Hello Cotton Ball Lovebug! {A Tutorial & Giveaway}

 With Valentine's day on the horizon, I had lovebugs on my mind.

I wanted to make something cute and easy, with items I already had.

So, I turned to my fave go to item, cotton balls.

Helloooooo Cotton Ball Love bug!

These little lovebugs can easily be altered to be bunnies or even angels for Christmas.

Change up the accessories, and you have a little sweetie for any holiday really.

But for now, I give you…

Love BUG love!

For one little lovebug you need just a few things…

Come with me and I'll show you my lil' method to this winged tiny face.

What I used was:

1 – Pipe cleaner

1 – Cotton ball

1 – Wooden bead (for the head)

1- 4 inch piece of thin gold ribbon (around waist)

A tiny bit of moss

Hot glue

Thin wire for antennas

Medium wire for wings

Glitter

Pencil

Super thin paint brush and black acrylic paint (for face)

Pink acrylic paint for nose and cheeks

Wrapping paper (or any paper of your choice) for heart garland

All you do is take a pipe cleaner and cut four, 2" pieces for the legs.

And one 2.5" piece that you then cut in half for the arms.

Using a small dab of hot glue, glue on the legs.

Carefully pinching the cotton around the pipe cleaners to secure them.

Be careful not to burn yourself.

Then glue on the arms, and fold the ends to create hands.

Hot glue the wooden bead on as a head, gently pushing it down to make sure it sticks.

For the antennas, cut out one 3" piece of thin wire.

Form it into the shape of a narrow U, put a dot of hot glue on top of the head, then place the bottom of your "U" shape in the center of the glue dot, take some moss and place it over the glue wire to help secure it into place, giving the glue something to hold on to.

Once that is dry, shape your antennas.

Then put a dot of hot glue at the end of each antenna and quickly dip the ends in glitter.

For the wings, take a medium piece of wire, about 2" long, and twist it into a pretzel shape.

Cut out two, 2.5" pieces of crepe paper, run a bead of hot glue around the metal, and using tweezers so you don't burn yourself, sandwich the gluey pretzel between the two pieces of crepe paper.

Then just cut off the surrounding excess, so you have this below.

Wings.

 Then, simply hot glue the wings to the back of your bug.

Tie a gold thin ribbon or thread around the waist, and embellish in any way you would like.

I made a ruffled crepe paper collar for my bug.

And put some moss on the leg ends, with some little gold confetti stars.

 I then took some thin wire, made some tiny wrapping paper hearts, and carefully hot glued them to the wire.

Then I just used the same wire ends to wrap them around buggies hands.

For the face, I just drew it on with pencil, and using a super fine tip brush with watered down black acrylic paint on it, I went over my pencil to darken.

Then I popped some pink cheeks and nose on the face using pink acrylic paint.

(if kids are making this, just make it easy and use markers/sharpies for the face)

Isn't that easy as pie???

This little bug was sooo much fun to make.

And brings a smile to my face.

 

Also, helps if you are stuck inside during winter, to make something easy and fun.

 

Happiest Valentine's Day wishes Love Bugs!!!!

 

Remember, you can make this cotton ball love bug for any occasion or holiday by changing up the accessories.

The bug could easily be made into an angel.

 

Also…..

 

I will be giving my little bug away.

Just leave a comment to enter.

 

Hoooray!

 

Love, V

 

 

 

ps:  Now I'll have Bug-a-Martini in my head for days, love it though.

 

pss:  I had to take another pic to show how sweet and tiny lovebug is.

I have fairly small hands, and he's teeny in there.