Bunny Ears

• Level: STICKY (beginner)

  *Click here to purchase duct tape bunny ears for 7.95!*

  

  We have this rabbit at our house, see. Her name is “Daisy” and she’s adorable. She is friendly and independant (think cat…but with longer ears). Well, the kids love her, especially the 3 year old and the kindergartner, pictured above. So, what the heck. I thought I’d make them some duct tape ears to wear while they chase, I mean, play with the rabbit! And why not post the instructions so you can play, too! (If you don’t want to bother you can purchase a pair of duct tape bunny ears here. We even have kits!)

  First, the supplies:

  

  You get the duct tape wherever you get duct tape. Obviously, you could use any two colors that are cute together. I did a generic white and pink because it’s super Eastery (Is “Eastery” a word?) for the toddler, but stuck with a more “diva” pink and black for the kindergartner.

  The headband I bought in a pack of 6 for about 3 bucks at Wal-Mart.

  The wire you can buy at the hardware store from a big spool (way cheaper than going to the craft store) by the foot for about 30 cents/foot (don’t buy too heavy of a guage…it will weigh the ears down) or do what I did, which was invest 500 feet for about 8 bucks. (But I plan on making more than a couple of pairs, so there you go.) You will need about 5 feet of wire per pair of ears.

  I had the scissors, wire cutters, and Xacto knife on hand. I also had the cutting mat, but if you don’t have one a cutting board would work fine for this project.

  Step One: Secure Wire

  

  Tape wire to one side of headband, near the bottom, by wrapping a short length of half strip around the wire and headband. Use the same color as you plan to cover the band with later…especially if you’re covering it with a light one.

  Step Two: Form Ears

  

  You’ll notice that I’ve taped the wire a second time on the band to keep it from shifting around. Then I formed the first ear and taped it in the middle. Form the second ear and add two more strips of tape to hold it all together. I tend to make my ears super-long, which does make them less stable, more floppy. So, if you are planning on doing an excessive amount of hopping around, consider making the ears quite a bit shorter. You could also simply use some hair clips (the butterfly kind that open wide and “grab” the hair) to hold them in place a little better. You could also use a wider headband. The way you “bend” the wire at the end can make a big difference in weight distribution, too, so experiment a bit with that.

  Step Three: Cover Ears

  

  Cover ears with tape by actually taping the ears to your board. Over-lap your tape by at least 1/2 inch. If you are new to taping, you may want to go every 1 inch. This makes it easier to peel up off the mat later. Be sure to leave PLENTY of clearance on either side of the ear! Do one ear at a time.

  

  Once it’s completely covered, cut out the center of your ear with your Xacto knife. Leave at least a half inch clearance on the wire or there’s going to be issues with peeling it up in the next step.

  Step Four: Peel and Fill Ears

  

  Carefully peel up your ears from the mat, and then flip sticky-side up. Cover your opening with pink tape, STICKY SIDE UP. The entire back of your ear should be sticky at this point so that it looks like this when you flip it over:

  

  Step Five: Cover Back With Tape

  

  Now we’re putting sticky sides together, with the colorful side of the tape showing.

  Step Six: Cut around Ear

  

  Leave some clearance from the wire! At least a quarter inch or so, half would be better.

  Step Seven: Lather, Rinse, Repeat

  

  Make the second ear the same way as the first, cover the head band with tape, add your scraps to your Ducko’s Ball, and you are done!

  Hoppy Easter! (You know I had to do it….)

  *Click here to purchase duct tape bunny ears for $7.95!*