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      December 19, 2018

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hello kitty

Hello Kitty Inspired Wreath Tutorial
Crafty!

Hello Kitty Inspired Wreath Tutorial

by Jill March 24, 2015
written by Jill

We have a serious obsession with all things “cat cat” around here, and have since long before Leyna turned 2. Actually, this goes WAY back to my childhood, back in Hawaii, back when I used to collect Sanrio erasers and hoard them in my kick-ass ninja pencil box.

“Cat cat” means Hello Kitty. It’s one of those things that’s just stuck since Leyna’s toddler days when everything was 2 of the same word.

You may recall Scott painted a Hello Kitty on Leyna’s cast last year?

You might have a great dad if…

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Jan 5, 2014 at 3:13pm PST

Well since he’s just so darn good at it (he’s seriously very talented at this stuff), I enlisted his help with this project, too. Leyna’s very own cat cat wreath!

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

So the first thing you’re going to want to do is download and print the 3 pages of templates (that Scott freehanded) that will help you cut out the ears and the bow:

hellokitty wreath templates

As for the rest of the supplies, you’ll need:

1 regular wire hanger
1 foam pipe insulator (get this at the home improvement store, shouldn’t be more than a few dollars)
white Duck tape
4 white marabou feather boas
4 floral wire stems (check the floral section of the craft store, also very cheap)
1 yellow bead (we painted ours yellow)
3 black pipe cleaners
white craft foam
black craft foam
2 popsicle sticks
craft foam in whatever color you want the bow to be
hot glue gun, glue sticks, scissors

*If you’re tempted to try to use a pool noodle, I’d urge you not to. I think it will be way too thick. The pipe insulation already has a slit that makes it easy to slip the hanger through, too.

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

The above supply shot is slightly different from what I wound up using on the final wreath. I substituted glitter pink foam for the pink felt, and used black pipe cleaners in place of coloring the floral stems black with Sharpie. This is mostly to show you what the pipe insulator looks like.

To start, bend your hanger into an oval shape. Hello Kitty doesn’t have a round head, but more of a square-ish oval. That’s why a regular round foam wreath wouldn’t give the same effect.

Plus, this method is super easy, cheap, and makes hanging the wreath simple when you’re done!

After it’s a shape you’re satisfied with, wrap your foam around the hanger. You’ll likely have extra. Cut that off. Also, the foam will wrap around itself around the hanger. Don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Use tape to secure the ends.

EASY and cheap way to make your own wreath forms that have a built in hook to hang it! | BabyRabies.com

Then use your tape to wrap all the way around the entire wreath, leaving you with a nice white base to work with.

EASY and cheap way to make your own wreath forms that have a built in hook to hang it! | BabyRabies.com

Cut your ears (template in the link above for download) out of the white craft foam, then glue popsicle sticks to the back. Glue the ears to the front of the wreath, leaving just enough space between the bottom of the ears and the wreath to wrap the feather boa under.

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

Wrap your 4 feather boas around the entire oval. Just remember to divide the oval into 4s, and use one boa to cover each quadrant.

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

That should make it nice and fluffy!

Thread your floral wires through the yellow bead, them spread them out like whiskers. They are not going to stretch beyond the “cheeks” of the kitty. That’s okay! Their job is to hold the nose in place. They aren’t the actual whiskers. Glue them down, all the way to the tape, not on top of the feathers.

Then cut your black pipe cleaners in half, leaving you with 6 little whiskers. Glue 3 on each side, right over the top of the floral wires.

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

Cut out the pieces for the bow, using the black craft foam for the base of the bow, and whatever color you want the bow to be for the small pieces. (Remember, you can download these templates in the link at the top of the post.)

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

I was working with craft foam that had an adhesive backing, so I just stuck the pieces on the bow base. You can also glue them.

Then just glue your bow on top of the kitty’s head, right below her left ear (your right).

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

We had to bend the hanger hook back just a bit to attach it to the wall, but that actually made the hook disappear into the fur, and hanging the wreath was a breeze.

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

This wreath has been living in my brain for months! I’m so glad I finally got it into the real world. I was inspired to make it after I re-made my black cat wreath last Halloween. So if you love all things cats, you probably want to check that out, too.

