old tubes. You can use a little water on your brush to thin it and make it more workable.

10: To paint small dots, you can use a tooth pick.

Dip the tip of a toothpick in a small amount of paint and gently dab a dot onto your doll. Bamboo skewers and pencils also work great. Pencils are actually my favorite tools to make eyes. To make eyes, I use the lead tip of a pencil that has a slightly worn out tip. If the pencil was freshly sharpened, it wouldn’t work as well, the dots would be too small.

11: Paint clothes in a logical order.

It’s easier to paint clothes that are closest to the body first (shirt before jacket). And if you paint your shirt before your jacket, your final project will also look better this way. It’s also easier to paint light colors before dark colors.

12: Keep it simple.

Often, simple just looks better. Add too many details or try to be too realistic and you may lose this little something special that make painted peg dolls look so adorable. For example, consider Waldorf inspired peg dolls. Their appearance is intentionally simple. It makes for a cute look and fosters creativity.

13: Keep your brushes clean.

Don’t let the paint dry up on your brushes or they will be harder to clean later. Keep a paper towel and a cup of water handy.

14: Protect your finished dolls.

Finish your project with a clear coat varnish. This will protect it from finger prints and prevent the paint from chipping. You can choose to use a glossy or matte varnish.

How to paint peg dolls – from theory to practice

Follow our step by step tutorial and learn how you can easily paint your own peg doll. We’ll use a princess as an example. You can use wooden peg dolls or spun cotton peg dolls.

Step 1 – Gather your materials. Acrylic paint works great for both wooden peg dolls and spun cotton peg dolls. I also always have a pencil handy. It’s useful to outline but also to dab little dots of paint (to paint the eyes for examples).

Step 2 – Paint the skin color first. When dry, outline the dress, the face (the eyes and mouth), and the hair with a pencil

Step 3 – Paint the hair (you can hold your peg doll by its body while you paint the hair). When you are done, paint the eyes and draw the mouth. To paint the eyes, you can dip the tip of a pencil into black paint and gently dabbed little dots onto the doll. To draw the mouth, I simply used a black ball pen. Let dry. When the hair and the face are dry, paint the dress. To paint the dress, you can hold the doll by its head.

Step 4 – Outline and paint the accessories: hair band and necklace. To paint the necklace dots, I used the same technique as the one I used for the eyes (the pencil technique).

You are done :)

Don’t worry if your first painted peg dolls don’t look all perfect, the learning curve is quick and your next dolls will look fantastic. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this page. As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch.

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Posted on February 10, 2020October 6, 2020 by Nicolas — 1 Comment

Animal peg dolls – painting ideas to inspire you

Animal peg dolls are a lot of fun to make!

Here are a few project ideas that you can use for inspiration. The pictures are divided into several categories: farm animals, household pets, Easter bunnies, woodland animals…

For all the projects below, I used blank spun cotton peg dolls. They offer a paper-like surface which makes them very easy to paint and quick to dry out. Spun cotton peg dolls are also really easy to combine with other materials such as paper, cardboard, felt, pipe cleaners…

Woodland animal peg dolls

Farm animal peg dolls

Penguins and bird peg dolls

Household pet peg dolls

Easter bunny peg dolls

irridescent silver bunny peg doll Easter egg

I hope you enjoyed this page and found some inspiration for your own animal peg doll projects. Painting peg dolls can quickly become addictive!

For tips and tricks on how to paint peg dolls, you can visit our tutorial: how to paint peg dolls.

As usual, feel free to use the comment section below if you have any questions or suggestions. Happy peg doll painting!

Spun cotton peg dolls come in several sizes and shapes.

Posted on February 7, 2020October 18, 2020 by Nicolas — Leave a comment

Homemade Snowman Figurines – DIY Christmas decorations:

homemade snowman ornaments DIY christmas decorations

Follow our tutorial and learn how you can make these adorable miniature snowman figurines, all geared up with cute little felt hats and pipe cleaner scarfs. You can also turn the figurines into Christmas Ornaments by adding little hanging loops on top of the hats (more on this below).

