I hosted a Christmas dinner for one of my Bible Study groups this year and I wanted to plan a creative activity for us to do in between dinner and opening presents. A few years ago a friend told me that her family did one of these and had a lot of fun with it and I've wanted to try one ever since. In reality, I found it online as a project for elementary students but I think it's a fun grownup activity as well!
For this Project You'll Need:
watercolor paper
watercolor paints
paint brushes
foam brush (optional)
black sharpie
cup of water
something to protect your table surface
Here are the instructions:
I read the instructions and we each drew our snowmen.
Then we traced our drawings with a black Sharpie.
Then we got to work painting with watercolors! The main thing the instructions emphasize is to paint the background a bright color, which will make the snowman pop. We used foam brushes to paint the background, which made it really easy.
And then the fun part is to compare them - we all received the exact same instructions, but they each look extremely different and each is adorable in it's own way!
Now that it's officially Fall and that means it's time to start thinking about Christmas presents and hot chocolate and SNOW!
Ok, I know it's a few months away, but thinking ahead gives you plenty of time to get DIY projects done before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season begins.
I've seen a few DIY Snowman Kits on Pinterest and since I am a kid at heart and love building snowmen, I wanted to put my own spin on it.
For this project you'll need:
foam or plastic black hat (available at Hobby Lobby or Target) OR black felt to make a hat
ribbon (for a band around the hat)
felt (optional)(my felt flower instructions found here)
hot glue gun and glue
white styrofoam balls (optional)
large googly eyes (optional)
orange felt (for carrot)
polyfil stuffing
wooden skewers
black clay (for the mouth and if you choose, for the eyes and buttons as well)
scissors (strong enough to cut through skewers)
fleece (for a scarf)
As you can see by the list, this is a bit time-consuming and is actually several projects in one. If you ♥ this kit, but don't want to make it yourself - you can buy one at my Etsy Shop. I have a Snowman Kit currently available!
The Hat
I like using a pre-made one (the foam hat is from Hobby Lobby and the plastic hat is from Target), because it can get wet and will wipe dry - to me fabric and snow don't exactly go together.
Hot glue the ribbon around the bottom of the hat. If you choose, use the instructions here to make a felt flower or two and glue them to the ribbon.
The Eyes
Take your Styrofoam balls and stick a skewer into each, until the point goes all the way to the opposite side, but doesn't poke out. Then cut the skewer down to a few inches. Then hot glue the googly eyes onto the front of the balls. Or if you can use the black clay to make eyes, described below under The Mouth.
This was a great tutorial that I used to make my carrots - they're actually pretty easy!
The Mouth
Form black clay into small balls with about a half inch to an inch diameter, then stick a skewer into each. Then cut the skewer down to a few inches. Let clay dry according to instructions (or bake according to instructions).
The Buttons
I tried a few different ideas for making buttons, but I wasn't happy with my prototypes, so when I found oversized wooden buttons at Hobby Lobby I decided to use them.
The Scarf
Easy - just a strip of fleece, about 6-7 inches wide x 50 in long, then cut fringe on each end.
