How to Craft a Christmas Gourd Santa
Get crafty this Christmas and Santa will show up whether you've been naughty or nice.
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You Will Need
- Bottle gourd
- Wood putty
- Fine sandpaper
- Acrylic paints and paintbrushes
- Clear acrylic spray finish
- Grapevine wreath
- Santa cap (optional)
Steps
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Step 1
Select gourd
Select a bottle gourd that has a smaller bulb on top to serve as Santa's head with a large bulb on bottom, which will become his jolly mid-section.
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Step 2
Wash and dry
Remove the stem at the top and wash the gourd thoroughly, scrubbing off dirt with a pot scrubber. Let it dry completely.
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Step 3
Fill in holes
Fill in any holes or irregularities with wood putty and then sand it with fine sandpaper.
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Step 4
Paint the hat
Paint Santa's red hat rimmed in white on the top of the gourd with a tassel hanging down the back of the gourd.
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You can skip painting the hat and either knit or buy a small Santa hat.
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Step 5
Paint the face
Paint the eyes, eyebrows, nose, rosy cheeks, and mouth on the upper bulb. Add white painted hair on the sides and in back. Then add a moustache and a beard that can extend down onto the lower bulb of the gourd.
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Step 6
Create the body
Paint the lower bulb of the gourd red to look like Santa's suit, with a black belt and white-trimmed sleeves ending in white mittens.
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Add creative details, like a sack full of toys, a scroll list, and a wreath.
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Step 7
Finish
Let the paint dry and add a coat of clear acrylic spray finish. If the gourd won't stand on its own, place it on top of a small grapevine wreath.
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Gourds were used as national currency in Haiti in the early 1800s.
