Peepin' Ain't Easy

Marshmallow Peeps are like the candy corn of Easter.  Both indispensable symbols of the holiday, both candies that nobody actually eats.  We decorate with them, buy them in bulk and make wreaths and vase fillers out of them, but we don't ever partake of them. 

Ever since I saw this tutorial, I've wanted to make these little guys.  This year, I finally got the chance.  They're hanging in the den, the living room, and even the kids' room, adding a nice pop of color and springy brightness.

But, I didn't stop there with the Peeps-related crafts.  Oh, no.  Next up: Peeps as hair adornment.

 I sewed up the first generation of Peep-clips about 2 years ago for Sarah.  Even though I made about 5 of these clips, only one survived, because we all know what happens when 2-and-a-half-year-olds wear barrettes: they lose them. These are just barrettes covered in felt, and hand sewn together.  I always dread hand sewing, but when I finally gather my materials and actually DO it, it's relaxing and enjoyable and I start thinking, "Hey, I should do this more often." 

Would you like a little how-to?  Well, how about it!

Here's what you need:

• Metal hair clips (regular size, not tiny)
• Felt scraps
• Brown or black Sharpie
• Embroidery floss in coordinating colors
• Embroidery needle
• Hot glue gun

Step 1.  Trace the outline of your hair clip onto a piece of card stock.  Remember to add about 1/4" seam allowance all the way around.  This will be your template for cutting the felt to cover your clip. 

Step 2.  Cut 2 of your barrette templates from a contrasting color of felt.  About 1/2" from the top of the wide end, cut a small slit in the bottom piece of felt.  This is where the snappy part of the barrette will come out of the casing.

Step 3:  Use a blanket stitch to sew all around the top of the barrette.

Step 4:  Cut out two bunny shapes from your main color of felt.  You can use my template found here.

Step 5:  Draw eyes and a nose on your Peep face like I did here.

Step 6:  Sew the two layers of bunny together using a blanket stitch and a coordinating color of embroidery floss.  *Optional: You could stuff your Peeps with a tiny bit of fiberfill to make them nice and marshmallow-y, but I didn't this time around.

Step 7:  Hot glue the bunny to the barrette, and you're done!

Will REFUSED to wear his Peep because it wasn't blue.

She's got two Peeps in her pocket.

The Peeps t-shirts evolved from a desire to make the kids something Easter-y but not dressy that they could wear to various egg hunts. After all, we're in it to win it this year and that means fierce competition, possibly a thrown elbow, and definitely some grass stains.  Plus, I don't really like making holiday outfits because a.) I never get them done until, like, the day before said holiday;  b.) why ruin a perfectly good shirt?; and c.) my kids would probably end up wearing Easter shirts around Halloween, and I wouldn't stop them, no matter how weird they look.  

So, I gave them Peeps for their pockets.  Removable, cute, and fun.  They're just two pieces of felt sewn together and dotted with a tiny bit of fabric paint to look like the Peeps candy. 


Here's the link to the Pocket Peeps template, because, let's face it: we could all use a few more Peeps in our lives.