These adorable little snowman hat ornaments are easy and fun to make, using recycled cardboard tubes and boxes.
Last year, on a trip to Arizona to visit family, I wanted to bring my sister-in-law a set of handmade ornaments with her kids' names on them. Of course, they weren't finished when it was time to travel, so I brought supplies and finished them when I got there.
They were so popular, my sister-in-law's daughter and daughter-in-law wanted to make some, so we had a snowman hat making party!
Each little top hat was decorated with evergreen sprigs and ribbon, and a cute flag with a child's name.
To make these, you will need empty paper towel tubing and some cereal box weight cardboard (I used a cracker box).
Cut the paper towel tube into two inch lengths (more or less). Using the tube as a template, cut a circle of cardboard for the top of the hat, and a slightly larger circle for the brim of the hat. I used the rim of a glass for the brim template. Each hat ornament will consist of one smaller circle, one larger circle, and one piece of tubing.
Using full strength glue, attach the small circle of cardboard to the top of the cardboard tube, then glue torn strips of paper towel over the top, paper mache style, as shown. For your paper mache paste, thin some white glue with a little bit of water.
For the brim of the hat, papier mache a large piece of paper towel to the bottom of the brim, and tear the edges into a "fringe", as shown. Now glue the brim piece to the bottom of the tube, using full strength glue. Let the glue set up for a few minutes, then papier mache the "fringed" edges over the top of the brim Wrap another piece of paper towel around the tube portion of the hat, using the diluted papier mache glue.
I liked my hats to look a bit distressed -- as if they had been found blowing in the wind, so I squished and bent and sculpted them with me hands, while they were still a bit damp from the glue.
Paint and glitter and decorate your hats as desired. We painted ours white, added ribbon bands and hangers, using hot glue. Next, we added sprigs of evergreen and tinsel, tucked in some name banners, and added a bow.
The end results were adorable! We even added a little snow texture to the ornaments, using texture paste.
This project can be adapted to use with decorative paper, carefully cut and measured to fit the hat, and glued into place, instead of using the papier mache technique.
This is a great gift idea for grandparents, and as we discovered, a great idea for a group craft!
To learn how to make these adorable mitten ornaments, click here.
To see another holiday project idea, using cereal box cardboard, click here.
To see another holiday project using paper towel tubing, click here.
If you enjoyed this tutorial, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss any of the fun projects we have scheduled. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff, and see what I'm working on daily on Instagram. Feel free to link today's post to your favorite social media sites.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Amanda
Last year, on a trip to Arizona to visit family, I wanted to bring my sister-in-law a set of handmade ornaments with her kids' names on them. Of course, they weren't finished when it was time to travel, so I brought supplies and finished them when I got there.
They were so popular, my sister-in-law's daughter and daughter-in-law wanted to make some, so we had a snowman hat making party!
Each little top hat was decorated with evergreen sprigs and ribbon, and a cute flag with a child's name.
To make these, you will need empty paper towel tubing and some cereal box weight cardboard (I used a cracker box).
Cut the paper towel tube into two inch lengths (more or less). Using the tube as a template, cut a circle of cardboard for the top of the hat, and a slightly larger circle for the brim of the hat. I used the rim of a glass for the brim template. Each hat ornament will consist of one smaller circle, one larger circle, and one piece of tubing.
Using full strength glue, attach the small circle of cardboard to the top of the cardboard tube, then glue torn strips of paper towel over the top, paper mache style, as shown. For your paper mache paste, thin some white glue with a little bit of water.
For the brim of the hat, papier mache a large piece of paper towel to the bottom of the brim, and tear the edges into a "fringe", as shown. Now glue the brim piece to the bottom of the tube, using full strength glue. Let the glue set up for a few minutes, then papier mache the "fringed" edges over the top of the brim Wrap another piece of paper towel around the tube portion of the hat, using the diluted papier mache glue.
I liked my hats to look a bit distressed -- as if they had been found blowing in the wind, so I squished and bent and sculpted them with me hands, while they were still a bit damp from the glue.
Paint and glitter and decorate your hats as desired. We painted ours white, added ribbon bands and hangers, using hot glue. Next, we added sprigs of evergreen and tinsel, tucked in some name banners, and added a bow.
The end results were adorable! We even added a little snow texture to the ornaments, using texture paste.
This project can be adapted to use with decorative paper, carefully cut and measured to fit the hat, and glued into place, instead of using the papier mache technique.
This is a great gift idea for grandparents, and as we discovered, a great idea for a group craft!
To learn how to make these adorable mitten ornaments, click here.
To see another holiday project idea, using cereal box cardboard, click here.
To see another holiday project using paper towel tubing, click here.
If you enjoyed this tutorial, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss any of the fun projects we have scheduled. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff, and see what I'm working on daily on Instagram. Feel free to link today's post to your favorite social media sites.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Amanda