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.

DIY Mod Podge Snowman Luminary

I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We are supposed to get our first big snow storm of the season tonight. Up to 16 inches of snow has been predicted, so I decided to make a snowman. Luckily, this snowman does not require you to go out in the cold!

You probably have everything needed to make this snowman luminary right at your home, so you can make this for free! This is also a great activity for kids of any age.

Needed Materials:
Jar (any size)
School Glue and water or Mod Podge
Paint Brush or Sponge
Tissue Paper
Miscellaneous Craft Supplies

Step 1: Prepare your supplies.

Take your tissue paper and cut or tear it into small pieces. The size and shape do no need to be uniform. If you are making this with a small child, I suggest using bigger pieces so it does not take as long to make.

Mix equal amounts of glue and water to make a Mod Podge mixture. You could also use store bought Mod Podge, but mixing glue and water works just as well. I like mine to be a little more watery, so I add more water than glue to the mixture, but that is just my preference.

Step 2: Paint on the glue/water. Just do a small section at a time.

Step 3: Start randomly placing the tissue paper on the portion of the jar with the mixture on it.

Step 4: Continue to paint small sections with the mixture and putting on the tissue paper. This does not need to be neat. Just place the tissue paper any place in any direction.

Step 5: Once that layer has dried a little bit, add another layer by painting the glue/water mix over the layer you just made and then adding more tissue paper. Continue this process adding more layers of tissue paper.

Step 6: Once you have as many layers as you want, paint the entire jar one last time with the glue/water mix to make sure all the edges of the tissue paper are securely fastened.

Step 7: Allow your jar to dry.

Step 8: Decorate your jar. I used felt to make the snowman face and buttons. I added a sock to the top for a hat. You can use whatever you want to decorate your snowman. 

Some ideas:

Black and orange colored tissue paper for the face

Small buttons for the buttons

Pom poms and a pipe cleaner for ear muffs

Mitten for a hat

Pipe cleaners for arms

Braid some yarn together to make a scarf 

These are cute just like this, but you could also make these into luminaries. Simply place an LED tea light or a small strand of Christmas lights inside the jar.

Not only are these Snowman Luminaries cute decorations, they make good night lights for any of town guests. Also, if your guests need to get up during the night, they can switch on the light inside the jar and use it as a flash light. These would make perfect gifts for kids to make for grandparents or teachers.