DIY christmas decoration ideas snowman ornament

Project materials

To make one snowman figurine, you will need:

A small piece of felt
A pipe cleaner (aka chenille)
Needle and white thread (or a sewing machine if you have one)
A spun cotton peg doll (I used the 51mm tall one because it is shaped like a snowman already).
A small piece of golden thread to make the hanging loop
A black ball pen
A piece of cardboard or strong paper (to make the hat template).
OPTIONAL: white craft glue.

Snowman Figurines – Step by Step Directions

Christmas homemade snowman ornaments DIY step 1 — Step 1

Christmas homemade snowman ornaments DIY step 2 — Step 1

1: Make your hat template:

On a piece of cardboard, draw a 5″ diameter circle and divide in 4 equal quarters. If you are going to sew your hat by hand: cut out one exact quarter. However, if you are going to use a sewing machine, your pie slice should be a little larger than 90º (see picture above).

2: Hem the bottom of your pie wedge from end to end.

Christmas homemade snowman ornaments DIY step 3 — Step 3

Christmas homemade snowman ornaments DIY step 4 — Step 3

3: Step 3 (for sewing machine users only).

Cut off your hemmed pie wedge to an exact 90º quarter pie slice.

4: Finish sewing your hat

Now is the time to add a hanging loop to your snowman figurine if you later wish to hang it. Fashion the hanging loop by cutting a small piece of string and tie the two ends together. Before sewing the two edges of the hat together, place the loop inside the fold, and make sure the knotted end of the string is the end that sticks out (see step 4 picture).

Fold the piece of felt in half (bad side out) and sew the two edges together.

Christmas homemade snowman ornaments DIY step 5 — Step 5

Christmas homemade snowman ornaments DIY step 6 — Step 5

5: Turn the hat inside out.

You can use a pen or a stick to help.

6: Dress your figurine for winter

Put the hat on your figurine’s head. Normally it should fit without glue but you can add a little bit of tacky glue if necessary. When you are done, tie a small piece of pipe cleaner around the neck of your snowman and give it a couple twists.

Christmas homemade snowman ornaments DIY step 7 — Step 7

7: Draw the face.

With the ball pen, draw the eyes and the mouth.

How to display your snowman figurines – A few ideas

Use a string hanging loop

This is the method hat was described in the tutorial above.

Use a piece of pipe cleaner

Each doll blank has a little hole underneath it. To display your figurines on the Christmas tree, you can wrap a piece of pipe cleaner around a branch and mount your figurine onto the other end of the pipe cleaner (see picture below).

A few more snowman figurine decoration ideas

Here are a few ideas that you can use for inspiration:

ear muff snowman ornament pipe cleaner DIY craft

pink earmuffs snowman ornament craft project ideas

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that you got a few ideas for your own Christmas decoration projects. Happy Holidays and as always, feel free to leave a comment below or share your ideas with us.

Posted on February 3, 2020October 31, 2020 by Nicolas — Leave a comment

How to make your own BLANK KOKESHI DOLLS

In this tutorial, learn how you can make your own blank kokeshi dolls from spun cotton shapes – a fun and creative DIY project for all ages.

Blank Kokeshi Dolls DIY – Project materials

Glue gun or tacky glue, both work well.

The following Spun Cotton Shapes :
- Left Kokeshi: one Eggman Figurine Shape (Small) for the body , one ø 45 mm Spun Cotton Ball for the head, two ø 15 mm Spun Cotton Balls for the hair buns.
- Center Kokeshi: one Eggman Figurine Shape (Large) for the body, and one Figurine Torso Shape (Large) for the head
- Right Kokeshi: one Figurine Torso Shape (Small) for the body, and one Figurine Torso Shape (Large) for the head

You can also create you own blank Kokeshi dolls by using different shape combinations. Below are a few shapes that you can use together. From left to right: Eggman Figurine Large, Eggman Figurine Small, Eggman Figurine miniature, Figurine Torso Large, Figurine Torso Small, ø 25mm Truncated Ball.

