Merry Christmas Snowmen

By: Styrofoam Brand Foam

Even snowmen can have a Christmas. Have this cute decoration in your home this holiday season. Felt, beads and buttons are sure to add just the right detail to this craft.

Materials:

STYROFOAM* Brand Foam:
- Balls, one each: 2"; 1-1/2"
- Block, 12" x 6-3/4" x 1-1/4"
- Cone, 12" x 4"
- Eggs, one each: 4"; 2-1/2"
Pompoms: 1" and 1-1/2" white, one each; 3mm orange, two
Black beads, two each: 4mm; 5mm
Glittered plastic snowflakes: 4", one; 1", four
Glitter felt: 36" white, 1/2 yd.; navy, purple, red, one 9" x 12" sheet each; green, two sheets
Buttons: mini white, three; 1/4" black, two
Dk. blue sewing thread
Serrated knife
Candle stub or paraffin
Fine-line red fabric marker
Pencil
Ruler
Compass
Scissors
Extra-long straight pins
Low-temp glue gun and glue sticks
Thick, white craft glue
Optional: Powdered cosmetic blush and cotton swab
Optional: Decorative-edge scissors (wave/scallop)
Pattern

Steps:

Wax serrated knife with candle stub or paraffin. Cut 2"-thick slice from wide end of foam cone and another slice from length of foam block. Cut thin slice from one side of foam balls (heads) and wide end of foam eggs (bodies).
Use white felt to "gift wrap" foam block; trim excess felt and glue edges to secure. Glue cone base to block, 2" from one end as shown.
Use decorative-edge scissors, or regular scissors, to cut one green felt sheet into 1-1/2" x 12" strips. Starting at base of cone and overlapping felt edges, wind and glue strips around tree until completely covered. Cut additional strips from second green felt sheet as needed.
Cut following from white felt, using compass to draw required circles: small snowman body, 5" x 6"; small arms, 2" x 3", two; small head, 3" circle; large snowman body, 5" x 10"; large head, 4" circle. Cut hat and mitten patterns from felt as indicated. In addition, cut the following from felt: green scarf, 1" x 12"; red hat, 3" x 7"; navy coat, 5" x 8"; navy sleeves, 2" x 4", two.
Center heads flat side up on wrong side of white felt circles. Gently finger-gather felt edges and bring up over flat side of foam; glue to secure. Trim excess felt.
With flat edge of head on work surface, choose smoothest side for face. Use scissors point to poke holes for eyes at center of face; glue beads into holes, using smaller beads for smaller snowman. Use cotton swab to blush cheeks, if desired. Glue orange pompom noses to faces. Draw smiles with fabric marker.
Wrap bodies with corresponding felt pieces. Overlap and glue ends. Finger-gather felt at top and bottom of body; glue to secure. Glue heads to bodies.
Glue long edges of small snowman's hat together; fold bottom edge up 3/4". Glue hat to head and smaller white pompom to tip. Cut 1" fringe into scarf ends; tie around neck. Glue black buttons to front of body and hat tip to scarf. Roll and glue arm pieces into cylinders. Glue mittens into arms and arms to body at upward angle as shown.
Glue short edges of large snowman's hat together. Finger-gather one end of hat and tie tightly with thread. Turn right side out. Glue remaining pompom to top of hat. Fold bottom edge up 1/2" and glue onto head. Wrap coat around body with 1" extending above body. Tie thread tightly around neck. Fold down collar. Glue two mini buttons to coat and one to hat brim. Glue long edges of each sleeve together. Pinch-pleat one short end of arms and glue to snowman, under coat collar. Glue mittens into sleeves.
Glue large snowman to base beside tree as shown. Glue small snowman to large snowman's mittens. Glue large snowflake to front top of tree. Glue small snowman's mittens to back of tree and front of snowflake. Glue remaining snowflakes to tree. If desired, use decorative-edge scissors to cut additional 1" snowflake circles from white felt; glue to tree and base.