DIY Wooden Snowmen

Christmas is just over a week away. If you are still looking for ideas for a quick gift to make, these wooden snowmen may be the perfect thing!

I am a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. My 12 year old Little Sister wanted to make gifts for her family. She loves woodworking and wanted to build something for everyone. She has a large family, so the project needed to be fairly simple. We needed to be able to get multiple done in a short period of time. She decided to make wooden snowmen.

I am sure you have seen wooden snowmen all over the place, but here is our take on how to "build" a snowman.

Needed Materials:
Wood for the body
Wood for the hats (optional)
Paint
Wood Glue
Sander or sanding block
Craft Supplies

Step 1: Cut your wood.

You can make your snowmen any size that you want.

• Bodies - We used 2"x3"s, 2"x4"s, and 2"x6"s cut at different lengths for the bodies.
• Brim - We used 1"x3"s cut slightly longer than the width of the body for the brim of the hat. For example, if you are using a 2"x3" for the body, the actual width of the body is 2 1/2". If you want a 1/2" overhang on each side for the brim, cut your 1"x3" at 3 1/2".
• Hat Top - We used 1"x2"s cut at the same width of the body for the top of the hat. If you are using a 2"x3" for the body, cut your 1"x2" at 2 1/2" to match the width of the body.

Step 2: Fill in any holes with wood putty, if necessary. Sand the boards. Check out this awesome new random orbital sander we won from a giveaway over on Home Repair Tutor. Using that worked so much better than using the sanding blocks!

Step 3: Paint your boards

Step 4: Using wood glue, attach your hat rim and top to your snowmen.

Step 5: Decorate your snowmen. We used paint, ribbon, yarn, buttons, pipe cleaners, and pom poms. You can use whatever craft supplies that you have on hand.

These snowmen are easy to make and can be decorated any way that you want. My Little Sister made these to represent everyone in her family and they are very personalized based on each person. I think her family is going to love them!

This is a good project for kids to do. Just provide them with the pieces already sanded and painted white and a variety of craft supplies. Then let their creative sides show! They would make a great gift for kids to give their family members, teachers, family friends, or neighbors. This would also make a great classroom project.