Step by step directions

Kokeshi Dolls Blank Bodies DIY step by step

Choose a combination of blank shapes that you like.
Simply glue the shapes together. For a strong hold, make sure to pour glue in the little holes underneath the shapes.
It is now time to get your paintbrushes and paint colors ready :)

Painting Suggestions.

Now that you have created your Kokeshi doll bodies, it is time to grab your paintbrushes. Here are a few painting designs you can use for inspirations.

To paint the blank dolls, I like to use acrylic paint because it dries fast, and it’s easy to work with. However, any paint that works on paper will also work on spun cotton shapes. For your kokeshi dolls to look nice and shiny, you can finish them with a clear coat varnish. Mod podge for example works very well.

You can also check out our “how to paint peg dolls tutorial” for more general painting tips and advice (link).

Kokeshi doll DIY — You can use a pen for the facial features

How to paint a kokeshi doll — You can use a pen for the facial features

The last two Kokeshi painting suggestions are a little more elaborate. We used 40mm tall spun cotton eggs for the bodies, ø 45mm spun cotton balls for the heads, and ø 15mm spun cotton balls for the hair buns.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to comment, we are always here to help.

Happy crafting!

Posted on February 2, 2020October 18, 2020 by Nicolas — Leave a comment

How to make decorative owl figurines – DIY tutorial

Follow our tutorial and learn how you can easily make beautiful, decorative owl figurines from our blank figurine shapes.

DIY Owl Figurines – Project Materials

SPUNNYS EGGMAN BLANK FIGURINE – large (72mm which is about 2 3/4 inches). The Eggman shape looks like an egg with a flat bottom.

Paint and brushes. I used 5 paint colors (Gold, Ivory, light brown, saffron, and black). You can use the same colors or pick your own. Most types of paints work but I typically use acrylic or enamel.
A pencil to outline the facial features of the owl prior to painting.
A bamboo skewer to hold the blank shapes while you paint and decorate them.

Step by step tutorial

1: Body painting

Paint the whole spun cotton shape one solid color.

Tip: You can squeeze the paint directly from the tube onto the shape.

How to make an owl figurine easy craft idea

2: Paint the face and beak

Outline the face of the owl and the beak with the pencil. Don’t press too hard on the pencil or it may dent the spun cotton (and if you are using a light paint color, the pencil marks may show through). When you are done outlining, you can paint the face and the beak.

Tip 1: For your first owl, I recommend using the paint straight out of the tube (vs making a custom color by mixing two colors). This way if you have to touch up your owl later on, the same exact color can be used again.

Tip 2: A small tiny brush works best for the beak. If you do not have one, a black fine point marker works fine too.

3: get started with the eyes

When the face and the beak are dry, paint two discs (outline first with a pencil).

4: The irises

When the two discs are dry, paint the eye irises. I painted mine yellow. Without the pupils, the owl figurine looks pretty scary :)

5: The pupils.

Finish your owl figurine by painting the eye pupils. I painted mine black so they stand out.

You are already done :) A beautiful Homemade Owl Figurine

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I hope you found some inspiration for your own owl figurine projects.

Note that SPUNNYS figurine bodies can be used for many more DIY Craft Projects beside owls. Use them to make penguins, walruses, woodland animals, super heroes, and much more.

As always, if you have a questions, do not hesitate to use the comment section below. Happy crafting!

Posted on February 1, 2020October 19, 2020 by Nicolas — Leave a comment

How to make cake topper figurines with spun cotton shapes

Check out our tutorial and learn how you can easily make your own cake topper figurines from spun cotton figurine shapes. Spun Cotton Shapes are ideal materials to make cake toppers because they are plastic free, easy to paint, and they can be mounted on wooden picks.

DIY Cake Topper Figurines – Materials

Only a few materials are required:

Spun Cotton Figurine shapes.
Paint and brushes. We recommend that you use only non-toxic paint.
A non-toxic water based finish such as mod podge.
A pencil to outline the cake toppers before painting.
A black pen to draw facial features.
Toothpicks.

Step by step directions

1: select your spun cotton figurine blanks

Spunnys offer a wide selection of figurine blanks.

2: paint your toppers

You can check out our “how to paint peg dolls tutorials” for a list of tips and advice.

