Celebrate Christmas in July

DIY Snowflake ornaments

Christmas in july

I know it may seem early to some, but for the crafty, the holidays are less than six months away. There's no time like the present to start hand-making ornaments guaranteed to give you and yours a truly cool Yule!

Just because the thermometer outside your window is reading HOT, HOT, HOT doesn't mean there can't be flurries of fun inside your craft room with Glitterville's First Family of Snow "The Flakes"!

What you'll need

• Styrofoam balls in the size you would like your ornaments to be (I use 3-inch)
• Paper mache or air dry clay
• Acrylic paints and brushes
• Kitchen skewer or length of sharpened dowel for nose
• White glue
• Glitter
• 18-gauge wire
• Ribbon for hanging

Step 1: Shape the face

Make indentations into your Styrofoam ball by pressing gently with your fingers to make eyes and mouth.

Step 2: Sculpt

Cover the entire surface of your Styrofoam ball with clay, starting in the recesses made for the eyes and mouth. Then insert a short length of kitchen skewer, dowel or even a sharpened pencil into the ball (sharpened end out) to make the nose. Cover with clay and blend into surrounding clay.

Step 3: Paint the face

Apply a coat of white acrylic paint over the entire head. When the base coat is dry to the touch, paint on details using a fine brush. Allow to dry and add glittered accents using white glue.

Step 4: Add the finishing touches

Add a wire loop at the top for hanging, and any other details that you want your snowman to have. I put a cupcake on top of his head which makes him look extra sweet! Set aside until it is dry and hardened.

Some of my best friends are Flakes, and I hope now you can say the same!

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