Up front n honest, I totally winged this one and didn't really think it would work, so there's no pics. I do feel as though it's so simple anyways, I can explain it pretty well.
Supplies:
2 styrofoam balls
red felt
green felt
elastics, preferably coloured ones to match felt, but whatever you have on hand will work
markers
pipecleaners, 2 flesh coloured, 2 black if possible
yarn or string for hair, I used embroidery thread
a tube of fabric for face n body, like a sock or small sweatshirt sleeve, <- that's what I used
Step 1: Use elastic to make a sort of knot at the end of the tube of fabric. I used a white sleeve from a child's sz. 4-6 sweatshirt, and an elastic tied around the sleeve cuff. Insert a styrofoam ball inside for the head, positioning your knot on top, it'll be the hat in a minute, and tie that off with another elastic.
Step 2: Attach hair. I used brown embroidery thread, since it was already prepackaged in one big loop, I just twisted it into a double loop and placed it around the knot in the sleeve and positioned it where I thought the hair would lie.
Step 3: Cut a small piece of red felt and roll it into a cone/hat shape, place it over the knot, leaving just a small bit of the hair sticking out of the bottom. Secure with an elastic, if you have coloured ones, use red over red felt so it blends a little bit.
Step 4: Cut a triangular collar from the green and slide it up the sleeve so it's placed around his neck. Take some red and create an almost poncho type shape and slide it up around the neck part too.
Step 5: Insert another styrofoam ball in the fabric tube n use scissors to create small arm holes in the fabric tube as well as starter holes for the flesh coloured pipe cleaners. Then cut the fabric tube from the bottom up to the styrofoam ball, creating a "pants" like look, insert the black pipecleaners, I didn't have any, into the styrofoam ball so they become legs.
Step 6: Take green felt and cut loose shape of pants, front and back. Place them around the bottom of styrofoam ball like a waist and secure with another elastic. Shape the fabric tube pants around the pipecleaners to make legs thicker, then place the green felt pantlegs around them, with the seam showing towards the back and secure them with green elastics at the ankles. Roll the pipecleaner ends to make feet, or curly elf shoes.
Step 6: Back up to the shirt and arms. Cut a loose shirt shape from the red felt, secure it with seams showing to the back, at the waist, either red elastic to blend or black one to make a belt. Then secure the sleeves, again, try to keep the seems showing to the back, with red elastics at the wrists. Curl the pipecleaners up to become hands, use your markers to draw on a face, a little blush or eyeshadow for rosy cheeks, and voila, you're done! Now you've got your very own elf on the shelf, you made, your kids will love and treasure because you made it, and it didn't cost an arm n a leg.
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Our Elf on the Shelf: Steve
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For those of you who don't know, Elf on the Shelf has bee
n a round a while, I think since the 60's, if you want more info, try Google or Wikipedia, and recently became popular again due to a rewrite, I believe. The story goes that an elf gets his magic when he's adopted and named by a family. His magic allows him to fly to the North Pole every night and back, and while there the elf reports back to Santa about how the kids behaved and whether they were naughty or nice. He then hides in the morning, usually doing something a little fun and mischievous, and the kids have to find him when they wake up. But be careful not to touch him when you find him because then he'll lose his magic!!! But, if you let him do his job, he'll disappear on Christmas Day and return next year, to start all over again! =)
We found Steve hang gliding from our ceiling fan this morning, lol! So go make one, start a fun new tradition with your kids, and Happy Holidays!!!
Happy Pinning!!!
So as you can see, she's incredible, makes cool things and you can get free stuff, so go check her out, if nothing else, you'll learn to make cool stuff too! =)
