DIY: Grumpy Cat Bauble Ornament

Yes, yet another Grumpy Cat project. Although I’ve already made a Grumpy Cat brooch, as well as a Grumpy Cat Christmas sweater, I thought another project to protest festive cheer would be great to remove any remaining joy from the Christmas decorating.  If you want to ensure that your festive season is the grumpiest ever, or even just want to have a year-round reminder of Tardar Sauce’s eternal grumpiness, revamp a boring bauble to look like the internet’s favourite Grumpy Cat.

What you’ll need:
·         An old, plain round bauble ornament
·         Air-drying clay (I used paper clay)
·         Acrylic paints
·         A small scrap of white chenille wool
·         Miniature white pompom

What to do:

1.       Shape an ear, muzzle and Santa hat onto your bauble using the clay. Make the clay as flat as possible against the round surface of the bauble. Allow the clay to dry on the bauble, and once dry, slide the pieces off and re-attach them using some tacky glue.
2.       Paint your bauble a beige/cream colour, and paint the ear brown and hat red. Paint the muzzle area white.
3.       Using a photo of Grumpy Cat as a reference, paint the eye patches, eyes, nose and mouth.
4.       Glue a small piece chenille wool around the base of the Santa hat, and add the pompom to the tip of the hat.

And you’re done! Simply hang your grumpy ornament wherever you think it will remove the most joy and cheer. 

This project is also posted over on Cut Out+ Keep. 

Thanks for reading!

LDP x

Mercat Brooch

A few months ago, I was browsing through the blog Tails of a Mermaid. Run by Natalie Roos, a fellow South African, it is testament to Natalie's obsessive love of good food, exciting lifestyles and, above all: cats.

As usual, The Muses tend to strike from the strangest of places, and I couldn't avoid the temptation to create something combining the title of her blog with her ailurophilia. And thus, the mercat brooch was born.

Here's how to make your own:

What you'll need:

• Felt (scraps will be enough)
• Acrylic and fabric paint
• Brooch pin

What to do:

1. Cut out two of your cat shapes and two of your tail shapes. I didn't make a pattern for this, as it's very simple - just cut out the basic outlines.
2. Start painting your felt pieces. Be sure to concentrate more on the front, as the back won't be seen. Add the face detail to the cat body piece, and consider using metallic paint for the tail (I mixed light blue, light green and silver paint to get the colour for my tail).
3. Add some glue to stick together the cat body piece and the tail piece. Repeat with back pieces. Add a line of small stitches to secure.
4. Add a button (I used a starfish-shaped one) and some paws. Glue on, and secure with a few stitches.
5. Attach the brooch pin to the back piece of the cat.
6. Attach the two pieces together, using cotton that matches the pieces.

I mailed off this little kitty to Natalie as an early birthday present in July, and I think she liked it, which was a wonderful feeling. Somehow, giving away the things I make to people who appreciate them is a far better feeling than keeping them hoarded up in my cupboard back at home.

This project is also available over on Cut Out + Keep. 

I'd love to see your version of this project if you give it a go, so be sure to comment if you make one. :) 

Thanks for reading, and apologies for my irresponsible hiatus. 

LDP x