Craft Snowmen and Reindeer Ornaments Using Wooden Spools

In my quest to make room in my craft room, I have decided to lighten my supplies. No, I'm not throwing them away, but I am making a huge dent by crafting ornaments for my next Christmas craft show.

A big box of empty wooden thread spools was begging to be seen. The spools were screaming to become Christmas ornaments, and I was happy to oblige. Make your own snowmen and reindeer using wooden spools from grandma's old sewing box or scavenge at thrift stores or auctions for these vintage finds.

Since the sizes of wooden spools are so varied, I can't give exact measurements, but I can give you instructions on how to measure for your spool.

Step 1
Measure between the top and bottom lip of the spool. This is the width measurement for your fabric strip. Use a measuring tape to measure around the spool and add a 1/2 inch for overlap. This is the length of your fabric strip. Cut one strip using your measurements. I used a white on off-white printed fabric for the snowman and a beige fabric for the reindeer. Helpful hint: If you do not have a tape measure, use a piece of ribbon to measure around the spool and cut your fabric the length of the ribbon.

Step 2
Apply a thin line of craft glue from below the top lip to above the bottom lip of the spool. Place one short end of your strip over the glue. Wrap the length of the strip around the spool. Glue the overlap to secure. The overlapping seam is the back of the ornament.

Step 3
Apply two round circle cheeks to the front of the ornament using blush and a cotton swab. The circles are centered between the top and bottom of the spool and spaced approximately a 1/4 inch apart.

Step 4
Add the noses. Apply a dot of craft glue to the center of the reindeer face. Place a 1/4-inch red pompom in the glue. For the snowman, apply orange dimensional fabric paint to the center of the face. Hold the bottle straight up and down, and squeeze out a chocolate chip shaped nose. Allow the glue and/or paint to dry.

Step 5
Paint the faces on both the reindeer and snowman using black acrylic paint and a wooden skewer. For the snowman, dip the blunt end of the skewer into the paint and dot two eyes slightly above the nose. Apply five more dots for the curve of the mouth, from one cheek to the other. For the reindeer's eyes, dot each eye and slide the skewer downward slightly to create an oval shaped eye. Allow the paint to dry.

Step 6
Cut a 12-inch length of packing string. The string I used was slightly thinner than jute and had a plastic feel. I tried jute, but it was too thick to fit through the holes of my bells and beads. If you can't find packing string, any thin decorative cord, ribbon or string will work as long as it fits through the holes of your embellishments.

Step 7
Thread the string through the hanger on a 1/2-inch jingle bell. Bring the ends of the string together and thread them up through the bottom of your spool ornament and out through the top. Apply craft glue around the bottom hole of the spool. Pull the string up so the bell is snug against the bottom of the spool. Thread the ends of the string through a 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch diameter wooden bead. Apply craft glue around the top of the spool hole and slide the bead over the glue. Tie the ends of the string in an overhand knot to create the ornament hanger.

Step 8
Make the reindeer antlers. Cut two 9-inch lengths of craft wire. Place one wire horizontally across the back of the spool, just below the top lip. Place the other wire horizontally across the front. Adjust the wire ends so an even amount is extended from each side of the spool. Twist the entire length of the extended wire ends together. Note: When twisting the wire ends, they need to be tight against the spool to prevent the antlers from sliding down.

Step 9
Wind the end of an antler once around the wooden skewer. Remove the skewer and place it a 1/2 inch further down the antler and wind it again. Remove the skewer and place it a 1/2 inch further down the antler and wind it one last time. You will have a total of three curls on the antler. Repeat on the other antler. Thread a 1/4-inch jingle bell on the top curl of each antler.

Step 10
Cut a 12-inch length of 1/8-inch ribbon for the reindeer. Tie the ribbon into a bow and trim the ends. Glue the bow over the wire of the antlers at the top of the face. Rip a 1/4-inch wide strip of fabric. Cut it 12 inches long. Wind the strip around the snowman spool, above the bottom lip of the spool. Tie the ends in a knot and trim.