3: display the toppers on the cake or cupcake

Use toothpicks to display the toppers. Spun cotton shapes all have little holes at the bottom.

Painting cake topper figurines – tips and tricks

To make painting easier, you can hold the figurine shapes via a wooden pick. A bamboo skewer works great.
To rest your painted toppers in a safe position while they dry, simply place the sticks in a container such as a tall glass.
Always outline with a pencil before painting.
When you draw the eyes, make sure to place them in the middle of the head.

CAKE TOPPERS – Project examples

A cute wedding cake figurine topper DIY idea.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. As usual, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch or to leave a comment. Happy crafting!

Posted on January 29, 2020October 19, 2020 by Nicolas — 4 Comments

Pipe cleaner hats (minis) – how to make your own

miniature pipe cleaner hats DIY tutorial

Check out our tutorial and learn how you can make your own miniature pipe cleaner hats. With a little bit of practice, you will be able to make pipe cleaner hats in as little as 5 minutes.

You can use miniature hats for decorations, but also to dress up peg dolls and figurines.

One technique – many styles of hats.

You can use our technique to make almost any styles of hats: hats for Santa, elves, pilgrims, leprechauns, wizards, top hats, bucket hats, swinger hats, sun hats, beanie hats, boater hats, cloche hats, and more.

pipe cleaner hats minis miniature ornaments DIY

Pipe Cleaner Hats – Materials needed

Each hat requires 4 to 5 strands of pipe cleaners (also known as chenille stems)
You will also need a pair of wire cutters and a pair of pliers. No other materials and/or tools are needed.

You can use any type of pipe cleaners: plush pipe cleaner, bump pipe cleaner, glitter pipe cleaner, narrow pipe cleaner… For this tutorial, I used regular pipe cleaner (12″ long, .23″/6mm wide).

Pipe cleaners are pretty affordable, you can buy a few different types and experiment with color combinations and shapes.

Step by step tutorial

To illustrate the technique, we are going to make a simple hat. You can then modify this basic technique to make different styles of hats.

1: Gather 5 strands of pipe cleaners.

2: Cut 2 strands in half.

You are now left with 4 half strands and 3 full strands

3: Build the frame of your hat.

The frame is a 7-arm star, plus an eighth arm longer than the others. To create your star, do the following:

On your workstation, lay out a bunch of 3 half strands perpendicular to one full strand (see picture below)
Grab the full-length strand, loop it around the bunch and pull on both ends to tighten the loop.
Separate the strands from one another to create a star shape.

The 7 arm star is the frame of your hat. The 8th arm will be weaved through the frame to build the hat.

4: The weaving of the crown.

Grab the long strand and slowly roll it clockwise around the center of the frame, as if you wanted to create a licorice roll. When you meet the strand just next to it, go under it, then when you meet the next strand, go over it, and then go under the next strand, and then over the next strand, and so on. After a few revolutions, you will have made a disc (the top of the crown)

When you are done with the top of the crown, bend all of the 7 arms down and continue weaving.

When you run out of pipe cleaner, attach a new strand to the old strand and continue weaving until you are satisfied with the size of your crown.

5: The weaving of the brim.

When you are done with the crown of the hat, bend the pipe cleaners again to make the brim of the hat. Continue to weave with the similar technique as the one described above until you are happy with the size of the brim.

You are almost done. If you want, you can fashion a little pipe cleaner decorative band and wrap it around the crown of the hat.

Very important: before cutting the ends of the pipe cleaner strands, fold them under the brim first, otherwise you will see pieces of metal sticking out of the brim.

You are done :) You can now try to make another hat and experiment a little.

Try different kinds of pipe cleaners.
Experiment with longer crowns, longer brims
Keep the same technique but try to change the shape of your hats: make pointy hats or hats that tapper out

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to use the comment section below. Happy crafting!

Miniature pipe cleaner hats: a few more project ideas

Posted on January 24, 2020October 20, 2020 by Nicolas — Leave a comment

How to make Green Alien Ornaments – Halloween DIY crafts:

Check out our tutorial and learn how you can make spooky and slimy alien ornaments from spun cotton peg doll blanks.