 

March 24, 2015 9 comments
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The StoryToddlers

Leyna’s 3 Year & 1 Month Birthday Party

by Jill February 5, 2014
written by Jill

We did this when she turned one. We celebrated when she was 1 year and 1 month old because her birthday is December 28th.

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And a party that time of year (for anyone other than the people who are already waking up in our house) is just not going to happen. Although, we certainly don’t ignore her birthday that day. There is a bit of a fuss, some special breakfast and even a small cake.

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For her 2nd birthday, there really wasn’t much of a celebration beyond that bit of a fuss. Though I blame that largely on the first trimester of my last pregnancy, and not so much on the timing of her birthday.

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People made me so mad when I was pregnant with her with all their comments of pity. “Poor thing. A Christmas birthday. She’ll get forgotten.” ::cue pregnant rage::

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The truth is, while she doesn’t get “forgotten” and  we don’t do combo gifts, it is super hard to get excited to plan a party for her around her actual birthday.

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But a month after the holiday madness has passed, I’m in just the right mood. I’ve found plenty of great after-Christmas deals, and most people’s social calendars are vacant.

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So until she can voice a different idea, she will get parties 1 year and 1 month after her last birthday.

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She seems to be okay with the idea so far.

*********************

Details:

This was a lazy-Pinterest party, in my book. I ordered Hello Kitty invitations from Etsy, but didn’t actually print them. Instead I emailed them to the handful of families we invited. 

I did go out of my way to order a Hello Kitty shirt and matching hair bow for her, though. And I got Hello Kitty stickers that matched the invitations to put on treat bags.

I also ordered custom Hello Kitty frosted sugar cookies from the same shop who did cookies for her first birthday.

We made a Hello Kitty cake for her, but used box cake mix and canned frosting. The rest of the snacks were simple, with the biggest hits being the jumbo marshmallows and pretzel sticks. 

The activities were mainly running amok in the house and through the backyard, BUT my sister also brought a legit photo booth where we all got to take turns taking pictures with Hello Kitty. It’s called the Socialite Studio, and it’s her new business!

The company is called On The Flipside, and is based out of Austin, TX. This photo booth is just one of the stellar technologies they offer. If you’re looking for a cool party experience, or a great way to market your business, you should look them up. 

Here are all the Etsy vendors I used:

Hello Kitty bow

Hello Kitty invitations and matching stickers

Hello Kitty shirt

Custom Hello Kitty cookies

The rest of the stuff I ordered off of Amazon, mostly. These are affiliate links.

Polkadot balloons (I brought them to my local Kroger to be inflated, where they also had hot pink polkadot balloons and a large mylar Hello Kitty.)

Pink Polkadot wrapping paper (I used this to cover our table.)

Hello Kitty cake pan (This was the easiest ever. We made a box cake, and frosted with canned frosting.)

Hello Kitty cupcake tower (I bought cupcakes topped with Hello Kitty rings at Kroger.)

Hello Kitty napkins (I paired these with simple pink plates from Target.)

Pink Polkadot leg warmers

White paper bags for goodie bags (I shopped Target’s Dollar Spot for Hello Kitty goodies for the girls and Skylanders goodies for the boys, plus each kid took home a Hello Kitty cookie, and pictures from the photo booth.)

White paper hot cups (For hot white chocolate, which we made “special” for the grown ups with the addition of a little rum.)

February 5, 2014 11 comments
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PhotographyThe Story

Time Marches On

by Jill December 29, 2012
written by Jill

After the whirlwind and beat-down that was this month, somehow Christmas managed to come and pass and we had just enough of our ish together to pull it off (thanks largely to the shopping I did from my phone in the car on Black Friday as we drove home from New Mexico).

But there was a moment, sometime around Christmas Eve, when I realized my baby was turning 2 shortly after, and I hadn’t done a thing for her.

It was exactly what I was afraid would happen someday with my Christmas-ish baby. That the chaos of the holiday season would eclipse her special day.

I know I have valid excuses this year, and I know she’s only 2, but it’s a habit I’m not willing to let myself slip into.

Somehow I managed to pull it together for her celebration today. It wasn’t anything big or fancy, but there were “Kat Kat” balloons and cake, and a tricycle. And there were smiles and laughter. And there were pictures.

Happy 2nd birthday, little Leyna bug. Thanks for giving me a reason to pause this time of year, and giving me a million reasons to smile every day.

December 29, 2012 25 comments
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