Snowman and Santa Figures Made From Recycled Salt and Pepper Shakers

by Donna

4 Materials

What do you make with some old salt and pepper shakers, a toilet paper roll, a few buttons, some wire, scrap fabric, and the tip of a never-used crayon?

snowman and santa figures made from recycled salt and pepper shakers

My aunt gave me this old salt and pepper shaker set. They were beautiful, with a lovely cut glass design, but badly scratched and damaged. However, the design on them looked a little like snowflakes.

Then I had the idea that I could used these see-through containers as the bodies for some Christmas figures and fill the shaker with fake snow to make some festive holiday decorations.

So with a few materials I had around the house, I repurposed these shakers into a cute snowman and Santa figure.

I decided I didn't want to buy any materials to make my figures. So I grabbed a couple of leftover round drawer pulls, a toilet paper roll, a few buttons, and an old sock.

The first step was preparing my salt shaker by making a cardboard collar for my figure. You can see the step by step directions on my blog.

Then I started working on my snowman head. I added a few layers of paper mache to give my snowman a little texture. Then I drew on some eyes and a mouth with a black Sharpie. And I used a pink crayon to give him some rosy cheeks.

At first, I didn't know what to use for his nose. But while I had my crayons out, I noticed that my orange crayon was unused and the perfect size and shape for his nose. So I cut off the tip and glued it on his face. I think this is my favorite feature on my snowman :)

Back to my snowman's body, I used some bendable black wire to form his arms and hands. This is optional, but all the directions are on my blog.

Then I glued some buttons down the front of his body to give him some formal attire. When my snowman body was complete, I filled my shaker with some fake snow for a little extra festive feel.

A top hat of buttons and a knitted scarf finish off his winter wear. I think he looks pretty spiffy! And his friend Santa looks good too.

Visit my blog to learn how to make this Santa figure for the holidays!

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Salt and pepper shakers
Toilet paper roll
Round bead or foam ball
Marker, paint, and glue

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3 of 55 comments

Peggy Haralson on Oct 11, 2019

So sweet ❤️

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- Donna on Oct 11, 2019
  
  Thanks so much!
  
  Like
Vickie on Nov 11, 2019

So clever! I have wanted to try a shaker snowman but was stuck on what to use for the nose and texture for the head. Thank you so much for sharing!

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