What’s not to love about Christmas ornaments? Whenever I shop – especially at craft shows, I am immediately drawn to the festive and whimsical orbs. Ornaments are sentimental and thoughtful, yet inexpensive projects, which makes for a perfect gift.
I call these snow people ornaments – you can differentiate between snowman and snow woman with minimal accessories. I used tiny bows for the girls hat and a poinsettia flower for the boys. You can also use a cranberry twig for the boys if you like. This novice craft is so easy to assemble with just the right amount of a handmade touch for each ornament to have personality!
Supplies List
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- 2 packs snow pellets
- Pack of 8 glass ornaments
- Spool of peppermint string
- White, black and orange craft paint, 2 oz. of each. matte or acrylic finish
- Square of black felt
- Artist brushes, sponges optional
- Hat accessories: tiny bows / cranberry twig
- Salt and Pepper Shaker
Peppermint string ($4) , pack of 8 crystal ornaments ($8), two packs of snow pellets ($8), all three colors of craft paint ($2), one square of felt ($2), pack of tiny bows ($1), and cranberry twig ($1) translate to eight (!) finished ornaments for the thrifty price of around $25.
Shop for craft supplies year-round to get even better deals on items, where you can find slashed prices post season on all of these goods, except for the craft paint. My mantra is: The best made craft plans is a to have a craft plan. Buy Christmas items on clearance after the holiday to use for the next year. Planning (which means storing) your craft projects allows you to get good deals on the items you need at a better price, so in theory you can afford to buy more!
* I didn’t include the cost of artist brushes and sponges or the glue gun and glue sticks in the project costs. These items you’ll use multiple times in crafting.
Step One: Carefully remove the cap and hook from the ornament. Have a paper plate or small piece of cardboard/ newspaper ready. Use the black craft paint and paint the ornament cap – the existing ornament cap will serve as your snowperson’s hat once you add the black felt. Place painted caps on cardboard to dry.
Step Two: Fill each ornament with the tiny foam pebbles. If you have a piece of copy paper, or a receipt – roll it up to make your own funnel. Fill each ornament to the top with the foam pebbles. The white filler helps for drawing the face. it’s harder to get the face features proximity with an empty ornament.
Step Three: Painting the Face! This step gives each ornament personality!
Free handing the face can be intimidating, so you can try a practice run on a piece of paper or cardboard before you get to the ornament. If you make a mistake, the paint wipes off the glass easily, especially when first applied. It’s perfectly fine for each ornament to differ, that’s what makes them cute!
I hold the ornament, and start at the top (eyes) and work down. This minimizes smears helps with proximity.
Dedicate a brush for each of the three paint colors.
If you are comfortable free handing, use the craft brushes. I usually do a practice run on a piece of paper. If you purchased the sponges, find the sponge that is size appropriate for eyes, make sure you save a smaller sponge for the circles for the smile later. With the black craft paint, make two round circles on top for the eyeball.
Now for the nose – Use a new brush with orange paint – angle the brush sideways and draw a triangle. Fill in triangle with orange paint.
Next you need five spaced dots positioned in an upward curve – make sure the dots are smaller than the eyeballs. Start a smidge to the left or offset from the left eyeball. I don’t measure between the dots. Remember, part of what makes these so cute is that they are different from one another. It’s not an exact science.
Paint all the faces on the pack of ornaments.
Step Four: While your ornament’s faces are drying, get the black felt. Unscrew the cap from the salt or pepper shaker. You can use the bottom of the shaker if it’s a circle. You need a template for the snowperson’s brim of the hat. Use a blue ink pen to trace the outline of the shaker. Draw circles for the number of ornaments, then cut out the circles. Fold each circle of felt in half and cut a slit in each, this allows for the felt to fit on top on the ornament and the slit is to get the ornament cap through.
- Step Five: Slide the felt over each ornament’s neck, careful to not touch the painted face – it may not be completely dry. Place the painted black caps back on each ornament.
Step Six: If you purchased a stem of cranberry twig, use the scissors to cut off the vines off the twig. Just enough for how many boy snowmen you’ll be making. Gather the bows you want for the girl’s hat.
Turn on your hot glue gun, it is ready to use quickly. Carefully glue the cranberry twig or a bow on the front of each hat, above the painted face. You can the cap around but this is instant gratification. One good dollop of glue should do it. The glue will be HOT, so don’t touch it with your fingers!
Step Seven:Take your white craft paint and brush tip a small white dot on the eyeball. This is the snowperson’s pupil.
Step Eight: Cut your festive string in four- inch strips, and put through the ornament hook. Once you’ve got those tied, you’ve got eight homemade gifts or some new decorations for your own tree.
