Cost: With having to buy the car - $27, without having to buy the car, $10
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| This is the Pink Car before |
Supplies:
- Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Car (the red/yellow one or something similar). The first Minnie Car (Red) I made, I got the car off Craigslist for $15. My brother's mother-in-law had the second car (Pink and pictured above for the before).
- Sand Paper
- Spray paint for plastic (http://menards.com/main/paint/paint/spray-paint/project-specific/rust-oleum-specialty-paint-for-plastic-spray-black/p-1482614-c-12865.htm), I got mine at Menards (local hardware store) for about $4/per can. Depending on the condition of the car and what color you are painting it, I used 1 can of each color (black and red and then pink and black).
- 1 Package of Form Hearts (http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/eva-foam-heart-stack-668129/), I got mine at Hobby Lobby (when they were 50% off, and I was able to use it for both cars).
- White all purpose paint
- Blank sheet of White Stick-On Vinyl (http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/white-blank-stick-on-vinyl-sheet-49122/) I got mine at Hobby Lobby (when they were 50% off, I got 2 sheets for each car)
- 2 Wooden Circles (http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/5-circle-wood-plaque-179663/), these were 50% off, and it was just easier than going and getting a piece of wood and cutting it into circles)
- Screwdriver, hot glue gun, saw, screws
- Take apart the car as much as possible (remove the top half). I couldn't get the wheels to come off, so I just wrapped them in plastic bags so they wouldn't turn pink or red when I spray painted the body of the car.
- I first cleaned off both of the cars (one had stickers all over the front and the other just really dusty and had cobwebs, etc).
- Lightly sand the entire car, you don't have to press hard, just lightly sand so the paint will stick better (this was suggested by the Menards employee).
- Make sure you have a well ventilated area, or if you work outside (like I did), make sure you won't have leaves, dirt, etc flying into the cars. The first car, I made in Oct and it was perfect weather. The second car, I made in Dec, so that was a little harder and the paint didn't dry as well because of the cold.
- Start spray painting the car (I made one red and one pink), be sure to give yourself enough room and spray evenly so it doesn't start running (I had this happen to me on both cars, but it will still look good, I promise!)
- I used this Aerosol Spray Grip - highly recommend it! It was only a few dollars and I was able to use it with all colors - I wish I would have had this for a project I did a few months before! (http://menards.com/main/paint/painting-tools/paint-can-tools/rust-oleum-aerosol-spray-grip/p-1482900-c-8080.htm)
- Spray the bottom of the roof (black), not the top yet (otherwise you will have to spray it again after you add the ears)
- Allow to completely dry before adding another coat.
- Once it is completely dry, you can add the polka dots from the vinyl sheet. Cut out circles and place them around the body of the car. Then, make the ears.
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| The ears for the Red Car |
- The two cars had different roofs, so we had to make some adjustments, but for the most part, we cut the circles so it was straight across. Then we had to guess, but managed to cut a thicker piece of wood to fit across the roof that we could screw onto the hood from underneath.
- Then we used 2 screws (per ear) to attach the ears to the front of the piece of the wood (it didn't matter that you could see the screws in the front, because the bow was going to cover it up).
- Once those were securely on there, I spray painted the top.
The Bow Steps:
- I took 3 of the hearts that matched closest to the color of the car (there are 4 colors in that package). I placed two of them next to each other with the points touching, then I took the third one and cut an oval shape (for the middle of the bow). I used a hot glue gun to put the bow together - you can play around with how you want to bow to look, I trimmed the two hearts a bit until it was the exact size I wanted.
- Pour white paint onto a paper plate, to make the circles, I used a wine cork, but they make circle brushes at craft stores. Dip the cork into the paint and add circles to your bow.
- Once the bow is completely dry, use the hot glue gun to attach the bow to the ears.
- Put the car back together, unwrap the wheels and touch up any areas that need to be. A black sharpie works well to cover any nicks in the roof. You could leave off the bow and make this a Mickey Mouse car too.
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| Car #1 - Red Minnie Mouse |
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| Car #2 - Pink Minne Mouse |
