15 Super Cute Kawaii Crafts
Updated on November 23, 2018
When it comes to crafting for ourselves, we often do our best to combine our love for DIY projects and creating things with our own hands with whatever has piqued out interests the most in the last little while. Lately, in our personal style and fashion, decor schemes, and generally just what makes us happy, we’ve found ourselves adoring kawaii culture! Things that are “kawaii” stem from a Japanese subculture of fashion and style that centres around making everything so cute and sweet to look at that it raises your spirits, brightens your day, and makes you smile. Since crafting already does those things for us anyways, it seems like a match made in heaven, if you ask us! That’s why we’ve found ourselves looking up all kinds of cute kawaii crafts and projects lately.
Just in case you’re as enamoured with the idea of combining your crafting skills with your love for all things kawaii as we were, if not more, here are 15 of the best projects, designs, and crafting ideas we’ve come across in our search so far!
1. Kawaii panda hidden shelf
If you’re going to go to the trouble of making yourself something from scratch, would you actually prefer to make something that’s both decorative and practical, just to make sure you get the most out of your time and effort? Well, we happen to think that’s the best plan around, which is part of the reason we loved this adorable but spacious panda shelf idea outlined step by step on Art y Salud en Casa. They show you how to make a DIY trinket, stationary, or vanity shelf that’s shaped and painted like an adorable kawaii panda when it’s closed but also gives you extra space to store whatever small things you need spots for. We love the idea of keeping our desk and work spaces clean but pleasant to sit in by making ourselves something like this!
2. DIY kawaii school supplies made from polymer clay
We’ll fully admit that we’re not actually in school anymore, which means we don’t really need to buy “back to school” supplies like these ones every September like some people still might, but because we work at a desk and spend most days writing, we actually find that we still need many of those same things all year round! That’s part of the reason we were so intrigued by the idea of jazzing our supplies up and adding a cheerful, happy kawaii touch to the regular tools we use everyday, even though they won’t be seen in a classroom. Check out how Isa’s World did exactly that by using polymer clay to transform their earbuds, pends, and push pins into adorable foods with hand painted kawaii faces.
3. Felt plush toast key chain
If you’re going to make something kawaii because it’s a little bit of a novelty just to make yourself feel nice, would you prefer to use the craft as an opportunity to learn a new technique or work on one you’ve been trying to master for a little while now? Then perhaps you’d be open to practicing your hand stitching skills on something like this adorably kawaii plush toast key chain outlined step by step on Deviant Art! They guide you through the process of making it out of felt.
4. Kawaii earbuds case from Kinder Surprise
Maybe it was really your kids who got interested in kawaii styles earlier than you, and you’ve just been helping them look for something very simple they can try their hand at to make something adorable that looks the way they love? We do this often for our little ones as well, and we always feel like it’s an extra bonus when we can find a project that’s also an upcycling opportunity. That’s why we adore finding crafting ideas that use the plastic cases that come inside our kids’ favourite chocolate treats, Kinder Surprise! Check out how 2 Cats & 1 Doll made headphone or earbud cases from Kinder Surpruse toy cases just by using paint markers to create cute kawaii faces in a few simple steps.
5. Kawaii sock bunny project
Did we really catch your attention when we started talking about simple hand stitching or sewing projects that will let you get kawaii about things but also let you practice making plushies and soft toys, but you’re just not sure the felt toast idea was quite up your alley? Then maybe you’d prefer this adorable sock upcycling idea featured on Maqaroon instead! They show you how surprisingly easy it can be to make adorable kawaii style bunnies from a few old socks. These make great trinkets to display around the room for a brighter theme or even good toys for little kids and pets alike.
6. Kawaii stationary box
Have you actually been scrolling through our list to see new ideas but you still find yourself thinking the most about the different desk, writing supply, and stationary ideas we’ve shown you so far? Well, we really did give our writing space a very colourful kawaii makeover lately and we won’t pretend for a second that it didn’t improve our daily experience. That’s why we couldn’t resist including this fantastic kawaii fruits stationary box on our list as well! Art y Salud en Casa shows you how to make it complete with different compartments for all kinds of useful desk supplies.
7. Needle felted roll cakes
Did we get you feeling pretty enthusiastic when we started talking about the idea of using kawaii crafts as a particularly cheerful excuse to learn a new DIY technique but we just haven’t quite hit the nail on the head yet when it comes to what you want to learn? Then here’s another awesome idea for your consideration! Besides being simple enough to make a great first try at needle felting, these little kawaii rolls cakes complete with funny little ears and a swirl in the middle, are so cheerful we’re practically itching to reach for our felting supplies to make them ourselves right this moment. Get the full tutorial and lots of helpful tops on Maqaroon.
