Clay Pot Winter Friends
by Amanda Formaro

Ice blue is the popular color for snowmen and winter scenes. These winter friends are looking cool in their ice blue outfits, just waiting for the ice rink to open!

You will need (for each character)
2- 1 1/2" diameter wooden balls
2- 2 1/4" diameter clay pots
button 1 each shimmery blue and white
pom poms
material scraps in a light blue pattern
white plush felt
white craft or hot glue
black finetip marker
small and large paintbrushes
acrylic paints in white, light blue, flesh, and pink
clear coat spray

What you do
Place newspaper down on work surface. Turn clay pot over and glue wooden ball to bottom of pot. When glue is dry, use large paint brush to paint entire the outside of the clay pot with light blue paint, and the entire wooden ball with flesh paint. Let dry and apply a second coat.

Cut the plush felt into strips long enough to go around the bottom of the clay pots (see photo), glue in place. Fashion scarves from material, wrap around neck, and glue in place. Fringe the ends of the scarves with scissors.

Use material to fashion hats by wrapping enough material around the "forehead" to go all the way around the wooden ball. Glue in place. Trim, tuck and glue material to form the hat, glue pom pom on top. Glue a strip of plush felt around the border of the hat to create a brim. Glue a button onto the front of the body.

To create a hand muff, simply roll a piece of material around a small amount of cotton batting. Glue in place. Trim small strips of plush felt and glue to the ends of the muff (see photo). Glue hand muff to the body.

Use black marker to dot on eyes and draw mouth. Using a small sponge, gently dab on a thin amount of pink for the cheeks.

Amanda Formaro is the entrepreneurial mother of four children. Subscribe to her free weekly kid's craft newsletter, Busy Little Hands, by sending any email message to mailto:kidscrafts-on@mail-list.com or by visiting her website at http://familycorner.com