I had some unfinished wood cubes in my stash and thought they could be turned into a snowman decoration for Christmas. I’m quite pleased with how this project turned out.
Here’s how to make an adorable wood snowman, complete with top hat and broom, that you can use to decorate for Christmas and all winter long.
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Part One: Make The Body
Supplies Used and Recommendations:
- 3 unfinished wood cubes (Dollar Tree)
- white acrylic paint
- paint pens
Step 1: Paint Three Wood Blocks
These small dice-shaped unfinished wood blocks are usually available at Dollar Tree. They come in sets of three. I painted them white using acrylic paint.
Step Two: Stack and Glue
Stack one block on top of another to form the snowman shape. You can use hot glue, or wood glue for a more permanent hold.
Step 3: Paint Face
Using my black paint pen, I managed to make a reasonable facsimile of a snowman’s eyes, mouth and buttons. We’ll pretend that these items are made of lumps of coal, since they turned out a bit misshapen. I did add a carrot nose with an orange paint pen when the black paint was dry, ‘though I managed to get it a bit off-centre. Sigh. I’ve never been good at freehanding stuff.
Part Two: Make a Top Hat
Supplies Used and Recommendations:
- scrap cardboard (flexible weight)
- black felt
- thin Christmas ribbon for trim
- rotary cutter
I had these scarecrow hats in my stash that I picked up at Dollar Tree one autumn and they got me thinking about making a snowman hat. You can pull them apart quite easily and I used one to make a prototype snowman hat by wrapping the two pieces in felt.
However, you don’t need the scarecrow hat to make a snazzy top hat for your snowman. Here’s how you can make one using scrap cardboard.
Step 1: Cut a Strip of Light Cardboard
Cut a strip of light cardboard about 4″ long and 1-1/2″ wide. This will form the crown; the main main part of the hat.
Step 2: Hot Glue
Form the cardboard into a circle and hot glue it in place. You may need to adjust the circumference a bit so it isn’t out of proportion with the brim. (see below)
Step 3: Cut a Square of Felt
Next, I used my rotary cutter to cut a square of black felt approximately 2″ square. This will be the top of the hat.
Step 4: Cover One End of Cardboard
Cover the end of the cardboard circle that will be the top of the hat with the felt square and glue it down on four sides. There will be bits sticking out at the corners. Just trim them to remove the excess.
Step 5: Cover the Crown
Cut a strip of felt wide enough to cover the entire crown and glue it in place, making sure the edges of the fabric square at the top are fully covered. Trim any excess fabric at the bottom of the crown.
Step 6: Make the Brim
To make the brim of the top hat, cut a cardboard circle about 2-1/4″ round. Then cut two pieces of felt just a bit wider than the cardboard. Hot glue the cardboard circle onto the centre of the first piece of felt…
…and add the second circle of felt on top of the cardboard. From my first experiment making one of these, I realized that making the felt pieces a little bigger than the cardboard circle would ensure that the cardboard wouldn’t be seen once it was sandwiched between the felt.
At this point, I trimmed around the brim to make the edges as smooth and uniform as possible.
Step 7: Glue the Crown to the Brim
Now just centre the crown onto the brim and hot glue it in place.
Step 8: Add Ribbon Trim
Dig into your Christmas ribbon stash and find some narrow ribbon you can glue around the crown. At the time I thought this silver snowflake ribbon was a nice contrast on the black felt. Now I wish I had picked a brighter pattern, but this still works.
Glue the finished top hat to the snowman.
Part Three: Make a Scarf
Every snowman needs a scarf. I used the same ribbon for the scarf as I did for the hat and decided to make it in two parts.
Step 1: Ribbon Collar
Cut a length of thin ribbon, wrap it around the snowman’s neck and hot glue it in the back, trimming any excess.
Step 2: Scarf Ties
Next I took a length of ribbon and folded it over to form an upside down “v”.
Step 3: Add Glue Where Needed
Glue the twisted ribbon to the collar and add a dot of hot glue to places that need it in order for the tails of the scarf to lay flat. Trim the ribbon to the desired length.
Step 4: Add an Accent
I found these tiny 3D poinsettia stickers in my Christmas stash and hot glued one to the tails where they meet the scarf’s collar. I also added one to the hat. I like the way they finish off the scarf and add a pop of colour to the snowman.
You can stop here or you can go on to…
Part Four: Make a Broom For the Snowman
I know that most crafters would add some twig arms to the snowman at this point, but for some reason, I thought of making a little broom for mine and foregoing the twig arms. If this idea appeals to you, follow along to see how I made one.
Supplies Used:
- found twig
- raffia
- twine
- cable tie
Step 1: Raffia Bundle
I began with this raffia bundle from my stash.
Step 2: Tie it Off
I pinched off a small amount of raffia about an inch from the folded ends and cinched it with a cable tie. Then I cut it off of the raffia bundle, leaving about half an inch for the top of the straw broom.
Step 3: Trim Bottom of Broom
Next, I cut through all of the loops on the end and trimmed them to make the edges even.
Step 4: Replace Cable Tie With Twine
I wrapped a piece of twine under the cable tie, tied it in a double knot and added a bit of hot glue to hold it in place. The cable tie could now be removed simply by sliding it off the end. Then I trimmed the twine. This now looked more like an old-fashioned broom to me. The knot would not be seen in the finished project.
Step 5: Add Twig Broom Handle
Next, carefully separate the raffia pieces at the top end of the “straw” to find the centre and hot glue the twig inside.
Step 6: Trim to Complete
Trim any excess raffia from the bottom of the broom and carefully fluff it out a bit. The finished broom is about 4″ long.
Step 7: Glue to Snowman
I finished by gluing the twig broom to the side of the snowman.
Completed Snowman
I had originally added a snowflake from some table scatter I had on hand to the snowman’s hat for decoration. After I put the poinsettia sticker on the scarf, I decided I wanted one on the hat, too. I glued it on top of the snowflake, figuring that was easier than trying to remove the snowflake from the felt. I really think this pop of colour was just what my little snowman needed.
My new little friend makes me smile. This turned out to be an adorable addition to my Christmas/wintertime decor. I hope you like it too.
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