This bunny shelf makes a perfect Easter craft idea for Spring or DIY nursery decor to enjoy year round!
I’m just “hopping” by to drop off a DIY bunny project that can be made entirely from popsicle sticks! This is one of those crafts that looks much harder than it actually is, so as long as you can stack sticks, you can make this DIY art.
DIY art? A little shelf? A modern sculpture? I’m actually not sure what to call this little bunny project. It looks charming as part of a Spring vignette, sitting on a table or mantle, but you can also hang it on the wall to create a little Easter-themed shelf in your entryway or kitchen.
I suspect you might become fast friends with your little bunny like I have and want to keep it around all year. Personally, I think this little guy is a great DIY nursery decor idea that would so sweet in a gallery wall among other keepsakes and art. (If you love the idea of adding handmade touches to your baby’s room as much as I do, here are some other projects you might like.)
Really, our bunny might just hop from one room to the next around our house.
As with all of my popsicle stick projects, having a template to build your project on makes getting the shape so much easier. This is the most intricate design I’ve created so far, so using the template will really help keep your craft sticks lined up as your bunny grows deeper.
To download the bunny template, enter your email address in the pink and green box at the bottom of this post to gain immediate access to our exclusive subscriber “Vault.”
(Plus, you’ll find a lot of other free patterns and templates for home decor projects including several other popsicle stick projects!)
DIY BUNNY DECOR SUPPLIES
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• bunny template (Enter your email address in the box below get the free download.)
• full size 4.5″ popsicle sticks (I used about 120. I buy them in bulk on Amazon.)
• mini 2.5″ popsicle sticks (I used about 310.)
• glue (Wood glue is great, but you can use more basic school or tacky glue too.)
• acrylic paint
• wood stain
• paintbrushes
• yarn (If you prefer a pom pom tail to a popsicle stick tail.)
1. Print the template and tape it together. HINT: if you’re having trouble lining up the pieces, hold it up to a window to make the paper more transparent.
2. Arrange your first row of popsicle sticks as pictured, alternating every other stick. I find it efficient to add glue to several sticks before laying them down, but find a system that works for you.
3. Place a second layer of sticks in the gaps of the first layer.
4. Continue gluing and layering like this until your bunny is as deep as you’d like it to be. (Mine is about 16 sticks deep.)
5. Glue popsicle sticks together as pictured to create your bunny’s tail. Glue the non-tail half of the longer stick (the right side in the photo) to the back of your shelf. If you prefer, create a pop pom for a fluffier tail and glue it to your bunny. Here’s how to make a perfect pom pom.
6. When your glue is thoroughly dry, use a paintbrush to apply wood stain to the outside of the bunny. You want to be careful here to use enough stain that it can get between the sticks somewhat, but not so much that it seeps into the inner side of the bunny. I went slowly and needed to touch up a few areas when I was finished. (Alternatively, just stain the entire bunny, inside and out and skip the paint altogether!)
7. Allow the stain to dry thoroughly (overnight is ideal) and then carefully paint the inside surface of the bunny.
8. If your fresh new bunny is going to become wall decor, you can hang her up by simply putting a couple of nails in the wall for her ears and the top of her back to rest on.
And keep a good eye on her, you know how bunny crafts like to reproduce!
Check out my other DIY Easter craft ideas, like this easy decorative nest, if you’re in the mood for more making.
And for more modern, unique home decor ideas made from popsicle sticks, check out these tutorials:
How To Make a Hexagon Shelf
How to Build Honeycomb Shelves
Geometric Heart DIY Wall Art
Mini Heart Art (Perfect for DIY Valentine’s or decor in a kids space!)
This post was written as part of a #DIYMySpring collection for Hometalk. (For those of you who don’t know, Hometalk is bursting at the seams with do-it-yourself inspiration. It’s a bit like Pinterest, but without all the posts about how to get skinny :))
An extremely creative group of bloggers have put together loads of Spring decorating ideas so be sure to check them out below! But consider this a warning: you might fall down a DIY decorating rabbit hole never to be seen again! (Actually sounds lovely, doesn’t it?)
