How to Make a Deadmau5 Christmas Ornament That Lights Up!

Really, what could be cooler than an adorable little Deadmau5 head smiling at you from your Christmas tree this holiday season!?!??!  Hey, I can't help but crack a cheezer grin when I see mine beaming at me - definitely my favorite Christmau5 ornament ever!

So, let's get you one too, k?



Here's the list of supplies n' stuff you're going to need:

3” Christmas ornament shell that separates into halves (available at Michael’s Crafts)
6mm thick sheet of Foamies craft foam
2mm thick sheet of Foamies craft foam
White paint palette
Craft glue
Extra fine glitter
White sheer fabric
Aluminum Foil
Craft Paint
Ribbon for Ornament Hanger
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Paintbrush
Scissors
Single edge razor blade
220 grit sandpaper
Dremel w/Drill bit, sanding discs, carbide cutting wheel
Sharpie Marker
Electrical Tape
Masking tape
Safety Goggles

Step 1: Creating the Mouth and Lip

Start by marking your globe for the mouth opening by making a mark 2.3” down the each side of front half of your ornament. Since this is a full ball, and does not have the bottom cut out for a neck hole, you want to bisect it slightly higher than the actual halfway point on the sphere to look right when it’s all done. Now make a mark for the upper lip high point just slightly higher up, about 1/8” higher than the other two marks you just made. Measure down 1” from this dot on center and now you have the low opening of your mouth.

Use electrical tape to create a line connecting the top three dots, and repeat this process for the bottom lip. This will become your cutting guide for the mouth opening.

Using a very thin carbide cutting disc, very carefully cut the mouth out following the edge of the electrical tape. The cut-out piece will be reused when we finish the mouth, so take care to cut the piece very cleanly.

Once the piece is cut out, smooth the edges of the lip and the edges of the cutout piece with a sanding disc.

The lip will be made by applying a thin strip of 2mm thick craft foam to inner edge of mouth opening. Cut two strips of foam approximately 1/8” wide and attach to inner edge of lip with a very thin bead of hot glue. Make sure to not use so much glue that it oozes out between the foam and the ornament, because it will be difficult to clean up and give a smooth lip edge. After entire lip has been glued in place, give a final touch up with your sanding disc to smooth out any slightly uneven edges.

Step 2: Creating the Eyes

Using your Dremel and a cutting disc, remove the cup from a plastic paint palette to create the domes for the eyes. Cut very closely to the flat portion of the palette so that you have a nice evenly shaped dome to start working with. This will most likely be too large for the head at this point, so you’ll need to shave them down with sandpaper until they are the desired diameter and height.

Place a piece of 220 grit sandpaper face up on your work table, and rub the raw edge of the little dome back and forth to shave down the material. Rotate the dome often to ensure an even amount of material is removed. Test fit by holding up to your ornament and when you are pleased with the size, set aside to use as a reference for the second eye. Repeat the sanding process until you have two identically sized eye domes.

Step 3: Creating the Ears

There are two general sizes for Deadmau5 ears – the rounder ears measure 13”x13”, the oval ears measure 13”x14”. Multiply your desired ear dimensions by .214 to get downsized measurements for your ornament and sketch the ear shape out create a paper template. Once you are satisfied with the shape of ear on your template, trace the outline onto your piece of foam sheet and cut out with scissors. Sand edges smooth and even with sandpaper.

While you have the sandpaper out, go ahead and lightly sand entire surface of ornament globe to prep for glittering, and help ears adhere firmly. Also sand *both sides* of the piece left over from cutting the mouth opening; sanding both sides of the mouth will create a refraction of light, giving a even glow to the light that shines through the mouth.

Attach ears with a thin bead of hot glue, and position on head approximately 3/16” behind the seam of the front and back of the ornament halves. Angle them ever so slightly back at the top. After the glue has cooled and set on the ears, trim any excess that has oozed out from under the edge with a razor blade. You may now cut the hole to allow a Christmas tree light to be inserted into the back of the head. Drill a hole in the back of the head, approximately 1/3 of the way down the sphere. A diameter of about ¼’ should accommodate most lights, but test fit against the ones on your tree to confirm. Sand any rough edges smooth.

Step 4: Positioning the Eyes

With the ears in place and mouth opening cut out, you can now determine where you would like the eyes to be placed. Put a piece of tape rolled inside out on the back of the little white domes, and position on the globe. When you have settled on a position, trace around the eye dome with a pencil or scribe to mark their placement on the ornament. Do not attach them yet, this will be done after glittering the head.

Step 5: Glittering the Head

First, mask off the inside edge of lip (where the mouth cutout piece will attach), around hanger tip, and around edge where the halves join. Start glittering by applying a thin coat of craft glue to inner lip edge, and sprinkle generously with glitter, tap globe so that excess glitter falls off. Do this over a piece of paper, so that you may reclaim excess glitter when you’re done with the project by folding the paper into a V shape and pouring excess back into the glitter container. It also helps keep the glitter from getting all over your workspace, and forever becoming a part of you and your home ;) Continue applying the craft glue to the rest of the front half of the ornament, but do NOT apply any inside the circles drawn for the placement of the eye domes. You want this area to be free of glitter to allow light to shine through the eyes when the ornament is hung on the tree with a light inside.

Repeat the glittering process to the back half of the ornament, paying close attention to the area where the ears attach to the head. A crisp glue/glitter line here is very important to a good quality looking Mau5head ornament.

Set both halves aside to dry completely before continuing on.

Step 6: Installing the Eyes

Now that your glitter and glue have dried, you may attach the eyes. Simply draw a thin bead of hot glue around the entire inside perimeter of the eye, and place on your ornament. Once glue has cooled and set, you may touch up any area around the edge with glitter if there are any bare spots.

Cut electrical tape into 3mm wide strips and place on eyes in a X pattern.

Step 7: Installing the Mouth

Cut a piece of sheer white fabric slightly larger than your mouth piece and pull tight and smooth. Hold cut out piece into place against backside of the foam lip and adjust fabric by pulling gently from the back to smooth the surface. Check from the front, and when it looks good, hold firmly in place and draw a bead of hot glue around perimeter of mouth on the inside of the ornament attaching both fabric and plastic cut out piece to foam lip edge. Hold in place until hot glue cools and sets. Trim any excess fabric overlap with razor blade.

Step 8: Finishing the Inside

So that no light shines through the glitter, apply craft paint to the inside of the front half of the globe. Do not apply paint to the mouth area, or the area behind the eye domes that allows the eyes to light up. 3 coats of paint should be applied, allowing the paint to completely dry between coats. Hold the half up to a bright light to see if there are any thin spots, and when no light can be seen through the glitter, you’ve got enough on there.

Cut a square of aluminum foil a couple of inches larger than the ornament, and line the inside of the back half of the ornament with the foil. Be sure to place the shinest side up, as this will act as a reflector for the light bulb. Smooth the foil with your fingers until it is tight against the interior of the ornament and trim the edges. Trim a small circle out of the foil with a razor blade to allow the light bulb to pass through the hole cut in the back of the head. Secure foil lining in place with a tiny bit of hot glue.

Step 9: Final Details

Snap the two halves together and thread a ribbon through to serve as an ornament hanger and you are DONE!


Hang that adorable Deadmau5 head ornament on your tree and enjoy!


* * * MERRY CHRISTMAU5! * * *