These days everyone is trying to find ways to fill up their time. 

Whether it be it work, school or a new hobby, keeping busy is a very useful tool in staying sane while stuck at home. And, if you make a bit of money along the way, it can’t hurt. 

This is the strategy that CSUSM alum Yvonne Villalobos is using during the pandemic. 

Villalobos, who has been working here at CSUSM as the Assistant to the Dean in the College of Business Administration since 2016, started her own small business online to fill up her time. 

Her business, Evie’s Enchanted Ears, offers homemade Disney ears. Having grown up in Southern California, namely San Marcos, Villalobos wanted to combine her love of Disney with her desire to create something.

“When this year’s pandemic hit, I wanted to take advantage of the free time I now had at home. I began to attempt many different artistic outlets. I have always been a huge Disney fan and enjoy dressing up. I began creating Disney ears in July and wore them on my walks with [my puppy] Niklaus. After the support of my family encouraged my creativity, I decided to start a small business and share my love of Disney and the importance of staying a kid at heart,” Villalobos said. 

The process of making her ears was one that began with a lot of trial and error but over the course of making them she has honed it down to a way that worked for her. 

“I am happy to say these are completely handmade by me. All of my ears are original ideas with the customer’s character preference. It has been encouraging to be given creative freedom while creating a custom ear,” Villalobos said. 

To reduce waste, Villalobos uses cardboard boxes for the base of the ears. Other materials she uses include poly-fil, fabric of Disney characters, sequin bows, ribbons, button embellishments, gems and hot glue. 

“To assemble them, I precut the fabric and ear templates. [Then] I add poly-fil to the center of the ear and begin to glue the fabric around creating the ear shape. I then stuff the ear with more poly-fil and repeat four times. After the ears are complete, I then move on to the trim, bow and embellishments. I tend to lay out these materials around me and mix and match until I am happy with the look,” said Villalobos.

“The entire process takes a minimum of one hour. If available, I put the Disney movie on for added inspiration and begin working,” Villalobos said.

While she was happy with her ears by themselves, recently Villalobos felt like something was missing. She wanted to add another component to go along with her ears and to make her business more relevant to our current times.

“I like to support other small businesses and browse fabrics on Etsy. While on walks, I began to think how I would enjoy having a matching mask to go with my ears and decided to collaborate with a local small business, @sunflower_face_masks, to create matching sets,” Villalobos said. 

Her Disney obsession goes beyond her crafting skills. Villalobos said she has a portrait tattoo of her favorite villain, Maleficent.

She loves musicals; her favorites include Rent, Les Miserables and The Greatest Showman. And she considers Christine McConnell and Halsey as her main inspiration for self-expression and creativity.

If you would like to purchase a pair of Villalobos’ Disney themed ears for yourself or as a holiday present for someone else, you can visit her Instagram page @eviesenchantedears. Simply send her a direct message or comment on which ears you are interested in. If you’d like a custom pair of ears that you don’t see on her page, she’ll take your request.