DIY Mouse Ear Display

Look at this stuff isn't it neat?? Alright! We are swinging into the next DIY. I promise you, this is worth the read! So many of us have really awesome ears and its sad when we have to store them away in boxes to keep them safe. We are coming up on a year of selling The CollectEar Bag and we thought we would extend the ear holding realm to a DIY mouse ear display as well! I did some research and ear holders can be anywhere from $45 to to $60 for nice quality ones. Here is my honest hour or minute, I did see some crappy ones on Etsy for $30, but the quality was sub-par. My suggestion is, save those $30 and consider making one for yourself. I swear it is easier and an un-crafty person can totally pull it off. 

What you will need:

• Hot glue gun with hot glue
• Trim with a 3/8 inch width
• Marker (preferably the color of your trim)
• Paint brush
• Mod Podge
• Little Golden Book
• Scissors
• Quarter of a yard of felt
• Michaels Craft Store T style sign 

 

Okay, let me start this off by mentioning that the T style sign is essential for the ear holder. Every Michaels should carry it. It is located in the wood section and it is available all year long. I bought 3 of these a year ago and I went last week and they are still being sold. My assumption is they are a permanent item in the store. Here's the best part though...they are only $5.99 and you know I used my 40% off coupon girl!

 

First things first, let's cut that Little Golden Book up. I chose The Little Mermaid because she is my favorite. Since the Little Golden Books are thin you can just grab the pages and cut through all of them, Make sure not to cut through the cover.

 

Now you are left with the pages and the cover. Keep that cover for a rainy day. There might be a future DIY using it;) 

 

Next, you are going to want to tear around the images. But not so fast! We want to keep 8 images in tact so keep your favorite 8 pages to the side. Also the wording will be set aside in a different pile as well. 

 

After you are done cutting around all the other images, you are going to grab your favorite 4 out of the 8 favorite pages. You are going to use these 4 to perfectly align with the corners of the T sign.

 

Once I had my 4 images placed, I tore the outsides that were not being aligned with the corners. I repeated this with the backside as well.

side note: when I first attempted this, I didn't leave enough favorite pages so I had to use the wording for the corners. I do these DIY's so that you don't have to attempt it multiple times and I can be the guinea pig.

 

 Next, I placed the pages on the stand to see the fit and what fillers I had to add. I repeated this for both sides and set them aside in formation.

 

Next up is glue. I used Mod Podge, but you can easily use Elmer's Glue if that's what you have lying around. I brushed the wooden stand first, then the backing of the page. After that I placed a corner of the page and started to brush it down. I'll be honest, there might be an artistry to Mod Podge, but I just don't have it and it's okay. I had a lot of wrinkles pages and it could be because I used too much glue. 

 

To fill in the empty places, I grabbed from my left overs. That being the extra pages and wording. I repeated these steps on both sides. My only advice is to cover all the wood. If you have open gaps tear a piece of wording. It will look awesome!

 

Then I moved to the actual stand. I used a lot of wording for this portion since I had a few pictures left. This time I went wild with it and left the edges sticking out. I repeated these steps for the other side as well.

 

Okay, remember those edges sticking out? Let's trim them. I flipped the stand upside down and just cut around. 

 

See how the edge is becoming flush with the wood.

 

Your hands are probably all sticky and yuck at this point. Trust me, my nails are over this DIY. They say good things take time so let's leave the stand to dry for a few hours. 

 

Bam! All dry and ready for more Mod Podge. Let's add a top coat to the stand to give it finishing touch. 

 

Okay now we need to get the felt and marker out. Say goodbye to the Mod Podge...

 

Next, place the stand on top of the felt and mark around it.

 

 

Then, you will have to cut within the lines.

 

Start hot gluing the edges down and all the way through until you reach the other end.

 

I had a little left over so I just snipped it right off.

 

 

Next up, the trim. Like I mentioned before, it must be a 3/8 inch ribbon or trim. This will fit perfectly. An alternative would be using Mod Podge again and glittering the outsides, but glitter is messy. 

 

I started with the top portion, gluing my way up from the bottom. You want to start just barely touching the base.

 

Then I continued with the base. I picked a corner and hot glued my way around. 

 

This part is totally optional, but I'll throw it out there if it bothers you. I noticed some open spaces between the trim and pages. At the moment I only had an orange marker to fill in the spaces and surprisingly it worked out pretty well. My OCD heart can rest!

 

And at last, I see the light! Your ears have a home that doesn't include shipping boxes!  

 

 

Thank you for reading along. I hope you enjoyed this DIY. If you did enjoy this DIY let me know below in the comments! I love to hear what you have to say. Until next time!!

XOXO,
Jasmine