Last Christmas (Christmas 2016) I painted these cute rotating wood blocks to use as a decoration in my house. I had originally set out to make a stackable snowman but kept painting and this is what I ended up with.
I currently set it on a shelf in living room but it can be used to decorate any room. You can stack them as pictured or set them side by side. You can rotate the characters however you want to give off different looks. The added bonus is your children can match up the characters so it acts as a fun matching game for little ones as they learn the different characters.
This craft does take some time to make as you have to let each side dry before moving on to the other side but the character faces are simplified to look more like cartoons, making it easier to make these cute character blocks.
Supplies:
- 3+ wood blocks - the blocks pictured are the in-between support of the corners of a wood pallet
- Sandpaper/Sander
- Paint: White, Black & Brown
- Paint Pens*: Black, Orange, Red, Green, Gold, White, Pink - I recommend Sharpie paint pens
- Paint brush/sponge brush
- Wood Sealer/Mod Podge
*You can use regular paint instead of paint pens if you have a steady hand.
How To:
1. Sand any rough edges and wipe off any dirt if you are using repurposed wood.
2. Paint the blocks white. Add a second coat if needed. Let Dry.
3. Decide what character faces you want to paint on the wood blocks and what order you want the blocks to be in. I chose 3 snowmen, 3 penguins, 3 reindeer, 2 elfs and Santa Claus.
4. Snowmen: Using a black paint pen, draw the eyes and mouths. Add an orange carrot nose using an orange paint pen. Let Dry.
5. Rotate the blocks.
Penguins: I outlined the penguin's body with a black paint pen and then filled the rest of the block in with black paint to save on the paint pen paint. I then added some eyes and wings with a black paint pen; a nose and feet with an orange paint pen. You can add white dots to the eyes if you would like. Let Dry.
Penguins: I outlined the penguin's body with a black paint pen and then filled the rest of the block in with black paint to save on the paint pen paint. I then added some eyes and wings with a black paint pen; a nose and feet with an orange paint pen. You can add white dots to the eyes if you would like. Let Dry.
6. Rotate the blocks.
Reindeer: Paint over the white with brown paint. Let Dry. I used white paint to paint the eyes and outlined them with a black paint pen. I also used the black paint pens for the nose and mouths. If you want Rudolph, use red paint or a red paint pen instead on one of the reindeer faces. I then used a gold paint pen for the antlers. Let Dry.
Reindeer: Paint over the white with brown paint. Let Dry. I used white paint to paint the eyes and outlined them with a black paint pen. I also used the black paint pens for the nose and mouths. If you want Rudolph, use red paint or a red paint pen instead on one of the reindeer faces. I then used a gold paint pen for the antlers. Let Dry.
7. Rotate the blocks.
Elfs & Santa Claus: I mixed white and brown paint together to make a skin tone color. I then painted the bottom ⅔ with the skin tone color. Once dried I used a red paint pen and drew a zig zag to cover where the white and skin tone color met. I then used a green paint pen to fill in the rest of the block. For Santa I used white paint and a red paint pen to make the hat and mustache. I then added a pink nose and used a black paint pen to make the eyes, mouths and outline the noses, hat trim and Santa's mustache. Let Dry.
8. Optional: Once dry, you can seal all the sides with a wood sealer or mod podge. This will help seal the paint and give the blocks an extra shine. If you plan on letting your little ones play with the blocks you need to seal the paint so the paint doesn't chip off.
If you use a wood sealer make sure it is compatible with your paint pens. I used a different brand black paint pen and the sealant caused it to run so I had to re-sand and touch up parts of my blocks.
9. Set out around Christmas time to help decorate your house and enjoy!
The rotating Christmas character blocks are a fun and creative decoration that didn't cost me a thing because I already had all the supplies. If you don't have access to wood to repurpose, I have seen wood blocks at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby in the past that might work as long as they still carry them.
You can make any Christmas characters you'd like or make a few look like gifts or Christmas trees. Be creative and make the character's your own and make each one unique by giving them a different facial expression.
Once you are done with your cute Christmas craft you can display it anywhere in your home. I personally have mine in my living room but may move it over the next few years. It would look great on a book shelf, on a night stand or even on the back of the toilet. You can use it to help keep Christmas books from falling down or even stack the blocks side by side and put them in front of your television. If you have children, you can use the blocks to teach your children about the different characters and let them give them names or match up the characters.
If you aren't into Christmas or have enough Christmas decorations you can make a Halloween/Fall version of the rotating blocks by painting pumpkins, Frankenstein and ghost. There are so many possibilities for the character blocks.Let me know what you think in the comments below!
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