A bottle shaped gourd is a perfect medium for crafting a snowman decoration that will last for years to come. This fun family craft is a great way to prepare a decoration together for the holiday season.
Steps
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Choose a gourd. It should be bottle shaped and have a smaller bulb at what will be the top part (the snowman's head). The base (or body) part of the gourd should be larger. If possible, check that the gourd is balanced and stands on its own before purchasing it (although if it doesn't, don't worry too much – see the solution in the last step).
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Wash the gourd. Remove the stem first, then scrub off any dirt residue. Use a sponge or pot scrubber to help remove any marks or dirt.
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If the gourd has dents, holes or cuts, fill these in. Use wood putty to fill the hole and sand over using fine sandpaper.
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Paint a hat design on the gourd's top.
- As you paint the hat, turn it around and paint each side.
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Paint the rest of the gourd white.
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Allow to dry completely.
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Paint a face on the gourd snowman. The face should consist of:
- Black charcoal eyes
- An orange carrot nose
- Charcoal dots for a mouth.
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Paint a scarf around the gourd snowman's neck. The neck area is the join between the upper and lower levels of the gourd.
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Decorate the body area of the snowman.
- Place small dots of black paint down the front of the body part of the gourd. These are the snowman's buttons.
- Paint on mittens.
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If wished, drill two holes on each side of the gourd snowman's body.
- Insert small twigs to form arms.
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Finish up by covering the whole body and head of the gourd with a clear acrylic spray finish.
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Display the Christmas gourd snowman. If it doesn't stand on its own, place it on top of a grapevine wreath.
Things You'll Need
- Bottle gourd
- Wood putty
- Fine sandpaper
- Acrylic paints and paintbrushes
- Drill
- 2 small twigs
- Clear acrylic spray finish
- Grapevine wreath
