Clay Pot Soldier
This clay pot soldier is a fun Christmas craft that will be wonderfully festive for your mantle, or table centerpiece. There is an assortment of craft items and paint types that work for these soldiers, depending on the look you would like to create. The directions below should serve as guidelines for your own style.
What you will need:
-- 5 flower pots of the same size (I used 3 inch flower pots)
-- Acrylic paint or spray paint
-- Silver or gold ribbon
-- 1 large black pon-pon and four small pon-pons
-- 1 sheet of red felt
-- 1 sheet of skin-colored felt
-- glue gun with craft glue sticks and Elmer's glue (or any brand of squeeze-glue)
-- 2 googly eyes
How to make your easy and fun Christmas crafts:
1. Begin your soldier by gluing your pots together end-to-end, with your first pot upside down. The second pot will be right side up, and so on until your fifth pot is upside down. Be sure to use just enough glue to hold the pots together without squeezing glue from between the pots. Number your pots with a pencil from top to bottom, starting with the number 1 at the bottom and 5 at the top.
2. Once your glue is dry, it is time to paint! My directions will guide you through using acrylic paint and a brush. Paint your first, second (minus the rim), and fifth pots black. Paint the rim of your fourth pot black, as well. Next, paint your second pot's rim and entire third pot red. Your fourth pot (minus the rim -- which is already painted black) is painted skin color.
-- To make skin color, mix two parts white paint to 1 part pink and 1 part yellow.
3. Paint a thin, black line on the joint between the second and third pot (for a belt). Finish your painting by completing your soldier's face with a smile, nose, and eyes. If you are working with small kids, let them glue googly eyes at the top of the fourth pot. To make a simple nose, dip your pointer finger into pink paint and dab once on the soldier's face, centered between the eyes and a half-inch lower than the eyes. Draw on the mouth with a small, pointed paintbrush or a black, permanent marker.
4. Cut two mitten-shaped hands from your skin-colored felt (about 1 inch in size if you are using a 3-inch pot). Next, cut a 3 x 3 inch square of red felt, place the edge of your hand just inside the end of your red felt square, and glue into place. Fold the square over in thirds, around your soldier's hand. Attach your soldier's arms to the upper, rear side of the third pot, and glue the hands to the front of the third pot.
5. Glue two strips of ribbon, crossed over each other to form an "X" in the center of the third pot. Measure and glue two strips of ribbon around the rim of the first pot and between the joints of the fourth and fifth pots.
6. For the final touch, glue your four, small pon pons at the ends of your ribbon "X" on the third pot. Glue your large pon pon on the top of the soldier's head for a completed soldier!
7. Stand back and admire your work!
Congratulations on completing an easy and fun Christmas craft that your whole family can take pride in! Click here for more fun Christmas crafts for you and your family.
Billie C
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BilliesChristmasCorner/
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