For Phin and Anyone Else Who Wants Them: Directions on the Snowman Gourd

MAKING A SNOWMAN FROM A BIRDHOUSE GOURD

Materials Needed
Acrylic Paint (soft white, tan, off white, black, orange and pink)
Scissors
4 Buttons (2 large and 2 small)
One sock (small size – the toe of this will make the snow man’s hat)
Super Sculpey (You can get this at Walmart or Michaels Crafts
Hot glue gun
Wire ties (floral decorations) (You could also use pipe cleaners)
Gourd (birdhouse type)
Any type of fabric
Minwax-rubbing oil stain and finish in Colonial Walnut
Toothbrush
Small container
Metal scrubber
Various paintbrushes
Procedure
First wash your gourd under water, gently scrubbing it with your metal scrubber until it has a smooth clean surface.
Then:

1. With a soft, broad paintbrush paint the entire gourd off white


2. Pour your tan paint in a small container.  Dip your toothbrush into the container and flick the paint on the gourd (Make sure you continue to rotate the gourd the whole time so your paint won’t all be in one spot).


3. Next, rub the Minwax lightly on one section at a time and then immediately rub it off with a soft clean cloth.


4. Cut your wire ties off for an appropriate arm length for the size of your gourd (don’t forget to leave room for the hands).  Unravel the ties slightly and twist the ends to make hands.  Hot glue the wire ties to the back of the snowman’s neck.


5. Paint the facial features on the snowman using a small tipped brush.  To make his cheeks rosy, use a dry-brush technique.  Using a  large, dry, firm tipped brush, dip it in the pink paint and get as much off the brush as you possibly can before you paint the cheeks.


6. Take your sock and cut off the section of the toe and leave room to roll it up so that it will look like a toboggan.  Cut off the end of the sock for the scarf.  In the middle part that is left, cut two long, narrow sections and fray the end with your scissors.  Poke the un-frayed end under the scarf.


7. Make a nose out of super sculpey, bake it and then hot glue it where you want it.  Paint it orange.


8. Hot glue the buttons on his stomach (the big buttons on the bottom with the little buttons on top of them).


9. Cut out little squares (like patches) from your material and hot glue them on him for a country look.