How To Make Life-Size Christmas Characters from Things You Probably Already Have

We've all seen them: those life-size Santa's, elves, teddy bears and others who sit on porches or hang around inside the house, but take a look at their price tags and most of us will decide against the cute characters. But, you can have a complete set of the characters - ones that look exactly like you want - simply by making them yourself from things you probably already have.

A stuffed teddy bear is a good start to making a life-size character for Christmas. Put the bear in a long-sleeve, turtleneck and glue on gloves or mittens to the wrist openings. Stuff the shirt with cotton batting. Be sure and fill the gloves, then stuff the arms, shaping them as you go along. Glue a pair of pants on to the waist area of the shirt. You can tuck the shirt in, then glue, or glue the pants under the shirt so the shirt tails hang out.

Stuff the pants, reaching in through the ankles to add the batting. Shape the legs as you stuff them. When the bear character has taken shape add boots by stuffing the pant leg edges into the shoes, then gluing around the hem to secure. Add a Christmas hat and you've got a life-size character for next to nothing.

The same can be done with stuffed rabbits and other stuffed animals or people. If you can't find a stuffed person, like a Santa, make your own! That's right, check the fabric department of your local department store and you'll find Santa faces imprinted on cloth that can be cut out, stuffed, and used for the head portion of the life-size character. Use cotton balls to give Santa a beard and to add dimension to the pillow.

Since you might not have a Santa outfit lying around, use your imagination to make something similar. Glue fur trim on to a red shirt or take advantage of cheap craft supplies, like red felt or giant white pom-poms.

A body pillow is another great way to start making a life-size character. Slip a white or red dress onto it then tie a string or belt around the top third. This will be the waistline for a Mrs. Santa or another female character. If you use a red dress, add a white apron, or for a white dress, add a red apron to Mrs. Santa. Use a pillow with her image to make the face, then add a wig to give her hair and add dimension to the otherwise flat pillow. Add other real things, like clip-on earrings or a Santa hat. Use stiff but pliable wire in the arms of the dress, covered with batting, so that she's poseable. Glue the sleeve cuffs to the underside of a cookie sheet and glue craft cookies on to the baking sheet.

To make the characters stand use wooden dowels in the legs, wrapped in cotton batting. If the character is wearing shoes or boots he'll stand easily with the dowels in the pant legs. Instead of shoes or boots, though, the character can wear holiday socks or slippers. You'll have fun making the giant characters, which can also be made in a child-size design. Look around your own home to find stuffed animals that will make great characters to add to your holiday decor.