Reindeer - Tutorial

                           


I thought I had posted a tutorial  for these fellas at some point, but I guess I was mistaken and I've had a few requests on how to make these. I worked on some this week and took some photos of the process.

Here are the supplies:

                             
Whoppers
Tan yarn
tan felt
brown felt
small red pom pom
large brown pom pom (optional and not pictured)) - this is for the tail and I usually just make a small pom pom out of the tan yarn, but I have, on occasion, used a large brown pom pom in a pinch..
wiggly eyes
red bow
bell
printed tag
hot glue gun
scissors
Xacto knife

First step. Find a good movie to watch as you sit down to make pom poms. I suppose you don't need an entire movie unless you are making a whole herd like I do. You need three sizes of pom poms. A large one for the face -a medium one for the muzzle - and a small one for the tail.

                             

For the large one, I wrap yarn around 4 fingers:

                            

For the medium sized one, I wrap yarn around 3 fingers:

                            

And for the small one I wrap yarn around 2 fingers:

                           

Then you trim the stuffing out of them. I find it the easiest to have a large bowl at my feet and trim into that or you will have yarn fluff everywhere.

Sketch out some antlers onto the tan felt, fold it over, and cut a matching pair of antlers. I can not draw to save my life so comical antlers is what you get:

Glue these on to the front of the Whopper box:

                                                  

Then cut little ears out of the brown felt. I wait to glue them onto the antlers after I have glued the pom poms so that I have a better sense of where to place them, but this is not rocket science so do what works for you.

                                     

Next, hot glue the large pom pom on to the front of the Whopper box and then add the little brown for the ears:

Then glue the medium pom pom onto the large pom pom:

 Next glue on the eyes:

And the nose:

String a bell through the wire on the bow, twist to secure, and glue to the box just under the face:

Print out a label and attach to the reindeer with double stick tape:

Turn your Whopper box around to the back and cut a rounded U shaped flap a few inches from the bottom of the box:

Make sure you can easily shake a Whopper out or you may have a constipated reindeer. Sorry. Don't ask me how I know this.

                             
 Finally, hot glue the smaller pom pom over the flap, being careful to not glue the flap shut.

And there you have it!

I make these for everyone - Marines, college kids, professors, little kids, our UPS man, cousins, the Culligan people where we get water, the Farm Store, the mailman, the neighboring ranches, the propane man, the equipment operator who is working on our roads, and this year the sale barn crew and the Safari Club.

Hope y'all enjoy making these. They're fun to make and to give.