how to make a sled for your stick reindeer

This little reindeer is ready to get to work!  He has a sled to pull, and a bright red nose to light the way...

See my previous post for instructions on how to make this cute little stick reindeer, and then read on to learn how to make the sled.

From your collection of sticks, cut 4 pieces which will be the length of your sled - you determine the size depending on the size of your reindeer. 

Then cut 2 pieces a bit shorter, and 2 pieces a bit longer.

Put a strip of hot glue along the length of the shortest sticks and glue them on top of the 4 like this, to hold them together.

Now glue your longest 2 sticks on top.

When the glue has set, turn it over, and you have a sled.

I glued a piece of ribbon around my reindeers neck and onto the sled, so it was all attached.

Here's one I finshed the other day to give away as a little Christmas gift, with a chocolate glued to his sled, this was one happy little reindeer !

To make it easier when I gave him away, I glued the reindeer and sled to a small piece of cardboard. 

Make lots of reindeer this Christmas !! 

how to make a stick reindeer...

Isn't this the cutest little reindeer ??  I think it's a perfect little decoration for Christmas time...here's how you can make one too...

First, go for a walk to the park and collect a few sticks.  The biggest stick I collected was about 1-1.5cm in diameter for the body of the reindeer.  The smallest was the thin end of the stick where it branches out a little - those bits are your antlers.

The only equipment you'll need is something sharp to cut your sticks, and a hot glue gun.

Next step is to cut your sticks.  I always start with the body piece first, then cut the other pieces with sizes relative to the body - it's easier than you think !  The body piece for this reindeer is about 1cm in diameter and about 3 cm long.  You can make your reindeer any size you want.

Lay the pieces out like the above picture as you go ...so you will need a body, 4 legs, a head, neck, tail and 2 antlers.  Notice the diagonal cut on the front of the head - to accentuate the nose.

Ok, let's go...!  Put 2 blobs of hot glue on the bottom of the body piece...

and attach 2 legs.

Bare in mind that although the glue will set quite quickly, if you realize you've stuck something in the wrong place, you can easily peel the glue off and re-do it.

Do the same to attach the other 2 legs.

Then stand up your reindeer to check that the legs are even.  If not, peel off the 'dicky' leg and reset it!

 That's the hardest part - getting the legs even, but it's really not hard at all !

Now glue on the head and neck.  Make sure the neck is standing straight up - otherwise your reindeer might over balance when you glue the head on.

Keep the long end of the nose on the top side...

Finally add the antlers and the tail and voila! one cute little reindeer!!

Check back tomorrow for a post on how to make a sled for your reindeer, and a neat gift idea.

Have a wonderful day!

Some Needle Felting...

Ruby and I made the most of the precious time we had while Marlise slept - which never seems to be long enough !  We got busy, well, I got busy and started making a needle holder using some scraps of felt and wool I had in my box of goodies.  And just as I was really getting in to it, Ruby decided she wanted to do something too.  So quick thinking sent her off to the kitchen in search of a cookie cutter "the smallest one you can find!"  So she came back with a christmas tree shape - not quite what I had in mind, a bit tricky for what I had planned, but oh well, she was determined. 

So we used a piece of white felt for the backing, and she wanted a purple tree - I didn't have any green wool so it wasn't an option, a purple tree is fine :)  The cookie cutter sat on the piece of felt, and the felt sat on a nice thick piece of foam....lots of safety talk followed re the felting needle and how to use it properly.  We filled the cookie cutter with the purple wool and she was on her way, poking and stabbing that wool - slowly and carefully (phew!)

Poking and stabbing down the wool.

a nice thick piece of foam was perfect for working on her lap - look at the concentration!

Adding the decorations

And look !  I've made a decoration for our Christmas tree !!

(Christmas really isn't that far away...)

This was Ruby's first attempt at 'real' sewing a couple of days ago.  I drew some lines for her to sew along, and off she went.  She was so proud of her efforts. 

We folded up the piece of felt and she sewed the edges to make a little purse so she could show off her sewing skills.  Here's the inside out version, with a button hole on the flap.

Here's the front cover of the needle holder I made today, i love it !