Clay Pot Snowman Tutorial

Look what the winter storm just blew in — a jovial snowman to bring cheer to you and your family throughout the season. Made of clay pots, it's a holiday decoration that looks perfect standing guard at the front porch, or sitting inside on the mantel or by your fireplace. He'll be such a hit with everyone, the reception will be anything but frosty.

snowman

Things You\’ll Need

  • 4 clay pots: 1 large, 1 medium, 1 small, 1 extra small

  • White spray paint

  • Paint brush

  • Black acrylic paint

  • Permanent glue

  • Buttons

  • Cork

  • Orange acrylic paint

  • Twigs

  • Piece of fabric

  • Craft pom pom

materials

Step 1: Paint the Clay Pots

Wipe off the clay pots with a damp cloth to remove any dust or debris. Spray paint the exterior of the large, medium and small clay pots white. (The diameters of the pots in this tutorial were 8 inches, 6 inches and 4 1/2 inches.) You will need about three even coats to achieve a uniform white color. If you prefer not to use spray paint, you can apply white acrylic paint instead. Just be sure to select an acrylic paint that is weatherproof if you are planning on displaying the snowman outside.

spray paint

Paint the smallest clay pot with black weatherproof acrylic paint. The pot used here has a diameter of 3 1/2 inches.

black paint

Step 2: Stack the Three White Pots

Place the largest clay pot upside down. Apply some permanent glue around the edge of the clay pot's bottom (which is now facing up). Then nestle the medium-sized clay pot upside down on top of the large one. Apply glue to the edge of the medium pot's bottom, and fit the small pot on top of that.

stack

Tip

If you want to be able to take this snowman apart at the end of the season for easier storage, you can skip the glue. You'll just have to be careful when moving it so that the clay pots don't topple.

Step 3: Add the Hat

Place the black clay pot upside down on the stack of white pots. The black pot is the snowman's hat. Glue the hat in place.

hat

Step 4: Glue On the Eyes

For the eyes, glue two large buttons right below the black rim of the hat.

eyes

Step 5: Give It a Nose

An old cork from a wine bottle makes the perfect nose. Clean it, allow to dry, and then paint it with orange acrylic paint.

cork

Glue the orange cork underneath the two eyes. Because of the size of the nose, it will want to move around, even with glue. Hold it in position with your fingers until the glue sets.

nose

Step 6: Make It Smile

Form a smile by gluing smaller buttons underneath the nose in a curved pattern. You can also draw a smile with a black marker, but the buttons give it a fanciful flair.

smile

Step 7: Add More Buttons

The snowman needs more buttons down the front of his body to give the suggestion of clothing. Evenly line up three to four buttons under the head and glue them in place.

buttons

Step 8: Give It Arms

For arms, use twigs that are between 6 to 8 inches long. Choose twigs that have multiple offshoots at one end, so the snowman will appear to have fingers. Glue the twigs to the rim of the white clay pot on top. The rim acts like the snowman's shoulders.

arms

Step 9: Wrap a Scarf

Cut a piece of fabric that is about 6 inches wide and 30 inches long. Wrap it around the neck of the snowman. The scarf also helps keeps the twig arms locked in place.

scarf

Step 10: Top the Hat

Glue a large craft pom pom to the top of the hat. Besides being oh-so-stylish, the pom pom hides the drainage hole in the clay pot.

pom pom

This snowman won't melt, but it will melt your heart.

clay snowman