Squeeky the Mouse

Add easy-sew ears to a headband
to complete this look.

• Tracing paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• 1/3 yard gray felt
• 9x12-inch piece of pink felt
• Thick white crafts glue
• Chenille stem
• Stapler
• 1 yard pink baby rickrack
• White plastic headband
• Hot-glue gun and hot-glue sticks
• Small, natural sponge
• White acrylic paint
• Gray hooded sweat suit

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon cold cream
• Mixing bowl
• 1/2 teaspoon water
• Muffin tin
• Food coloring
• Small paintbrush or cotton swab

1. Download the free patterns. (This requires Adobe Acrobat software.)

2. Cut out patterns. Trace the mouse ear patterns and cut out. Cut two outer ears from gray felt. Cut two inner ears from pink felt.

3. Make ears. Glue an inner ear atop each outer ear, sandwiching half of a chenille stem between. Tuck each ear, securing with a staple along the bottom edge. Glue rickrack around the outer edge of each inner ear.

4. Prepare headband. Cut a strip of gray felt the length and width of the headband. Glue the strip around the top of the headband, trimming as necessary to match the edges. Bend the bottom 1 inch of each ear forward at a 90-degree angle. Hot-glue the bent portion of each ear to the underside of the headband.

5. Paint ears and headband. Dip a moist sponge into a puddle of white paint; sponge-paint the ears and headband. Let the paint dry.

6. Make face paint. For face paint, stir together the cornstarch and cold cream in a mixing bowl until it is well-blended. Add water and stir.

7. Add color. Decide how many colors of paint you want. Put a dab of the cold cream mixture into a muffin tin for each color. Add food coloring, one drop at a time, until the desired colors are achieved. Mix well.

8. Apply face paint. Using the photograph, for inspiration, paint the cheeks and nose using a paintbrush or cotton swab. Add whiskers and other details as desired.