How to Make a Santa head ornament from a light bulb

Anyone will who loves making crafts will love making this light bulb Santa ornament. It's easy fun and makes a wonderful gift.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Burned out light bulb
• small bottle of rubbing alcohol
• some small pieces of soft cloth
• white yarn
• scissors
• acrylic paint in white, flesh, blue, black and red
• 2 art style paint brushes one fairly wide and one fine for detail work
• 1 disposal plastic cup for rinsing your brushes
• 1 paper plate to hold you paint
• white thread
• 1 pipe cleaner per light bulb
• craft glue
• 1 hat to fit over the top of the light bulb (can be found in most craft stores)

1. Start by dampening one of the small pieces of cloth with alcohol and wiping down your light bulb to remove all traces of dust and dirt. A clean light bulb helps the paint to stick better.

2. twist one end of the pipe cleaner around the metal part of the light bulb. Make sure it is securely holding the bulb. Form the opposite end into a hook so that you can hang your bulb as it dries.

3. Paint the entire glass part of the bulb white and hang to dry.

4. When paint is completely dry rub gently with a clean, dry, soft cloth to remove brush strokes.

5. Paint a second coat of white paint over the first and allow to dry once again. Then wipe with cloth.

6. hold the light bulb firmly in your hand and paint a flesh colored circle or oval in the center of the fat part of the light bulb.

7. Allow to dry, rub with soft, dry cloth.

8. Add the eyes, nose and mouth to the flesh colored area. Hang to dry.

9. Begin cutting white yarn into 3 to 4 inch strips to make santa's beard and hair. It will take a lot of these so make sure you have a large pile.

10. Begin at the bottom of the back of the santa head and glue on the yarn one strip at a time working you way up to the narrow part of the bulb.

11. Once the back of the hair is complete turn the bulb around and repeat the process starting with the bottom of the beard and working upwards. Make sure to go up the sides of the face so that the entire white is covered.

12. To make the Santa's mustache. Take two or three stripes of yarn and tie them tightly in the center using white thread. Glue under Santa's nose.

13. Trim the hair and beard and glue on the hat.

14. Your Santa is now complete. All you need to do is add a Christmas ornament hook and you are ready to hang your Santa on your tree or give as a gift.

Tips & Warnings

• When making several of these ornaments at once paint the base coats on all the bulbs at one sitting. By the time you paint the last bulb the first one you painted will probably be dry and you can start the second coat right away.
• If only making one ornament, cut the strips for the hair and beard while waiting for each coat of paint to dry.
• While this is a great family project I would not recommend it for younger children. The bulbs can be quite fragile if squeezed to tight and cuts from broken light bulbs can be very painful.

[investmentarts]

on 11/11/2009 Great tips, I will definitely check it out this holiday season!

[kasaween19]

on 11/9/2009 This does sound good, but a picture would be excellent!!

[lynsuz12]

on 10/30/2009 Yes, a great idea. Great way to recycle spent light bulbs. Send in a picture of the finished project. Please. 5*

[tammyfrost]

on 10/19/2009 This sounds so fun. I want to try making this for christmas..Thanks for the idea.

[askapeach]

on 10/13/2009 I love crafts and this is a fun idea. Any chance of a photo for a visual learner like me?