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This is so clever, and would be fun to do with older kids! Thanks for a great idea!
I agree, Cindy! My kids are still too little to do anything but scribble and suck on the popsicle sticks, but I know they’ll be glueing them together in no time!
I LOVE how your cabinet makeover turned out! It’s so fresh looking now. You’re inspiring me to try out chalk paint.
Happy crafting!
jess
Amazing project~! I was floored when I saw they were Popsicle sticks! Nice job! Love it!
Ha, thanks, Linsday! I tend to agree with you. It doesn’t really look anything like popsicle sticks until you get close up. Although the night I made it, I went to bed with visions of popsicle sticks that I couldn’t shake 🙂
Happy crafting!
jess
Talk about clever! This is absolutely awesome!
Valerie,
THANK YOU! I love looking at our bunny up on the mantle 🙂
The “branding” of your site is so nice and cohesive. I love the name, the logo and how you’ve threaded the idea of “home” and “modern” throughout. (I have a background in advertising and so I always when bloggers pull it together as well as you have.)
Happy crafting!
jess
Jess, how in the WORLD did you ever even dream up something so creative?! Mind blown! This is so adorable! Nothing spells Easter or spring like your sweet bunny!
Thank you SO MUCH, Donna. I really had fun making it! This was my first Hometalk blog hop and I really enjoyed knowing I was working away “alongside” other creative women. Can’t wait to check out everyone else’s projects!
Happy making!
jess
Wow I’ve never seen a Popsicle stick craft like this before. I think your bunny is gorgeous !
Thanks so much, Claire. I’ve kind of gotten on a popsicle stick craft kick. There are so many possibilities once you buy a box of 1,000 popsicle sticks 😉
And speaking of unexpected supplies, I can’t believe your bird cage is made of coat hangers! So creative! I would have never guessed.
Happy crafting!
jess
Hi Jess – I saw the thumbnail picture and was like… how did she make that?!?!? Popsicle sticks? Wowza! Visiting as a fellow contributor to #DIYMySpring. Hope your week is full of sunshine! Hugs, Holly
Ha–thanks, Holly! I did indeed eat a lot of popsicles to whip up this bunny 😉
Happy crafting!
jess
Adorable! What a creative idea. Sharing on my page tomorrow!
This is just adorable and so creative! I love how you stained the outside and painted the inside a different color. It turned out so beautifully, and you could use this in so many different places!
Thanks, Celeste! I really had fun dreaming her up. I think I WILL use her so many places. I can’t imagine tucking her away all the way until next Easter!
Your beautiful tissue paper flowers tutorial makes me think she needs some of those sitting next to her!
Happy crafting!
jess
You are so clever to use the popsicle sticks. Your bunny is so sweet! I may attempt something like this with my munchkin. Thanks for the inspiration! ;o)
I have GOT to make one of these with my children. What a great Easter art project!! Thank you for the tutorial! Pinning!!
Thank you so much, Michele! I think it would be so fun to make with kids. Mine are better helpers at chewing on the popsicle sticks than gluing them at this point, but my 3-year-old loves seeing the finished bunny up in our house.
I hope you have a fun time crafting together! They are lucky to have a creative momma (who is also apparently really good at flipping furniture–I love your projects!)
jess
WOW!!! This is so adorable, and absolutely incredible that you made it from popsicle sticks!! Already pinned 🙂
This is incredibly original and very, very pretty! How did you come up with it? The technique can be used for a variety of things but this is very special. Visiting from the blog hop, a fellow contributor.
This bunny is so adorable! Such a great idea!
This is super cute!
I am putting together a sort of Easter arts and crafts compilation blog post, with pictures of creative projects for spring. Would you mind if I shared one of your pictures? I will of course credit it with a link to this post. I did the same thing last year if you would like a reference on how it might look: http://aliciasivert.blogspot.se/2015/03/paskpeppen-2015.html
Thank you for the inspiration!
