Halloween with Goodwill Pt. 2 - Bunny

Oh, hey.

A recent trip to Goodwill inspired this DIY bunny ear headpiece. I love it so much. Really, I do. This is the second item I made for the New York/New Jersey Division of Goodwill's Halloween Challenge, in which they asked a few of their favorite bloggers to create thrifted Halloween looks for under $30. See the first one here.

The headband and wire base for my bunny ears were purchased from Goodwill. I used paper and yarn that I already owned to add the finishing touches. Aren't they adorable?!

I love these ears so much that I decided to make a second pair. Written below is how I did it.

To make this project, I used:

• Thrifted wire stems. I'm not sure what gauge they were but I'm sure you can find something similar in a craft store.
• 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper from Paper Source (I used the Peacock color)
• Double-sided tape that is a half inch wide
• Cotton Ease yarn from Lion Brand (I used the Hazelnut color - Lot 39024D)
• Scissors
• A cheap headband from the 99 cent store
• A bone folder
• Modge Podge glue
• A plastic, disposable bowl
• A paintbrush
• A pair of needle-nose pliers (not shown in the image below)

These are the wire stems I purchased at Goodwill. They were a good find because they are thick yet pliable, and had a small circle at the top, which was very helpful for this project.

To begin making my bunny ears, I removed the sequins and beads that were attached to the stems.

Then, I bent the stem to create the bunny ear shape. 

Next, I inserted the stem end into the other end that had a hole (see why it was helpful?), then used a pair of needle nose pliers to bend the stem end in the opposite direction, in order to keep it from coming out of the hole.

This is what both ears looked like after these initial steps.

Since I purchased a headband that had a few decorative elements on it, I needed to removed them in order to create my bunny ears.

I then applied a layer of double-sided tape to the top side of the headband, then of course removing the covered portion of the tape. 

The tape will not hold the wire stems. Instead, I used yarn to secure my newly made ears to the headband.

I cut a long piece of yarn, then tightly wrapped over, under and through my bunny ears until they were as secure as possible. I did not want them to come off, and barely wanted them move. 

The small bent portion of my wire ears that I made with my needle nose pliers was flat against the headband. This portion needed to be completely wrapped with yarn, too.  

When the ears were tightly wrapped and secured to the headband, I tied a few knots in my yarn to secure it. Then, I cut the yarn ends, leaving about an inch or so left (these ends will soon be covered with more yarn). 

When both ears were wrapped securely around my headband, I gently squeezed the wire ears in order to create more of an oval, bunny ear-like shape. 

The next step is to cover the ears with paper. I used a small plastic bag to protect my counter space when applying the Modge Podge.

Next, I horizontally ripped two pieces of paper into strips. 

To cover my ears, I poured the Modge Podge in a plastic bowl, then applied it with a brush to one side of one strip of paper. I then wrapped it around the ears. When doing this project (I hope you will try and make a pair for yourself), press the strip firmly together and as close around your wire ears as possible. Feel free to cut off any excess paper.

Be sure to also firmly press the glued paper strip snugly around your wire stem. You want to still maintain the wire's original shape that you previously created. 

This is what one of the finished ears look like. I like how slightly distressed it looks.

I thought the back was a little too unsightly, so I cut a cover for it with a scrap piece of the paper, loosely in the shape of the ear. Then, I glued it to the back of the ear in order to cover the paper ends. 

The next step is to cover the headband with yarn. I began at the bottom, covering my yarn end with yarn as I wrap as tight as possible. You could also tie a knot at the end, if you'd like. The double-sided tape did a good job of keeping the yarn from moving as I wrapped it.

Wrap from one end of the headband to the other. When you reach the bunny ears, you can secure them further, if necessary, by wrapping the yarn around their bases.

When I finished wrapping, I weaved in the yarn ends with an embroidery needle, then cut the ends closely to hide them. 

And there you have it. Your very own handmade bunny ears!

They're so adorable that I really want to wear them outside as part of a regular outfit. Once I muster up the courage, I probably will :)