The Crayola product, gift card, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by Crayola.
While I wouldn’t always call myself crafty, I do become the crafting queen when it comes to my kids, especially when I can use kid-friendly supplies. Who doesn’t want those adorable crafts at Christmas time that you know the kiddos have poured their heart and soul into (and little messy hands, of course)? This year we decided to do a fun craft for the boys’ Mamaw that will fit perfectly up on her fireplace mantle among her snowman collection. Plus it was great using a host of Crayola supplies to make our snowman. I knew that everything would be washable and safe to be on the boys’ skin. And it was a blessing that it all came out of my carpet… thanks Crayola! Hehe.
Supplies Needed:
3 Balloons
Crochet thread
Craft glue
Paintbrush
Tweezers
Crayola Model Magic
Crayola Washable Markers
Crayola Glitter Glue
Start by blowing up three balloons with each balloon a little larger than the next (make the smallest balloon about the size of your fist). My balloons weren’t perfectly rounded when only blown up that much, but they worked out great anyway.
Thin out some craft glue slightly with a little water. Place a dab at the top of the balloon near the knot and wrap the string around it, placing it in the glue. Then slowly and snugly wrap the string in different directions, changing direction slightly with each wrap and rotating the balloon. Add light coats of glue in different places where the string slips to help secure it. This part will get messy and drip quite a bit. (You may want to add a very light spray of cooking oil to the balloons before wrapping with the thread and glue to make balloon removal easier in a later step.)
When you have wrapped the balloon to where there are no holes bigger than a dime, cut the string and glue the end down. Then cover the entire balloon and string in a layer of glue. Let dry completely. Do this with all 3 balloons.
Next, add a second layer of glue to the balloons and let dry completely.
When the balloons are completely dry, pop the balloon. Do make sure there is no moisture left in the glue at this point or your thread will collapse as your balloon shrinks! I ended up putting mine in the freezer for a few minutes after popping to help the string release from the balloon and harden some more. Then use tweezers to reach into the string ball and peel the balloon away and remove. You will be left with a pretty hollow string ball!
Create a base out of Crayola Model Magic for your snowman to sit on that’s a few inches larger than the biggest balloon. Aiden wanted to put his handprint in it so he was “holding” the snowman. We used Crayola Washable Markers to write the boys’ names, year, and Mamaw’s name on the bottom of the base.
Then create all of the pieces you want your snowman to have out of the rest of the Crayola Model Magic. We made buttons, a coal mouth and eyes, a carrot nose, a scarf, and a hat. (You could also add arms here, but we liked him without!) Let all pieces dry overnight.
When all of the pieces are dry, assemble your snowman. Using the craft glue, glue the largest balloon to the base, pressing slightly to form the string ball to the base. Then glue the next two balls on top, pressing slightly each time. Let dry.
When dry, attach all of your snowman pieces with craft glue or hot glue.
Finally, decorate the snowman with Crayola Glitter Glue. This was Aiden’s favorite part- he said it made his snowman “bootiful.” I added small dots of glitter to the hat and all over the base of the snowman to add sparkly snow.
There you have it- a fun, crafty, sparkly snowman perfect for wintertime!
Thankfully all of the Crayola craft supplies were safe for the kids and easy to clean up. Make sure to check out Crayola’s Holiday Crafts Pinterest board and Pinterest page for more crafty ideas and fun for the kiddos. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter for even more Crayola fun. Be sure to share your own Crayola holiday craft photos for potential inclusion on the Crayola “Holiday Crafts” Pinterest Board!
Aaaaaaannnnddd Crayola is sponsoring an awesome giveaway for a fun Crayola gift pack for you to create your own Holiday craft.
The gift pack includes:
Crayola Washable Markers
Crayola Colored Pencils
Crayola Glitter Glue
Crayola Model Mogic
Crayola Slick Sticks
$25 Walmart Gift Card
Fill out the Giveaway Tools widget below to enter! Happy crafting!
