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Take a brown paper bag (grocery size) and cut off the bottom and cut down the seam in the back and remove the overlap. Now you have a long rectangle. Fold in half (printed side in). Free hand draw a snowman. It looks much like the old cookie cutters. Just a general or non-descript shape. Sorta like baggy pants at the knees. You don't want any corners. This is supposed to look like Folk Art. You need two of each. Cut them out together so you have front and back. Paint it all over with white and add eyes, nose, mouth and buttons. (A Q-tip dipped in black works great for buttons). Take a small amount of fiber fill, lay between the front and back (lightly add a little glue to hold.) then glue around the edges. Put together and hold with clothespins. You can also make stitch marks around your snowmen, etc. to resemble sewing. (You can also blanket stitch these with embroidery floss or dental floss.) I layed pine boughs or part of an old fake evergreen swag in a basket and stood the snowmen up in it. Add fake poinsetta flowers or a bow. Anything for color. Looks cute.
This is an inexpensive project and one that everyone can do. Takes no talent drawing. The odder your pattern, the better. If you want an idea for a face, go to the craft titled Spoons. I drew the face on that spoon. A secret is to keep your eyes close together and close to the nose.
By the way. These are also cute on a wreath. You could even make carolers out of snowmen. Mouth should be a long oval. You can just draw a pair of mittens, paint them red, glue the wrist area on the body, leaving the hand free. Paint a small rectangle to look like a book (draw lines and notes inside) and whatever outside. old in half, then open. Glue to mittens to look like they are holding a music book.
You can do cats. Paint them a pretty pastel and paint flowers all over. A cat shape would be an oval with two ears (points) on top. Glue thread on nose for whiskers, or paint them on.
Brown bags can be used for small ornaments to hang on your Christmas Tree (stars, gingerbread boy/girl, heart, tree, wreath, mitten) or give away. Add a drop of scented oil to the fiberfill.
Make gingerbread men and ladies and lay them with a long cord between the front and back. Leave about 1/4" between hands. Makes a garland of any length. Hang over doorways, windows, on the wall, on the Christmas Tree. Why not make them resemble family members (don't forget the family pet) and take a family picture. You can leave them paper bag brown and just paint all the fun stuff, like a heart on the chest, or on the hands, stitch lines, face, patterns on outfits, a vest, ribbon around neck, etc.
This is a wonderful project for kids and the possibilities are endless.
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