11 Snowman Crafts That'll Make for a Wonderful Winter

Is there anything more exciting than a snow day? Think of hot chocolate, cozy crafts, and building a snowman in the wintry outdoors.

Frosty is the jolly inspiration for these winter snowman crafts. His corncob pipe, holly-adorned top hat, and roly-poly appearance inspire our glittered gift boxes. Polymer clay snowmen are even easier to create: Simply roll a few balls of white clay, an orange carrot nose, black eyes and buttons, and assemble your own seasonal friend. Then, place him in a discreet corner to be discovered by the kids alongside your family's Elf on the Shelf. Soft to hold in little hands, a pom-pom snowman will melt the hearts of your children; add a yarn loop to his top hat and he becomes a shatterproof ornament. Styrofoam balls easily skewer and stack onto wooden pencils, making an adorable writing accessory. Cheerful little confections are easy to assemble for parents, teachers, and grandparents alike: Simply rewrap store-bought chocolate bars in paper and give them personality with ink imprints and yarn-tied scarves. Snow globes make charming gifts, so grab a few glass jars and some glitter to make holiday magic.

All of these snowman crafts are easy to make, affordable for your family, and meant to create those special memories that make the holiday season so happy. It's a magical time of year. Let these snowman crafts make the season even more wonderful with our best ideas like Christmas cards, decorations, games, and handmade gifts.

Sparkling Snowman Treat Boxes

The Sparkling snowmen pictured on the previous slide make an impressive display. The big figure stands more than a foot tall, and each could double as treat boxes for candies. A sturdy paper container forms the base, with a foam ball or two stacked on top. Each piece is dusted with clear shard-glass glitter or white glitter. Features made with sculpting clay re-create coal eyes and a carrot nose. Scarves and mittens—cut from scraps—keep Jack Frost from nipping.

• Get the Large Snowman Template
• Get the Small Snowman Template

Snowman Cards

Why send an ordinary holiday card when you can greet a friend with this merry messenger? The chap, who owes his well-rounded appearance to old-fashioned honeycomb paper, is sure to spread goodwill. After reading your note (now hidden beneath the snowman's belly), recipients can display the card on a table or a mantel, where it will melt the hearts of passersby.

You'll need heavyweight matte paper, scissors, honeycomb paper, a pencil, and double-sided tape. If you prefer, stop after the first step and send the card with a message written on the back. Download and print the snowman clip-art; cut out. Align the straight edge of the semicircle image so it is perpendicular to the lines of the honeycomb paper; trace and cut out. Tape the wrong side of the semicircle image to the honeycomb cutout, aligning the edges. Tape to the snowman, matching up illustrations. Write a message in the lower portion of bottom circle. Fold flaps along dotted lines and enclose the card in a 6-by-9-inch envelope.

Shop Now: Recollections White Heavyweight Card Stock Paper, 8.5" by 11", michaels.com. Party City White Honeycomb Balls, $10 for 5, partycity.com. Envelopes Store Booklet Envelopes, in Ruby Red, $25.14 for 50, amazon.com.

Snowman Pencils

Put these together assembly-line style, and you'll have one for every kid in class. Make one of two 1-inch Styrofoam balls a bit smaller by pressing them uniformly on a flat surface. Push the pencil eraser into the big ball by 1/4 inch; remove, coat with white glue; reinsert. Glue on the head. Brush with glue; spoon on glitter; let dry. Glue on an orange felt nose and black seed beads for eyes; let dry 30 minutes. Tie on ribbon as a scarf.

Shop Now: Floral Supply Smooth Foam Balls, 1", $15 for 64, amazon.com. Martha Stewart Super Fine Glitter, in Sugar Cube, $7, michaels.com. Toho 11/0 Japanese Glass Seed Beads, in Black, $3.19, michaels.com.

Snowman Pom-Poms

Made of woolly white pom-poms, felt, and ribbon, this frosty friend never has to melt. He makes a great toy for a child; add a loop to the hat, and he becomes an ornament.

Make two 21/4-inch pom-poms and one 13/4-inch pom-pom. Trim one large pom-pom to be slightly smaller. Cut 3 pieces of gray yarn (for buttons) and 2 of black yarn (for eyes), each 5. inches long; knot each in center. Thread ends of each yarn piece through pom-poms (use a yarn needle, and work with one end at a time) where shown, tying yarn in back. Glue on orange felt carrot nose. For hat, cut :- and 1.-inch circles and 2.-by-:-inch rectangle of red felt. Sew a red yarn loop to small circle. Glue rectangle into cylinder and to edge of small circle; glue to large circle. Sew up from the bottoms with needle and invisible thread, sewing through centers of pom-poms to join them and sewing through bottom of hat; then sew back down through centers, and knot. Tie on ribbon scarf.

