Milk… It Does A (Snowman) Body Good

My snowman-making skills are pretty minimal… I can’t even deny it. We have a few inches of snow on the ground now and my girls wanted to build snowmen sooooo badly. An hour later, everyone is mad at Mom because the snow won’t hold together and I won’t sacrifice any scarves to decorate with. After a bribe of hot chocolate with marshmallows I rectified the situation, distracted the two little crazies involved, and we were inside in the warmth making snowman crafts.

See, I wasn’t kidding about the snowman skills.

Anyway, this craft was the next best thing! Not only do we have empty milk jugs galore because my kiddos drink it like it’s water, but this snowman project proved to also be the perfect little touch to add a bit of Christmas flair to individual rooms. I typically decorate just the living room and kitchen with lights and winter decor but both of my daughters were thrilled to put one of these adorable jugs in their rooms by their beds. The lights inside give a cozy ambience and, well, they are just darn CUTE!! Side note- I would not recommend using one of these as a night light. I have left this snowman jug plugged in for no longer than a few hours at a time.

The materials needed are ones that you may very well already have on hand.

• Empty (and clean) gallon milk jug
• Black and orange construction paper or card stock
• Pipe cleaner (2 strands)
• 2 large pom poms OR yarn to make your own
• A string of white lights (I used a miniature strand with 20 bulbs)
• Glue
• Knife (I recommend a craft knife such as X-Acto)

Step 1) Cut a hole with the knife in the back part of the jug that will not be seen to fit your strand of lights inside. I would not cut the hole on the bottom because then the jug would not sit flat on a surface.

Step 2) Cut two circles out of black paper to create eyes (I traced a tablespoon) and cut five smaller circles to create a mouth (I traced a half tablespoon). Free hand an orange triangle for the nose and then glue all of the pieces down.

Step 3) Twist two pieces of pipe cleaner together and glue each end to both sides of the top of your jug. I found that it was helpful to use tape to secure the pipe cleaner down while the glue dried, but then I eventually went back and added a dot of hot glue to make sure it was all fastened securely and that the hold would last. In hindsight, I would probably skip the plain glue and go straight for the hot glue gun if you have one.

Step 4) Glue large pom poms on the ends of each pipe cleaner to create ear muffs! (How cute, right!?) I did not have pom poms so I made my own with some extra yarn I had… all you need is scissors! It is so incredibly easy to make yourself- I used this fantastic tutorial from Vickie Howell on YouTube. (See below)

Step 5) Plug in your lights and enjoy!!

Next time I might get crazy and try to cut and stack three on top of each other for the *whole* snowman effect. What other things might you add or do differently?? I’d love to see your creations!!

Stay warm, friends!

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