Hi everyone! I’m so excited to share this DIY with you – paper Disney ears!

Now, I own quite a few pairs of ears myself, that I’ve both bought and made. When Plaid Crafts reached out to me to work with them, I knew I had to make something Disney-themed and perfect for a casual cosplay. These ears are so easy – there’s no sewing involved, and it’s a cheap project that anyone can do!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1/4″ EVA craft foam
• Assorted papers and stickers
• Plaid brand Mod Podge Gloss
• Plaid brand Mod Podge Brushes
• Hot glue
• Rhinestones and other decorations
• Plaid brand Glitter Paint
• Headband
• Ear & Bow template (download)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Download the ear & bow template
2. Cut out 2 ear shapes of your foam (I recommend using an x-acto knife)
3. Cut out 4 ear shapes of your paper. This will be the “base” and will be covered up by the addition of more paper.




4. Cut out shapes to layer over your base layer. Because mine are Ariel-themed, I’m cutting out water droplets, some fish, and sparkly blue “bubbles”




5. To attach the base paper to the ears: Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge onto the foam. Then, lay the paper on top and gently apply pressure (it’s ok if some paper hangs off; you can trim it once dry). Once dry, apply to the other side.
6. To layer your shapes, apply another thin coat of Mod Podge to the ears. Then, arrange your shapes and apply more Mod Podge on top to adhere them. Make sure you apply the Mod Podge liberally and avoid streaks – it will dry clear and glossy. For my ears, I applied the “droplet” shapes first, and layered the fish and sparkly bubbles over the droplets once dried.
   
   Note: While you don’t have to apply decorations to both sides, I like to so I can choose my favorite side to face forwards.




7. For the edge of the ears, I cut a strip of 1/4″ glitter paper and glued it in place. Don’t worry if there are some edges that don’t match up – that’s what the next step is for!
8. Using a combination of rhinestones and sticker “gems”, I created a border around the edge of the ears both for decoration, and to cover up any imperfections of the paper lining up.
9. Next, cut out the bow shape on contrasting paper. I used a pink/silver holographic paper. To assemble the bow, bend (but don’t crease) the outer edges together, and secure with tape or glue. Then, wrap the smaller rectangle of paper around, and secure.





10. Hot glue your ears to the headband – the spacing is up to you! I put my ears towards the back of the headband so there’s room for the bow to sit. Then, glue the bow to the headband, gluing the flatter side to the headband.




And that’s it! A DIY, relatively easy (and cheap!) alternative to buying a pair of ears. Have you made your own Disney ears? Will you be creating your own paper ears next time you travel to the parks? If you use this tutorial I’d love to see the results!

 

Note this post was sponsored by Plaid Crafts, who provided the materials to create this project