DIY Scrap 2x4 Bunny

Although there is still some snow lingering in the back yard, I wanted to make a quick spring decoration. I dug through my scrap wood pile for some inspiration. This past winter, my Little Sister made these cute snowmen out of 2x4s. I love how they turned out!

I decided I would make a bunny out of some scrap wood. 

If you would like to make your own, here are the steps I took to make mine.

Needed materials:

2" x 4" @ 6"

1" x 2" - @ 7"

1/4" plywood scrap (optional)

Paint

Wood Glue

Sander or sanding block

Miscellaneous craft supplies (ribbon, wire, pom pom, felt, foam sheet, fabric, etc.)

Step 1: Cut your wood. I used scraps, so I did not have to cut anything, but here are the sizes I used. You can make your cuts any length you want.

Wood cuts:

1 - 2" x 4" cut at 6" (body) - I grabbed a scrap that was about 6" long.

2 - 1" x 2" cut at 3 1/2" (ears) - I used scraps that were about 3 1/2" long.

1 - 1/4" plywood cut at 1 3/8" triangle (nose) - I used a scrap from when I made the charging stations, so the dimensions were not perfect at all. These would also be cute with a larger or smaller sized nose. If you don't have any 1/4" plywood laying around, you could use a piece of felt or foam or even just paint the nose on.

Step 2: Sand your wood pieces. I forgot to take a picture of this step, so this is an old picture, but sand everything. You may also want to round the corners on the nose.

Step 3: Paint your bunny body, ears, and nose. Again, I just used paint that was left over from other projects.

I didn't bother making a template for the inside of the ears. I just painted it by free hand. If you don't want to paint, you could glue on felt, foam, or other fabric for the inside of the ears.

Step 4: Using wood glue, glue on the ears and nose. Again, I forgot to take a picture at that step. Sorry! 

Step 5: Paint on the eyes and mouth. I just did this by free handing it. I'm not very artsy, so my eyes are not great. You could also try using googly eyes for a goofy looking bunny.

Step 6: Add the whiskers and bow. I used some floral wire for the whiskers and a piece of ribbon and a button for the bow. 

Step 7: Add the tail. A bunny would not be complete without a pom pom or cotton ball tail.

This was super easy to make and it didn't cost me anything at all! What makes it great is that it is completely customizable! This would also make a great spring craft for the kids!

Kit Kat Jacob's Ladder Toy

Are you looking for an idea for something fun to put in the Easter baskets? This idea is both a toy and a treat! It's also easy enough that kids could also make it.

I was going to make a Jacob's Ladder toy out of wood. I was deciding on the size to make the blocks and I realized that a Kit Kat is the perfect size to make the toy. I decided to make a Jacob's Ladder out of Kit Kats.

See a video of the Kit Kat ladder in action here.

Needed Materials:
6 Kit Kats - I found Easter themed Kit Kats, but regular Kit Kats will work fine.
Paper or 1/2" Ribbon
Tape
Scissors

Step 1: Cut 15 Strips of paper. They should be about 1/2" wide and about the length of two Kit Kats. I used two different colors to make it easier for the tutorial. You may choose to use only one color or multiple colors. You could also use ribbon cut at the length of two Kit Kats. 

Step 2: Tape the pieces of paper to the Kit Kats as shown below. Tape three strips on five of the Kit Kats. Leave one Kit Kat with no strips attached. I used the pink strips taped to the front side and the green strips taped to the back side. I did this to help explain the process. This will also result in the all the front sides being on one side of the ladder. It really does not matter which sides you tape the strips.

Step 3: Place your Kit Kat with the taped side down and fold the strips over the top. You will have one short strip each on the top and bottom of the bar extending one way and a short strip in the middle extending the other way. I taped the strips down to take a picture, but you should not have to tape them down.

Step 4: Place the next Kit Kat with the taped strips facing down on top of the bar with the folded over strips. Make sure that you place the bar so the end that has the two long strips attached to the top and bottom is the on top of the end with the middle short strip.

 Step 5: Fold the short strips over the bar. Be sure to pull the strips tight to prevent them from slipping off the bar and tape them down.

Step 6: Fold the long strips over the top of the bar like you did in step 3. Again, I taped them down to take the picture, but you do not need to do this. Just be sure the strips do not cross. If they cross, your ladder will not work.

Step 7: Put the next Kit Kat with the taped strips facing down. Fold over the short ends and tape them down.

Step 8: Fold the long ends over the bar. Continue on in this manner until you get to the Kit Kat that does not have any strips taped to it.

Step 9: When you get to the last bar, place the bar on top. You will just have the three short strips extending.

Step 10: Tape the short strips down.

Your Kit Kats should now look like the below.

Step 11: Have fun! It's time to play with your new Jacob's ladder. To get the ladder to work, hold the ladder extended with your fingers on the sides of the bar. Then, rotate your wrist forward and backward. It will look like the Kit Kats are cascading down the ladder. To see it in action, you can see a quick video here. Once you are done playing with it, simply remove the paper strips and enjoy the Kit Kats!

You don't have to use Kit Kats for this. You can use any similar sized, flat candies. Something like Orbit or Five gum would be perfect.

I will be posting a tutorial of a traditional Jacob's ladder using wood blocks, soon.