Do you need an adorable homemade gift that can double as a holiday decoration? This snowman fingerprint candle is perfect!
Do you want to build a snowman? Good, because let me tell you upfront…you will be the one doing most of this project unless you have a very capable older child. That said, it is SO worth it! This has turned out to be one of my favorite winter decorations in our home. Let’s get to it!
You will need:
- clean glass jar (We used Nutella and local honey jars. The shorter the better to reach the candle.)
- white acrylic paint
- paint brush (Confession, I just used my finger to spread the paint. hehe)
- puffy paint in white, orange, black, silver, and gold
- safety pin, needle, etc. (to make the carrot nose pointy)
- hot glue gun
- pipe cleaners (These metallic ones are fun.)
- fake snow
- tea light candle (We used the fake kind with a switch at the bottom like these.)
Let’s talk about paint for a minute. I originally tried the fingerprints with white acrylic paint, and it scratched off right away on the glass. Next I tried only the white puffy paint, and even with two coats…it hardly showed up. The perfect combo was to dip my finger in the lid of the acrylic paint, and spread it around on the finger to paint. Then squeeze a line of puffy paint on top, and mix them together. NOTE: I used Colombian brands that we bought here in our small town. Different brands may be more effective, but this worked for us.
Step 1) Find a finger to paint…the tinier and chubbier the better if you ask me! Even though you are only painting the index finger, it works best if you have the child lay their hand down on the counter and spread out all their fingers. The paint dries quickly, so get to the next step fast.
Step 2) Have them turn their hand around like a high five, but keep their fingers spread out. Position their finger where you want it on the jar, press down, and lift straight up. (If you are doing multiple fingerprints, its best to use the right index finger and work from left to right. That way stray fingers won’t mess up finished print.) Wait until the paint is thoroughly dry to continue.
Step 3) Use the puffy paint to add the details, starting at the top and working down. (Have a few napkins close by to practice on. The puffy paint usually has a few bubbles at the top, so start on a napkin until it comes out smooth.) We decided on top hats for the boys and earmuffs for the girls.
- For the top hat, make a line straight across, with a rectangle on top and fill it with paint. If it looks clumpy, just take the tip of the bottle and stir it until the hat looks smooth.
- For the earmuffs, make a black arch on top of the head and let it dry.
- Add black dots for the eyes, mouth, and buttons.
- Use orange to make the carrot nose. Just squeeze a little dot then pull it to the right. To get a pointier tip, take a safety pin and pull the end like shown.
- Use gold to finish the earmuffs, and add the arms. You can give them lots of personality here! We made the twins holding hands, girls with their hands on their hips, etc. Check here for inspiration.
Step 4) Use silver to make snowy dots all over, then wait for ALL the puffy paint to dry.
Step 5) Cut about 1.5″ pipe cleaner for each snowman. Shape a U on the left side to fit the snowman’s neck, then fold the extra straight down. When you are happy with the the shape of the scarves, flip them over so the U shape is on the right. Put hot glue on the U only, and immediately stick it onto the snowman’s neck. Finally, adjust the unglued part of the scarf until you are happy with it.
Step 6) Add the fake snow and candle. (If you are going to be shipping this, put the fake snow in a ziplock bag to be assembled upon arrival.)
Now sit back and enjoy your work! If you made this project, I would love to see how it turned out.