Squishies! Did you know you can make your own DIY Squishies toys? We made these adorable DIY slow-rising Squishies necklaces last weekend, and I think they turned out super cute! Not bad for a first try at all!
Friends, honestly, I didn't even really know what a Squishy toy was, until my tween recently introduced me to the trend. After her quick briefing on the hot new Squishies toy craze, I promptly responded with..."Oh! You mean a stress ball?!" Apparently, no. Just no. She gave me some serious side-eye on that one! That's what they used to call these types of toys back in the day....my day? Oh' lord. I feel old! Anyway, after filling me in on Squishies, she promptly requested that we make our own DIY Squishies toys, and some DIY Squishies necklaces, and DIY Squishies key chains .... basically ALL things Squishies. My response? Ok. But, really? HOW?! After a bit of research (more like a quick Google) I set off to the store to grab the materials. And as it turns out, DIY Squishies are surprisingly easy to make. No, really! I promise. Super simple!
Grab the supply list, and check out our easy tutorial on how you can make your own DIY Squishies Necklaces and Squishy Toys, below.
DIY Squishies Necklaces + How To Make Your Own Squishy Toys!
What you'll need:
- A pencil for tracing out your desired shape(s) on memory foam.
- A good pair of scissors
- Paintbrushes
- Leather cord or beaded chains (found at most craft stores -we found the pictured leather cord and beaded chains at A.C. Moore)
- Memory foam ( we used a memory foam pillow that we found at Walmart for $9.99. You could literally make hundreds of Squishies toys, with just 1 pillow!)
- Fabric paint (we used a Puffy paint set that we found at A.C. Moore - we used one of their handy dandy printable coupons too, so the entire paint set ending up costing around $5 - be sure to grab a coupon on their website before heading in-store!)
- Any other necessary add-on's (like Popsicle sticks etc. - if you're making Popsicle Squishies like the one we made)
How to:
- If using a memory foam pillow like the one that we picked up at Walmart, start by cutting off the fabric cover.
- Next, you'll want to start cutting down the foam into small blocks - which makes them easier to trim / cut down into small shapes. We cut the entire pillow down into 12 blocks of foam.
- Trim the coating off of the outer edges (this is a slick coating that they use to seal the memory foam pillow.) You need to trim the coating off, or the fabric paint won't adhere/blend into the memory foam.
- Now, you're ready to trim down your foam into your desired shapes. Pinch the foam as you're cutting. This makes it easier for your scissors to pass through the dense foam. You can make whatever shapes you'd like. To make the pictured Squishies necklaces, we made fairly small shapes to create our Donut, Watermelon, and Popsicle DIY Squishies necklace "charms." Each shape was no larger than 3 inches. If you're making larger DIY Squishies toys, simply make your Squishy shape larger.
- Next, use your paint brushes and fabric paint / puffy paint to paint your DIY Squishies necklace "charms" or Squishies toys. Use small amounts of paint and blend it well into the foam. You should only use a light layer of paint, so that your Squishies maintain their slow-rising squishiness (yes -the spelling on that one is totally questionable?! Is that even a word?!)
- Allow your DIY Squishies necklace "charms" / DIY Squishies toys to dry for about 24 hours, before squishing / playing with them.
- To create DIY Squishies necklaces, simply punch a whole ( very carefully) using the tip of your craft scissors about 1 inch from the top of your DIY Squishies necklace "charms."
- Once you've created a small whole in each of your Squishies, simply feed leather cord, or a beaded chain through your Squishies charms. If using leather cord, cut to the desired length and tie off at ends.
Happy crafting, friends!
