For those of you who intended to make some Christmas gifts back in July, here is a cute Snowman and Christmas Tree ornament you can still make even though it’s now November, with a few tools, a little determination, and a craft store gift card. The woodworking on these is not super challenging–a little lathe work, a bandsaw and a sander would be useful, and a drill or drill press is gonna be kinda essential.
Almost nothing in this project requires measurements. I did start with an 8-inch dowel, used for each snowman-tree combination (I made 42 of these things at once), and I put some markings to guide the lathe tools. It’s just a guide, though. Three round things and a hat makes a snowman. A couple of cone shapes together makes a tree. No two of any of these things were the same, and that’s the fun part.
Finishing them (painting, outfitting, adding arms and noses, and that stuff) will take a bit of time, but who doesn’t need a little craft time every now and then? Check out the video, suffer through the slow parts, and use this 15 minutes to save you time when you make a dozen of these things.
If you like and subscribe, I’ll list the materials I used down below. And if you don’t like and subscribe, the materials are still down below!
- 1.25-inch hardwood dowel (4-feet long) that I got at Home Depot
- 1/4 dowel (for the North Pole)
- Thin piece of wood or plywood for the base. I used 3/8-thick pine.
- A bag of “Ball Beads” from Wal-Mart These are .69-inch balls with a 1/4″ hole, perfect for the top of the North Pole.
- White, Green, Black and Red paint (I made 42, so I used spray cans. But you could paint them with your collection of acrylic paints, or airbrush them)
- Krylon “Crystal Clear” Acrylic Gloss Spray Paint. *I’ve used gloss clear coat before, but this acrylic stuff seems extra shiny, and great for small projects. This is my new go-to stuff for painted projects like the ornaments or my nutcracker.
- “Make Market” Metallic White Dimensional Fabric Paint for the “snow effect” on the Christmas trees.
- “Tulip” Dimensional Fabric Paint, “Diamond” Glittery Paint to add a little sparkle to the snow effect on the trees. This makes the ornaments stand out once the Christmas lights reflect off them.
- 1/4-inch wide tape to mask off the North Pole. Online is probably your only option here.
- An Extra-Fine Black Paint Pen to make eyes and buttons.
- Some round toothpicks that will make the arms and nose of your snowman.
- Teensy Brass Hooks to hang up the ornament.
- “Tiny eye hooks for ornaments” will get you an array of choices. and finally…
- I used a small piece of Red Ribbon for the Snowman’s Scarf. Your choice though.
For tools: Lathe, Bandsaw, Sander, Drill or Drill Press, Glue Gun.
These should be FUN and REWARDING projects, and I know your friends and family will just love them. Watch the video and get going!
Michael Crowl - Author 