Now that the Christmas decorating season is upon us, all the fall decor has been tucked away or disposed. Some of my larger pumpkins were never carved and just used for a nice fall harvest effect and in perfect condition after months of use. The thought of just throwing them out made me look for a better alternative and so I decided to reuse them, but with a winter theme. My final simple solution was to make them snowmen. Everything I needed I had one hand so it was a free craft project as far as immediate cost outlay. I hope you like them and will give them a try, it adds a bit of whimsy to my outdoor decor.
First I selected the two pumpkins that would be best suited for a balanced effect. I used four 8″ dowel rods to attach the top pumpkin to the large bottom. If I did this again I think I would use a center large dowel rod the height of the combined pumpkins to secure the head to the body. The four dowel rods worked fine, but they tend to slide down into the body and I did angle them so they would not just slip into the cavity of the pumpkin and be of no use for securing them permanently. The central rod would probably be the best choice.
Next I use a white Krylon spray paint in a white gloss finish to paint the entire head and body of the pumpkins. After a few hours of drying time, I found a old derby hat that fit the head of the now snowman snuggly, I did this to see where I will have to start the placement of the face. Another option could be a large stocking hat or earmuffs would work great. I found some different selections of facial features for a pattern on Pinterest and just copied the one I liked best onto my snowman. I used a permanent fabric paint I had on hand to paint the eyes nose and mouth. I also painted on the 3 buttons on the front. You could also glue on real buttons or pom poms if you choose, all would work well for this. Lastly I found some branches in the yard that I used for arms. Ribbon was used for his hat band and tied around his neck. I had first put a scarf around his neck which I really liked, but we get a lot of rain this time of the year and the waterproof ribbon would be a better choice for my location. A sprig of fabric holly was set into the hatband and the snowman project was finished. This is a fairly simple and fast project I hope you will try.
Merry Christmas!