I’ve seen so many cute bunnies lately! Yes, it’s that time of year. But they must be cooler this year or something. So, I decided I wanted in on it too! But I didn’t want to just copy all the other bunnies I’m seeing on Pinterest and Etsy. I wanted my own. So, I grabbed my sketch pad and scribbled one out.
I like this version better anyway! Yeah, I know my little drawing is super impressive. I stared at it in awe of course, but didn’t know how to get it into my board without scanning it, blowing it up, and making way too much work for myself. So, I ditched the sketch and drew a new one directly on my board instead.
I then took it to my scroll saw! I LOVE my scroll saw! For this project I used the saw I had at the time, which was the Ryobi Scroll Saw. It’s a whopping $100 at Home Depot. I actually wanted the WEN Scroll Saw because it had better reviews online, but Amazon was out of stock at the time and I’m way too impatient. I have since returned the Ryobi and replaced it with the WEN Two-Direction Variable Speed Scroll Saw
One of the most important factors with any saw, is the quality of your blade. The same goes with scroll saws. And there are so many types of blades you can use! I’ve found that my favorite are “Reverse Tooth Blades.” They have a few teeth at the bottom of the blade pointing upwards to make clean cuts on the bottom too. Normally all the teeth point down, leaving a clean edge on the top, but a splintered edge on the bottom. The reverse teeth fix that! Clean on both sides, which means less sanding for you later! Bonus! I bought the Olson Saw Reverse, Skip, and Spiral Tooth Scroll Saw Blade Assortment because it has several types of really good blades, so I can play with them and see which ones I like best. They each have their own purpose, so I have used the others for different projects.
I put together a little video so you can see some scroll saw basics, and see how I cut out one of these bunnies.
Ignore the Sweet Pea logos, I made this video before I launched Debbie Does Design and Sweet Pea is the name of my handmade shop (physical products).
If you want to make your own little guy, the pattern is available with the link below.
There are a lot of tips and advice I can share on scroll saws and I’m sure a more in-depth post will have to happen soon. If you have more questions, feel free to leave a comment below. In the meantime, this video should give you some beginners basics. I would love to hear about your experience with a scroll saw, if any! There are so many things you can do with one and so many great tips to be shared! Have fun, and let me know how it goes!
As for the base of these little guys, I used some 1×3 furring strips cut to size and stained them with Kona stain by Rustoleum (unless it was a custom order). I drilled two pilot holes in the base and in the bottom of the bunny and gently screwed them in, being careful that the bunny was centered and standing up straight before doing so. The bunnies were sanded smooth to remove any rough edges on the cut lines, painted with white chalk paint, then sanded again to distress. The hearts were hand painted with an artist’s brush, in chalk paint as well. The bunnies were then brushed completely with clear wax. While the clear wax was still wet and lightly brushed on dark wax, focusing on the edges and blending the dark wax in towards the center. Then, using a rag, a rubbed the dark wax in until it was smooth and blended, removing any brush lines, until i reached the desired look. If you get too much dark wax than you’d like, simply use more clear wax to “erase” it. Once you get the desired look, let the wax dry for several hours, preferably overnight, until it is completely dry to the touch. Buff the wax for a nice smooth finish, using ultra fine steel wool (0000 steel wool). I love the beautiful smooth sheen that you get from wax. Just be aware, that wax isn’t a tough finish. It’s not ideal for furniture that will see heavy use, although accent pieces and decor are fine. It will need to be reapplied over time, as needed. I finished them off with a big burlap bow, and boom! Cute as a button!
If you haven’t seen my Easy Bow Tutorial, be sure to check that out too.
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