Sincerely,
Alicia
Hey Alicia,
I’d be honored! Thanks so much for including me. I can’t wait to see what else you find. The projects from last year are so adorable!
Happy crafting!
jess
This year’s spring/Easter arts and crafts compilation is up! Thank you so very much for your contribution! If you like, you can find it here: http://aliciasivert.blogspot.se/2016/03/peppiga-paskprojekt-2016.html
May your Easter be filled with fluffy bunnies and happy birds 🙂
Love, Alicia
I absolutely love this. So creative and original. It can stand as a modern sculpture all on its own.
Yes, Mary, I agree! And I think it might be a sculpture that stays out long past Easter in our house. I love that you made a DIY nest. Using a wreath was so smart! I actually made a nest too recently and it was so fun.
Happy Spring crafting!
jess
Cutest bunny I’ve ever seen–who knew popsicle craft could be so hip and charming? Love it–
Thanks, Diana! I certainly underestimated the lowly popsicle stick for a long time, but no more! 🙂
Happy crafting!
jess
What color of acrylic paint did you use to paint the inside?
Hey Nicole,
The color is basically peach. I mixed a nude color (the bottle is pictured in this post), but it was a little too “blah” for me so I added a couple drops of a bright pink. Sorry, that is not very specific at all, but I hope it helps you!
Happy crafting!
jess
Hey Nicole,
I thought I responded to you, but the comment must have disappeared. So, I’m sorry if this is a duplicate! I essentially used a peachy color. I started with the nude bottle of paint in the photo above and then added a few drops of bright pink because the nude alone looked too much like the color of plain popsicle sticks. Hope that helps!
Happy crafting!
jess
I love this! Such a creative idea and I love how it adds some super cute spring style without being too cutesy! Pinning for sure!
Thanks so much, Carrie. I’m a fan of the “not too cutesy” stuff too. Your blog is full of design ideas I want to try too! I love the bathroom hooks! I look forward to following along with Lovely, etc. 🙂
jess
Hi- I am trying to down load the bunny popsicle templet, and I registered with my email address, but I find no way to set up a password, which is required to access the down load of the templet. Please help, thank you
Hey Daisy!
Thanks so much for reading Make and Do Crew! I’m sorry you’re having trouble! I don’t want anything to stand in the way of your crafting 🙂
When you subscribed, you should have received an email asking you to confirm your subscription. Once you click that, you’ll receive another email that gives you the password to enter the Make & Do Crew Vault. (It’s the same password for everyone.)
Have you gotten that yet? If not, just check your spam folder for the confirmation email or do a search within your email for “Make and Do Crew.”
Let me know if this works for you. I’m here to help if not.
jess
I just checked and I got the password in the second email, I was able to print the templet. Thank you, looking forward to making this, looks like a fun project!
Yay! Have fun, Daisy! Let know if you have any questions.
Happy crafting!
jess
This is amazing! What kind of yarn did you use for the Pom Pom bunny tail? I make Pom poms for a lot of my projects and this one looks so cute! Thanks 🙂
Thanks, Nicole! Pom poms are the best, aren’t they!? I used Lion Brand’s Wool Ease Chunky. It makes great pom poms. I used it in this pom pom rug as well.
Happy crafting!
Jess
Just joined your page and loving all the fun ideas yo have.
I’m trying to find the template for your popsicle bunny and cant seem to get it, please can you help.
wanting to do this for the décor for my little girls 1st birthday on Sunday.
Thanks so much 🙂
That will be such a cute decoration! The template is in the “Vault.” Scroll down until you see the bunny project. Let me know if you have any trouble finding it. (And the pw for the Vault should be in welcome email you received from me. Search your inbox for Make and Do Crew if you don’t see it.)
Happy birthday to your little one!
This is so clever Thanks for a great idea!