8. DIY bubble tea soap dispenser
Are you still quite interested in the concept of making something by hand that’s not only totally adorable and stylish but that will also be practically useful in your house, but you’re just not sure you’ll actually make use of the trinket shelf from earlier on the list the same way we would? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how My Crafts created this super funny and completely adorable kawaii bubble tea soap dispenser! Just make sure your little kids don’t think it’s an actual bubble tea sitting there for anyone to help themselves to.
9. Kawaii crocheted mugs
If you’re going to start crafting along a new style and aesthetic, would you actually rather use that time as an opportunity to do something you’re already good at and know you love, rather than learning something new at this moment? Well, if you’re a yarn crafting enthusiast who can wield a crochet hook with any measure of skill, then we think we might have found the perfect project idea for you! Check out how The Crafty Mummy crocheted these adorable little yarn mugs and then embellished cut kawaii faces on with some felt and a few careful thread stitches.
10. Miniature kawaii squishies
If you’re the kind of person who likes to keep up with random trends, whether that be in crafting itself, fashion and style, or just whatever novelty sweeps the nation on a whim, then we have a feeling you’re going to find these DIY kawaii squishies rather intriguing indeed! Besides being a very cool learning experience when it comes to making things in new structures and textures, we also like the way this fantastic tutorial featured on Binky Bee Toys gets you a little bit of practice in hand painting small details.
11. DIY decoden notebook
If you’re very enthusiastic indeed about kawaii culture, then you probably already know that it has several diverse off-shoots that are just as adorable but that centre around different specific ideas and concepts. For example, “decora” is a personal style in which people grandly decorate their hand in just about as many adorable pins, bows, beads, and hair pieces as they can find in order to take their outfit and overall look to the next level of colour and eccentricity. That wonderfully jumbled and colourfully busy look, however, doesn’t have to be limited to hair. Scrappyness suggests using something as simple as a notebook to try your hand at making things that might be considered “decoden” instead! You’ll feel like you’re building a whole collection of cute, kawaii things that will bright your day each time you open the notebook to jot something down.
12. DIY kawaii squishy phone case
Did you quite enjoy the tutorial we showed you earlier that involved making a cute “squishy” of your own, but you’re not sure you’d really do anything with the finished product unless you turned that squishy into something else that has a slightly more practical purpose? In that case, we definitely think you should take a look at how Cute Life Hacks hand painted an adorable scene on the back of a plain phone case and added their DIY squishy right on top, making it the perfect thing to fiddle with when you need a little stress reliever or you’re feeling fidgety.
13. Lacy kawaii school notebooks
Did we really catch your eye when we started talking about embellishing notebooks in order to make your day feel a little bit better in a simple, adorable way but your personal tastes, while still quite fancy by some people’s standards, just aren’t quite eclectic enough to fit the decoden inspired project we showed you earlier? In that case, perhaps you might get along better with this fantastic idea from Magic Pearl Heart! Their tutorial guides you step by step through the process of adding ribbons, lace, pretty pink fabric, and glitter to the front of a book that you want to carry with you.
14. Felt mochi plush tutorial
Are you finding yourself scrolling through our list but still really thinking about how much you love the idea of creating an adorable kawaii felting craft, even though you’re brand new to the technique? Well, if you’re ever going to master it, you’re going to need some practice, which is why we’ve got another simple kawaii felting project here for your consideration! Once you’ve finished your cute roll cakes, pick up the felting needle again and take a look at how Hapy Friends Shoppe made these fantastically happy little mochis with cute embroidered faces.
15. Kawaii fairy bead and lace choker
By now we’ve shown you quite a number of things that will help you transform for your space into a lovely kawaii haven (and even learn a few new tricks along the way), but what if you were actually scrolling through our list hoping to find a simple piece that might help you amp of the kawaii element in your personal style and how you dress? Then make sure you check out this adorable lace and rainbow bead choker outlined on Popglitz! It’s a subtle away to grab the attention of fellow kawaii lovers as you go about your day.
Do you love kawaii style crafts just as much as we do, if not more, but you’ve made a few fantastic things that you were very happy with but that don’t see here on our list? Tell us all about what you made and how you did it or link us to photos of your finished work in the comments section!
cool but um i cant do any of these