My friends recently arranged a huge group pinup themed photoshoot here in LA and I’m super bummed to say that I missed it. On the plus side, I did find myself inspired to make these Comic Book DIY Hair Clips, so add one to the yay column?

I mean seriously, how cute did these turn out? I hesitated a bit when it came to adding the tulle, but I think it was a wise decision! You can wear these for a costume, or for a comic themed wedding, or super hero themed pin-up shoot, or … I don’t know, what do you think?

Comic Book DIY Hair Clips
Time: 30 Minutes or less
Cost: Under $5 for 6
Nerd Level: 5

Craft Foam in Red, Blue, Yellow
Sparkle Craft Foam in Blue and Red
9in x 12in Tulle in Red, Yellow and Blue (Or only the color you want if you’re only making one.)
Hair Clips
Yarn and Tapestry Needle
Scissors or Ex-Acto Knife
Hot Glue Gun (or e6000 Glue)
Sharpie

Pro-tip- Instead of buying a whole roll of tulle, purchase 1/4 yard from the bolt at Jo-Ann Fabrics. They are usually having a sale and tulle is a lot less expensive if it’s not pre-cut.

Draw a box the size you want your word and keep inside it. This will make sure you don’t make a gigantic clip!

1. With a sharpie, write out your word on red, blue or yellow foam. I used words like POW, BAM, BANG, SMASH, but you can use whatever you like. Use block (bubble?) letters and overlap them. If you want to cut them out separate, you can glue them all together in the configuration of your choosing. I just chose to cut down on my cutting time. OR! You can use this template. Then cut your letters out.

2. Trace back over all of your lines with sharpie so you get a thick, clearly defined outline.

3. Hot Glue your cut out letters to a contrasting colored piece of glitter foam.

4. Cut out a burst shape around the letters from the glitter felt. I glued the letters down first to make sure I made the burst the correct size.

5. Grab your tulle in your choice of primary color and with hot glue or E6000, secure it to the back of your word bubble. If you’re hot gluing, the secret to not burning yourself is to place a drop of glue on the foam then place the tulle down, hold the tulle down on the sides of the glue spot for 5 seconds. Repeat until all of the tulle is secure.

6. Stitch the bottom section of the hair clip to a 1″x2″ rectangle of felt or left over foam using the yarn and tapestry needle. You can also use regular thread, but I like the thicker hold of the yarn.

7. Hot glue (or E6000) the felt backing to the back the Comic Word creating a tulle sandwich.

8. Show off your super powered hair skills! You don’t have to have a cape to look fly (That was a really bad joke, please ignore it) If you’re using E6000, let your Comic Book DIY Hair Clips dry over night before wearing out.