Sew pom-poms and bottom of hat together. For buttons and eyes, thread ends of yarn (each tied in center first) with needle through pom-poms; tie ends in back, and trim excess. Glue on felt nose, felt hat, and yarn loop for hanging. Tie ribbon for muffler.

Shop Now: Clover Large Pom-Pom Maker, $6.78 amazon.com. Appleton Tapestry Hank, in White, $7.75, purlsoho.com. Creatology Basic Felt, in Red, 9" by 12", 39¢ per sheet, michaels.com.

Polymer Clay Snowman

If you're an Elf on the Shelf type of family, here's your latest scenario idea: Roll a few balls of snow-white clay, stack them, decorate the face, and have this little friend appear beside your Scout Elf in the morning.

Shop Now: Sculpey III Oven-Bake Clay, in White, $2.59, michaels.com.

Snowman Cupcakes

Take a bite of these baked goods: This snowman gets his plump figure from two marshmallows; his winter hat is a chocolate-covered mint.

Snowman Candy Bars

Simply rewrap store-bought chocolate bars to make these cheerful little confections. Start by wrapping a bar in white paper, taping the seams. Dip your pinky finger in black ink, and stamp eyes and mouth. Glue on small triangle of orange paper for nose. For scarf, wrap yarn around bar twice; knot, and trim to desired length.

Shop Now: The Paper Mill Store Glossy White Text-Weight Paper, $19.47 for 500, thepapermillstore.com. Craft Smart Washable Ink Pad, in Black, $4, michaels.com.

"Build a Snowman" Game

On a snow day, stay indoors and play a round of "build the snowman." It's much like "pin the tail on the donkey" but this winter version requires players to place felt coal buttons, eyes, and a carrot-nose onto a white snowman wall-hanging.

To make your own, iron and cut red fabric to size (we cut ours 30 inches by 45 inches). Fold a section at the top approximately 2 inches wide and iron a length of Stitch Witchery into place, creating the channel for the dowel rod to slip through it. Use scrap paper to make a snowman pattern before using it to cut a snowman shape out of the white Velcro fabric. Using Stitch Witchery, attach the snowman to your banner. To make sure it's secure, use as many strips as necessary along all of the edges of the Velcro snowman. Using stiffened felt, cut out the eyes, nose, and any accessories that you are creating for your snowman. Attach the iron-on Velcro to the back of each piece. Add ribbon or string to the dowel rod before hanging your snowman, making sure to place it within the children's reach.

Shop Now: Red Cotton Fabric, $3 per yd., michaels.com. Creatology Stiffened Felt, 9" by 11", $1.19 per sheet, michaels.com. Dritz Stitch Witchery, 1", $8, michaels.com. Home Depot Hardwood Round Dowel, 1/2" by 48", $2, homedepot.com.

Marshmallow Snowman Drink Stirrers

Although your kids might happily stay outside in the snow until their lips turn blue, entice them inside with a cup of cocoa—and an edible snowman. To make the body, use a knife to cut one marshmallow in half crosswise. Cut a circle from one half with a 1-inch round cutter; and a circle from the other half with a 1 1/4-inch round cutter (warm the cutters first in hot water, and dry). Coat pieces and strips in red sanding sugar for a hat and scarf. Press in black sprinkles for eyes and buttons, and an orange one for the nose, poking spots first with a skewer to create holes.

Shop Now: Ateco Nested Round Plain Cookie Cutters, $13 for 11, amazon.com.

Snow Globes

Give this handmade snow globe a shake and watch the snowflakes magically appear in a flurry. It's easy to assemble, and you can personalize yours with a snowman rolled from polymer clay.

Paper Snowman

Thanks to our downloadable clip-art, Frosty is just a print, fold, and glue away. For best results, cut out the clip-art with small scissors or a craft knife, and score folds with a bone folder. Assemble without glue to check the shape, then dab on glue with a small paintbrush.

Shop Now: Epson Premium Presentation Paper, in Matte, $15, amazon.com. Martha Stewart Craft Knife, $8.49, michaels.com. Paper Source Bone Folder, $11, papersource.com. Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, $2, michaels.com.