Homemade Popsicle Stick Sled Ornaments

The holiday season is the perfect time to test out your creative chops, and crafting homemade Christmas ornaments can be a great way to entertain the entire family. Popsicle stick sleds are one of my favorite holiday ornaments to make! They're not only attractive little creations, but they make great gifts for friends and they're super easy to put together, too!

Here's what you'll need: A bag of small craft sticks - the ones that look like popsicle sticks. You can find them at Michael's or just about any craft store near you. Or, if you're feeling thrifty and have a box of popsicles in your freezer, eat up, and then wash the sticks really well prior to use. A bag of wooden coffee stirrers. A small tube of wood glue. Other types of glue might work as well, but wood glue will hold the sticks together better than any other type, and should maintain the bond more effectively over time. Paint for wooden surfaces. Choose your favorite colors and be creative with your decoration! Small-tipped paint brushes. I suggest having two of different sizes so you can paint a base coat in one color and then do detail work in another. A small cup of water for each paint brush (for rinsing). You could use paint thinner if you like, but keep in mind that you'll need to work in a well-ventilated area if you do. A paper towel to use as a blotter for the paint brush if you're using different colors. A sharp knife or awl. A spool of thread. An Exacto (or similar) knife. And last but not least, clear-coat finishing spray.

You'll want to start off by gluing four of your craft/popsicle sticks together in the configuration of your choice. I find that lying all four side-by-side - creating a rectangle - gives the best result. This forms the body of the sled. After allowing the glue to dry, take two coffee stirrers and glue each one (thin side down) to one side of the four-popsicle-stick creation. (The stirrers will serve as the sled's runners.) Then, cut a small piece off of another coffee stirrer using your exacto knife and glue it, wide side down, perpendicular to the runners at the top of the sled. Then, paint your sled as you see fit. I prefer to apply a base coat in the color of my choice, and then do detail work using a smaller brush, but the design work is up to you! After the paint dries, spray with a light coating of a clear-coat varnish. (Be sure to do this either outside, or in a well-ventilated area away from children and pets.) Next, after the varnish has dried, use the awl or knife to carefully poke a hole in each side of the piece of coffee stirrer that is perpendicular to the runners. String the thread through the holes and tie securely so you can hang it up!

And that's your popsicle stick sled.