What about this?

Something’s fishy about this snowman. What is it? Look closely. He’s made out of fishbowls! But don’t overlook his other adorable snowman qualities: fluffy, white, cotton ball innards; a black top hat sprinkled with snow, coal-black button eyes; a cute, orange, golf tee nose; and a warm plaid scarf. A set of “Mr. and Mrs. Fishy the Snowman” will soon be ready for my son and daughter-in-law’s first Christmas together as a married couple. How appropriate for a couple who had a “fishy” wedding!

Some of the materials you’ll need:
Cardboard
Black felt for hat
Ribbon for hat
Wired ribbon for scarf
Glue
2 Fishbowls – the neck of the smaller one must sit inside the opening of the larger one
Embellishments – buttons, golf tee, pony beads, Christmas decorations, etc.
Glitter paint
Cotton balls, marshmallows, or popcorn for filling

Instructions:
1. For top hat, cut one piece of cardboard 4 inches by approximately 12½ inches; roll and glue together to make a chimney. Glue felt on chimney. Cut both a piece of cardboard and a piece of black felt into a circle the diameter of the chimney. Glue felt circle to cardboard circle and then glue circle to top of chimney. I used black mat board for the brim and a heavy black card stock for the chimney portion of the hat. You can use a tin can as a guide to wrap the cardboard around when forming the chimney part of the hat and for tracing the top cover/circle of the chimney.

2. For the brim, cut out a round piece of cardboard with a 7¼-inch diameter; cover with felt on both sides. Glue chimney to brim. Let dry. Paint splotches of glitter paint to resemble patches of snow. Circle the hat with a length of ribbon; tie or glue the ends together. Decorate it with a Christmas pin or a holiday decoration.

3. Wash and dry the fish bowls. Glue the buttons on for the mouth, eyes, and the snowman’s buttons.

4. Glue on the golf tee nose. I did not have a short orange golf tee, so I lightly sanded a natural wood one and used a paint pen to color it orange. If you don’t have golf tees, you can also glue a stack of four orange-colored pony beads together to use as a nose.

5. Fill bowls with whatever stuffing material you are using. Place the small fishbowl on top of the large one. The necks of the fishbowls should fit inside each other well. If your set of fishbowls don’t nest securely, you can try using clear packing tape to temporarily adhere them together. I wouldn’t permanently glue them together, though, because at some point you may want to change out the stuffing.

6. Cut a length of wired ribbon and tie the scarf just as you would tie your own scarf. Arrange the ends of the scarf in a “flowing” manner.

7. Glue the hat to the snowman’s head.

Linnell’s Notes:
The fun thing about this snowman project is that there are many ways to personalize it. Decorate it anyway you want and fill it with whatever you want. Fishy the Snowman will bring holiday cheer to your home or to your dining table!

Update: Mrs. Snowman is finished. What a cute couple they make!

Happy Holidays!