By Morgan Sprigler
Happy Holiday’s Extol Readers! I am about to give you the best gift you will receive all season long, a purpose for all of your random onesie socks! Aren’t you excited?!
My oldest daughter has been asking for a pet for months and she found this craft to be the cuteness equivalent of a Christmas morning puppy. At least, she hasn’t asked about a little fur-ball in over 48 hours (a much needed break for this momma).
The best part about this craft is that you will most likely have all of the items you need right under your roof. So, keep this on your radar for the next snow day!
Supplies:
• White crew cut socks of any size
• Colored socks from your mismatched sock pile (we all have one, right?)
• Rice (lentils or dried beans will work, too)
• Rubber bands (hair ties will also do the job)
• Buttons and embellishment
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue sticks
STEP ONE
Cut the sock in half at the heel, so that you have two sections. One should be ribbed, while the other is solid cotton. I found that the ribbed section, or the ankle of the sock,is best for making a “child” snowman. The solid cotton section, or the foot of the sock, is best for an “adult” snowman. One sock should equal two snowpeople (one child and one adult). Are you following? I hope so.
STEP TWO
Tie a rubber band around the side of the ribbed section that you cut from the solid section and then turn inside out. This will allow the sock to hold the rice. The solid section is already closed at the toe, so there is no need for this step for your “adult” snowman.
STEP THREE
Fill as far up to the top of each section as you can with your rice, leaving enough space at the top to be able to wrap with another rubber band.
STEP FOUR
Using another rubber band, wrap just above the middle of the sock to create the head.
STEP FIVE
Because I have two toddlers, I have quite the extensive collection of itty bitty mismatched socks. These worked perfectly to create hats for my snow-people. I just rolled up the opening of the sock a bit and stretched over the head. If you don’t have little socks, that’s OK. You can achieve the same result from a regular sized sock with a little cutting, folding and rolling. You can also use scraps from an old sweater, t-shirt, blanket, etc.
STEP SIX
Now the fun part! Find some things around your home you can use for embellishment. I raided my craft-stash for flowers and buttons. If you don’t have a craft-stash (aka Hobby Lobby trinkets and trash) rummage through some of your old clothing. I guarantee you can find something interesting for your little snow guy or gal to show off. Get out your glue gun and go crazy! I actually found them to be sweet without eyes, but my children both disagreed. So, we added some little black dots so their “babies” could see.
Once my girls decide to stop carrying around their snow creatures like baby-dolls, I hope to display them somewhere in our home to enjoy throughout the holidays. They would look precious on top of a mantle, or incorporated into a tablescape. If you have a ton of mismatched socks, you could even do an entire Christmas tree of sock-snowmen. The world is your oyster, people.
Wishing you and your families a blessed Holiday season.
XO,
Morgan