List of materials:

– 40mm tall spun cotton peg dolls. Each peg doll will make one alien ornament.

Peg dolls all have a little hole at the bottom

– Green and black acrylic paint.

– A few bamboo sticks.

– A jar of glossy mod podge for the slimy look.

– Your choice of string to make the hanging loop.

Project directions:

Step 1: Insert a skewer in each of your peg dolls and paint them all green. Rest the skewers in a container while the dolls dry.

Step 2: Use the black paint and paint the eyes of the alien ornaments. Let dry. Make sure the ornaments don’t touch each other while they dry.

Step 3: keep your alien ornaments on their sticks and dunk them in the jar of glossy mod podge. Then find a place where you can rest the sticks in a perfectly vertical position while the mod podge dries. You can tape them to the edge of a counter for example (see picture below).

Step 4: Gently pull the sticks out of the alien ornaments by twisting and pulling.

Step 5: Tie a loop with a piece of string. Double the knot to enlarge it.

Step 6: insert the knot in the peg doll’s hole and push down with a bamboo skewer. Pour a little glue to secure the knot in the alien ornament. Let dry.

YOU ARE DONE :)

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. You can also decorate your alien ornaments a little if you would like. Happy Crafting to all of you!

DIY Halloween decor aliens ornaments area 51

It’s wedding night at Area 51

Posted on January 14, 2020October 21, 2020 by Nicolas — Leave a comment

How to make Spooky Halloween Figurines from spun cotton figurine blanks – DIY Tutorial

Check out our easy tutorial and learn how to make your own Spooky Halloween Figurines from blank, ready to paint spun cotton figurines.

Halloween figurines DIY – materials

Acrylic paint and brushes.
Spun cotton figurine blanks. They come in several sizes. I used the 51mm round fellows.

A pencil to outline.
A clear finish such as mod podge. It will protect your Halloween figurines for a long time.
A few wooden picks to hold your figurines while you paint them.
A black ball pen to draw lines an face details.

Painting tips and directions

Always outline your Halloween figurines with a pencil before painting with acrylic. If you are not happy with the outline, just use a regular eraser and start over.

Never rush. Let the paint dry before painting over it.

You can work on 2 projects at a time so you can paint one figurine while the other one dries.

Spun cotton figurine blanks do not require two coats of paint. There is also no need to prime them.

Use a ball-pen to draw lines instead of trying to paint them with a brush. For example, we used a regular ball pen to draw the mouth line of the scary clown figurine below.

You are now ready to paint your own Halloween figurines :) But as always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave a comment below and we’ll be happy to help. Happy Halloween and happy painting!

Posted on January 13, 2020October 21, 2020 by Nicolas — Leave a comment

How to make a lamb figurine – DIY Easter Craft

Check out our tutorial and learn how to make a lamb figurine from a spun cotton figurine blank.

Lamb Figurine DIY – Materials

A spun cotton figurine blank. We picked the medium round fellow (51mm tall)

White, pink, and black acrylic paint.
A bamboo stick.
A small piece of white paper to cut the ears into.
A pair of scissors.
A hot glue gun.
A paint brush.
A pencil to outline the eyes before painting them.

Directions

Step 1: Paint the two sides of the little piece of paper white. This will be the ears.
Step 2: Insert the bamboo stick into the bottom of the shape. Hold your doll with the stick and paint it white.
Step 3: when the piece of paper is dry, draw ears and cut them with the scissors. Paint the inside of the ears with the pink paint.
Step 4: glue the ears onto the blank doll. Make sure to have them stick out from the sides,
Step 5: Pencil the location of the eyes, then dip the pointy end of the wood stick into the black paint and dab the eyes.

FINISHING TOUCHES: Paint the glue marks around the ears. You can also add more paint between the ears to look like hair. Texture the paint with the wood stick.

Easter craft ideas how to make a lamb figure ornament

You are done :) I hope you enjoyed this simple tutorial and as always, do not hesitate to use the comments field below to send us your questions.

Happy Crafting!