Get festive with these holiday themed Santa and gnome ornaments
By Aldona Bird
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
With Thanksgiving behind us, we can embrace winter and the Christmas season. Whether already breaking out the twinkle lights and reindeer lawn ornaments or waiting a few more weeks before decorating, now is a great time to make some holiday ornaments.
Making ornaments with friends or family adds to home décor and also adds to your special memories.
These DIY Santas can also be made as general winter décor — switch up the colors to make gnomes instead of Santa for non-Christmas seasonal decorations.
and fabrics can be
used for the project.
The pinecones can also
be painted white to give
the appearance of a beard.
To make Santa/gnome ornaments you will need:
- Medium to large pinecones
- Felt or other fabric
- Glue
- Wooden beads
- White paint
- Twine, string or yarn
First, take a walk on a sunny day and scavenge for pinecones. Select a variety of sizes and shapes so you will have options once you get to crafting.
If you are making these to look like Santas, or gnomes with white beards, paint the pinecones white. You can paint them completely or just the lower part of the scales for an interesting effect.
Next make hats for your pinecones. Cut out an isosceles triangle from your chosen fabric, with the base length equal to the circumference of the largest part of your pinecone, plus about half an inch for overlap.
You can glue or sew the hat(s) together. To add extra adorable flare, use another fabric to add a brim to the hat. If you are sewing the hat, it is easiest to add the brim before you sew the hat up.
Experiment with the sizes of hats — make a set of ornaments with different size cones and hat heights and colors.
Once the paint on the pinecones is dry and you’ve made the hats, put them together. Glue the hats onto the base of the pinecones (with the tips of the cones pointing down), leaving an inch to an inch and a half unglued where you want the front of the ornament to be.
Use a large wooden bead as a nose, and glue it to the pinecone such that the brim of the hat scrunches up a bit on top of it.
Glue twine, string or yarn on to the sides of the pinecone in a loop, to use as a hanger. Alternatively, tie the twine, etc., around the cone, and tuck it up under the scales to hide it and hold it in place.
Make a mix of these ornaments and gift them as stocking stuffers or along with a bottle of wine or box of cookies for a handcrafted holiday gift. Make some extras to suit your own space and aesthetic.
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