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

DIY: Grumpy Cat Christmas Sweater

For most, Christmas is a joyful season, filled with, I don't know, joyful stuff. However, for others, Christmas carols and flashing fairy lights fast become hard to tolerate, with fruitcake leaving only a sour taste in one's mouth. If you're one of the latter, spread your disdain for the season by coming as close to Christmas spirit as you dare and donning a traditionally ugly Christmas sweater, featuring the face of the internet's beloved Grumpy Cat. Perfect for glaring at Mariah Carey-blaring speakers in.

What you'll need:

• Felt in Grumpy Cat-esque shades (cream, dark brown, white, light blue, and a tiny scrap of pink)
• A small scrap of white fleece
• An old sweater that you're willing to sacrifice for your hatred of the season

What to do:

1. Cut out the basic shape of the face from cream felt and the shape of the eye patches from brown felt. Sew the eye patches onto the face.
2. Cut out the muzzle area from white felt and stitch it onto the face.
3. Cut out the nose from pink felt. Attach onto muzzle.
4. Cut out two eyes from light blue felt and stitch onto the face.
5. Stitch on two black felt pupils and stitch a grumpy mouth with pink cotton.
6. Cut out an ear from brown felt and stitch it onto the head.
   
   
   
7. Cut out a red hat shape and stitch it onto the other side of the head. Add an extra flap to the top of the hat to create the point.
8. Stitch on a strip of white fleece to the bottom of the Santa hat.
9. Cut out a circle of white fleece and sew tacking stitches around the edge.
10. Pull the tacking stitches tight to create a more spherical shape.
11. Attach to point of Santa hat.
12. Sew your Grumpy Cat onto your old sweater and spread the disdain for the season!

As usual, this project is also posted over on Cut Out + Keep.

Hope you've all had a fun festive season, and expect a few more Christmassy crafts over the next few days - starting the 2014 decorating early, remember? Nothing to do with my laziness about posting. Nothing at all. *mumbles*

LDP x

The Day of the Grumpy Cat

I don't know about anyone else, but I really don't enjoy Sundays. Mondays, I can handle. But Sundays? No. It's a pretty serious dislike: if it were any more serious, there would be a Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats song about it. Every Sunday, I am inevitably miserable about something or another.

In honour of this week's unhappy Sunday, I made myself a Grumpy Cat brooch, based on the meme.

He's pretty simple, made from felt and a little brooch pin. If you want to make your own, here's how:

You'll need:

• Felt in various colours
• A brooch pin

How to do it:

1. Cut out your pieces of felt (I cut up a picture of Mr Grumpy Cat himself as a pattern).
2. Use a bit of glue to attach your ears to the head pieces. Secure with a few stitches.
3. Glue down your eye pieces and muzzle piece, then secure with stitches.
4. Sew on two tiny blue felt pieces for eyes, then stitch on pupils, and a nose and very grumpy mouth.
   
   Set the face aside for now.
5. Sew the legs onto the front of the body.
   
6. Sew the brooch pin onto the back of the body, and sew the two body pieces together, adding stuffing.
7. Sew the two head pieces together, through the neck area, securing the head to the body. Add stuffing and close the head.
   

And then, your grumpy cat brooch is all ready to wear!

If you want to see it elsewhere, this tutorial is also available here on Cut Out + Keep.

Happy grouching. :)