Itty Bitty Crowns

I Think these itty bitty crowns are the sweetest things to use for a newborn photo shoot! They are also darling bobby pinned into a little girls hair. You can make bigger crowns using the same idea~ and these dainty tiny crowns can also be used for a favorite doll or stuffed animal. What a fun tea party addition! I am having way too much fun with these! Pretty easy to make, too. So that's always a bonus!

I made tiny crowns in this tutorial- but feel free to size up, depending on what you are using them for.

These crowns are about 2 1/2 inches across when finished.

You need about 5 inches of lace. This pretty stuff is referred to as "cluny" lace, if you are searching online. 

You are also going to need  some fabric stiffener. I used some metallic paint as well. This is where you can get creative with different colors of paint (wouldn't an assortment of pastel colored crowns be adorable for a little girl's tea party?)- or glitter?

*** Quick tip: I like to buy glitter hairspray on clearance after Halloween for projects just such as this! Much cheaper than glitter spray paint, and far less messy than glitter and glue! But, I digress...:)

Here is where I learned something...

I laid my lace on some wax paper and worked fabric stiffener into it with my sponge brush. This worked fine, but it ended up taking 4 or 5 coats to get it saturated! It took forever. Boo! On the next batch I made I put the stiffener in a paper cup and dropped the lace in. This was so much more efficient!

Make sure you move your lace around to avoid little "windows" in the holes in the lace. The sponge brush did come in handy for this.

It also came in handy for painting the lace:) I let the lace dry for about 3 hours, and when it had started to set up I hit it with the paint. 

I used this paint from Hobby Lobby. Actually- all the supplies were from Hobby Lobby. My husband says I am single handedly keeping them in business. RUDE! Probably true.

At this point I let things get nice and dry..... about 80% dry, I would say. I actually went to bed, and revisited things in the morning.....

The lace wasn't quite metallic enough for me- so I added a little more paint- but then I had to let it dry..... again.... man, I am so patient!

Once they were dry (again!) I shaped then into a circle, matched up the lace, and glued them together with my trusty glue gun! I added a few ribbon roses, just to make them extra adorable. 

Happy Crafting. And may you all live Happily... Ever... After....

ElleBee