Easy Paper Mache Swedish Christmas Tomte Tutorial
by
Borei Design
6 Materials
Paper Mache is not just for kids or serious sculptors. It's the unsung, easy hero of DIY home decor! With a little skill and imagination you can create almost anything.
I'm on a quest to (once again) meld my husband's Swedish Christmas traditions along with my own to help my children experience both. This year I decided to do Swedish tomte or tomten. In America, tomten are more what we identify as an elf or gnome but in Swedish traditions they are more of the actual gift givers. This year I decided to try my hand at making them using some cool new paper clay I found.
Draw and cut out a dome shape from an old box, pad it with newspaper and secure with masking tape. Glue foam florist ball on top to create the head.
Mix paper clay material and completely cover the form. Allow clay to dry completely.
Paint body using acrylic craft paint and allow paint to dry. Thankfully it dries really quick on the clay surface.
Cut out two triangles from scrap fleece and add any embellishments if desired. Sew sides closed. Don't sew? Fabric glue will work as well!
Glue on furry fabric or ribbon to make the beard. Secure hat on top of head with glue and you're all done!
Be sure to click on the link below for more in depth details on this project and Sweden's Greetings!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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4 comments
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He's so cute. Makes me smile!
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So cute! These would be cute ornaments.
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Thank you! They definitely would. :)
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