Christmas Craft Flashback #1 – Paint Stirrer Snowman

It was that time of year again when I was sorting through the Christmas ornaments I’ve collected. I’m not talking about the color-coordinated-shiny-ball kind of ornaments, mind you. I’m talking about my shoebox full of the whimsical and kitschy kind of ornaments accumulated over the years of raising kids and exchanging gifts with co-workers, friends and family. I have santas and snowmen, Baby Jesus and angels, sleds and trees, with a few penguins and a cheerleader thrown in too!

How to make a snowman Christmas ornament from a paint stick stirrer - a craft the kids can do too!

In looking through my box of ornaments this year I was reminded that I used to make an ornament every year for friends and family. I would find a pattern that I liked and then I would make a whole bunch of them assembly line style. Sometimes I would have just enough to give away, and other years I would make a few extra for myself too. But somewhere along the line the busyness of life crept in and I stopped my annual ornament crafting.

How to make a snowman Christmas ornament from a paint stick stirrer - a craft the kids can do too!

So as I was reminiscing about my Christmas ornament crafts from years gone by, I thought it might be fun to share some of the ideas and designs I used to make my homemade Christmas ornaments. They’re still cute and could provide inspiration for other projects too. Some of them could also be easy craft projects for kids. So for the next couple of weeks we’ll have “Christmas Craft Flashback”.

First up – a snowman ornament made from a wooden paint stirrer.

Paint Stirrer Snowman Ornament

You will need:

  • A wooden paint stirrer
    (the type you get when you buy a gallon of paint from a home improvement store)
  • A wooden craft stick or popsicle stick
  • Craft paint – white and black
  • Fine Point Markers – Black and Red (Sharpies work good)
  • A few small buttons
  • A scrap of fabric for scarf
  • Ribbon or string for ornament hanger
  • Small piece of white felt for backing
  • Craft Glue or Hot Glue Gun

1. Cut the paint stirrer to a length of 5-1/2″.  You will most likely need to saw it to this size. I remember asking Hubby to do this for me when I made these. You may want to use sandpaper to smooth out the edges a little bit if they are rough.

2. Paint the top 1-1/4″” of the stick with black paint and paint the bottom 4-1/4″” of the stick with white paint. Make sure you paint the edges too. If there is writing on your paint stirrer, be sure to paint the side that is plain with no writing. Let dry.

3. Cut the craft stick to a length of 2″.  Make sure you cut the rounded edges off so that you have a rectangular piece. I remember using a heavy duty scissors to do this. You may also have to use a little sandpaper of these edges if they are rough.

snowman-face-2

4. Paint your cut craft stick piece black, coating both sides and the edges. Let dry.

5. Glue the black craft stick piece over the line where the black and white paint meet on the paint stirrer. This will form the brim of the hat.

6. Draw a happy face on your snowman. You may want to pencil it on first, and then use your sharpie markers once you are happy with the face. Fine point markers will give you a little more control.

7. Glue your buttons on the front.

8. Take your scrap of fabric and tie it around the stick to form a scarf. I frayed the edges of the fabric a little bit by pulling the loose threads at the edge of the fabric.

9. Cut a piece of ribbon about 6″ long. Make a loop with the ribbon and glue to the back of the paint stick at the top to form a hanger.

10. Cut a piece of felt to size and glue it to the back of the stick to cover it and make it look clean and nice. I used felt that had an adhesive backing so I could just stick it on. Now your snowman is complete!

paintstick snowman back new

I was in Home Depot a few days before writing these instructions and picked up a paint stirrer for the sake of comparison. Apparently over the years they have been downsized! It was not as wide or as thick as the stirrer I used a few years back. I don’t know if just Home Depot has downsized or if paint stirrers everywhere are getting more rinky dinky.

How to make a snowman Christmas ornament from a paint stick stirrer - a craft the kids can do too!

And if my memory is correct, I think I was cutting my paint stirrers in half and getting two snowmen from each stirrer (which is only possible if there is no indented area like the one in the picture). Even in spite of the downsizing, I think they are still a good enough size to make a cute little snowman.

Read the other posts in this series:

Christmas Craft Flashback #2 – Stamped Tile Ornaments

Christmas Craft Flashback #3 – Felt Gingerbread Men

Christmas Craft Flashback #4 – Mini  Spool Tree

Need a few more bright ideas?
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