Snow Folks make excellent candy jars and are a very special way to share holiday treats with friends, teachers and co-workers. You can use the jars without a hat to hold votive candles for another special touch, or add a bulb for a child’s night-light. Remember to use jars of varying shapes and sizes–you might even create a Snow Folk family!

Materials

Canning jars (varying sizes for different styles)
Cotton balls and rubbing alcohol to clean the glass
Cut & Craft plastic sheets (not Plexiglas)
Tacky glue or low-temp glue gun
Paintbrush handle for dotting the eyes and mouth
Small corks or 3-dimensional paint for the nose
Sea Sponge, dampened and blotted to remove excess moisture
Round Sponge Dabber
Styrofoam plate to use as a palette
Newspaper for blotting the paint sponge
Single bulb on a cord
Small hats and accessories
Acrylic Enamel Paints (Apple Barrel Gloss, Folk Art Enamels work well)
Colors: White, Black, Pink Blush and Raspberry to mix for cheek color, and Orange, for the nose.

Preparing the surface

Wash and dry your jar before swabbing the outside surface with alcohol. Use the sea sponge to apply the white paint for the face. Dampen the sponge and blot out the excess moisture. Dabbed onto the surface, the sponge texture creates a snow effect. Let the paint dry completely.

Putting on the happy face

Practice on paper until you’re happy with your face design. Remember to paint the face higher on the jar if your Snow Folk will have a bow tied below the face. Experiment with the spacing of the facial elements until you capture the personality you are looking for.

Prepare the cheek color by mixing Pink Blush paint with a touch of Raspberry.

Press dry Dabber lightly into paint, blot to remove excess, and dab two circles onto jar about an inch apart.
Dip the handle end of the paintbrush into black paint to create the dots for the eyes and mouth. Dip the handle into the paint for each dot to create the right effect.

If you are using dimensional paint for the nose, paint it on now, using a zigzag carrot design between the cheeks.

Allow your Snow Folk to dry for 48 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees, bake Snow Folk 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let your new friends cool in the oven. This paint-setting process is best done overnight when you aren’t using the oven.

While your Snow Folks are baking you can get the cork noses, lights and outfits ready. Stick a toothpick into the cork for easy handling while you paint. It may take two coats of the orange paint for total coverage. Glue the completely dry cork to the cooled jar.

Adding lights

Lighted Snow Folk make an ideal child’s nightlight. Small cool-burning bulbs with an on/off switch and clip are readily available at this time of year because they are often used in Christmas villages.

Use a canning jar seal as a template to cut out a circle of crafting plastic. Draw another circle (1-inch diameter) in the center. Make one cut to the center circle and cut the inner circle out. Replace the jar lid ring using the plastic circle in place of the jar seal. Clip the light into the center hole, running the cord over the lid and down the back.

Hats and accessories

Check out doll-making supplies to find finishing touches for your creations. Measure the jar tops to get hats in the correct proportion. An ornament makes the perfect base for a knit hat.

Use a few dabs of glue to secure a ribbon band to the hat and tie a small bow. The hat can be painted or decorated with anything you’d like. “Snow Poke” sports a wooden star, painted silver and detailed with permanent marker. Tie on a piece of red bandana and add a tiny wood hobbyhorse to complete the look. Crown the top of the jar with the hat and enjoy!

P.S. This same technique can be used to create goblins and witches next Halloween. Have fun!

If you’d like more information about creating these holiday treasures, e-mail Scoti at ArtwScoti@aol.com, or send your questions with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Scoti Calvo, Handyman Connection, 7001 190 E. Service Road, Covington, LA 70433.

Copyright 2003, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved.