DIY: 5 Ways to update your old beanie

Hubby's away and Chuck and I are currently stuck at home, sick.  Boo.  We're watching the lovely fluffy flakes falling outside and I'm soooo tempted to bundle him up to play outside.  But, I'm holding myself back until he gets better. 

(Hrmm... but maybe I could bring some snow inside for us to play with.... thanks Lisa for that idea!)

Anyway, here's a short cold weather post in honor of the snow.

Do you have an old beanie just lying around? Maybe you never really wear it, but you just can't bring yourself to give it away just in case you need it one day?  Well, here are five super easy ways to update your drab head wear.   And bonus!  None of these are permanent changes, so you could potentially wear all five looks this winter! 

1. Pom Pom Beanie

This update was my favorite.  Chuck is beginning to recognize Micky Mouse.  So when I saw Eugenia Kim's Pom pom beanie (for $185- holy empty wallet!), I knew that I had to make my own cheapie version.  I followed this pom pom tutorial  from Crafted.  Then, I sewed the two semi-identical (eek!) pom poms onto the corners of my beanie.  Bam.  Instant mousekateer cool.

And here I am modelling the four other updates....

2.  "Hi" Beanie:  I cut out the letters "H" and "i" from felt.  Then, I just sewed them onto the front of the beanie for some friendly headwear.  Make sure you sew the letters closer together because they will stretch apart when you wear the hat.

3.  Polka dot Pom Pom Beanie:  I bought a pack of mini pom poms from the craft store and then sewed them onto the hat.  To help with placement, I marked the hat with chalk first so I would know where to sew.

4.  Spiked Beanie:  I poked a couple of screwback cone spikes through the front of the beanie.  I thought the hat made me look like a punky Statue of Liberty. 

5.  Sparkly heart Beanie:  I cut out a heart shape from felt.  Then, I hot glued some rhinestones onto the heart.  Then, I sewed the heart back onto the hat.   Wouldn't this version be nice for Valentine's Day?  

 Alright that's it.  Time to take a nap. Stay warm and well, friends!

Two Chinese New Year Dragon Crafts

Ready for a fun Chinese New Year Craft?  Chinese New Year is one of those really fun holidays that I enjoyed celebrating as a kid.  Yummy food, wearing new clothes, red envelopes filled with money, and watching cool dragon and lion dancing?  Come on, what's not to love?  Since the holiday is just around the corner, I showed Chuck some lion dancing videos (Youtube to the rescue!) and then thought it'd be fun if we did some dragon crafts together:

Two Chinese New Year Dragon Crafts

Little background about me- Growing up I always felt like a "twinkie."  Yellow on the outside, white on the inside.  You see, I looked Asian, but I didn't always feel that way.  Now that Chuck's getting a bit older, hubby and I are trying to figure out how two twinkies like us pass down their cultural traditions. (Ehh... it's a work in progress....)

This craft is one way that we're trying to pass down our tradition.  And, in the interest of full disclosure, Chuck really enjoyed making the handprint dragon.... but he wasn't too keen on coloring my paper bag dragon pieces.  However, once I colored and glued everything down for him, he enjoyed playing with it like a puppet.

So, do you wanna see how we made these two dragons?  (I've got templates too!  Ooh la la!)  Keep on reading!

(And if you like this craft, definitely check out this dancing Chinese Dragon Puppet.  It actually dances and is made from recycled materials!)

Make a Valentine's Day "Arrow through the Head" Headband

Oh no!  Chuck's been shot...

(With Cupid's arrow.. teee hee hee)

Valentine's Day "Arrow through the Head" Headband

Looking for a cute Valentine's Day accessory that is affordable, easy-to-make, kid friendly, and boy friendly?  Well, you could always try making this "Arrow through the head" headband...