Ice Bucket Challenge Santa

If you're like me, you know dozens of folks who did the Ice Bucket Challenge this summer in support of the ALS Association to defeat Lou Gehrig's disease. But did you know, the Ice Bucket Challenge was so popular it made it all the way up to the North Pole?

We're so happy to present the Ornament Rescue League salute to all our shivering heroes. And, most importantly...

All proceeds from the sale of these ornaments will be donated 

to the ALS Association. 

Hop over to our Etsy Shop now while supplies last!

Thank you, and...

Mmmmmmmmmerrrrry Ccccccccchristmmmmmmmmas.

OR MAKE YOUR OWN...

For the crafty amongst us, we thought you'd like to see how we came up with this. If you decide to try it at home, please be sure to drop us a line on our Facebook page. We'd love to see what you come up with! Enjoy!

The key to this ornament is the bucket itself, and as it turns out, I found 14 buckets in my crazy craft stash. (Why? I have no idea.)

Presuming no one has as much craft stuff hanging around as I do, I did some research and found these same 2" tall buckets on line at orienttrading.com. Apparently, they're normally used for party favors.

My buckets were white when I started so I spray-painted them silver for a true ice bucket feel.

Next, I needed to add a hanger so using an awl and hammer, I gently tapped on the bottom of the bucket to create a single hole. Note: the hole needs to be slightly towards the front because the bucket sits slightly towards the back of Santa's head (Gosh, that explanation was pure mud. Ignore me and see the picture.)

To create the hanger, I looped some glittery yarn through the hole, tying it in a knot (actually multiple knots) on the inside, securing it in place with some hot glue.

MAKING SANTA
Since I had the buckets already, I needed to make the Santas to fit them. For the 2" buckets I used 2" styrofoam balls for the head, and 3" styrofoam balls for the belly. I pinned the two together with a stick, then hot-glued them for a bit of stability.

Then comes my favorite part... papier-mache! There are many great paper artists out there, so don't look to me for expert advice. Instead, I go for the kindergarten approach...

I use a flour and water paste (about the consistency of mustard), tiny bits of ripped tissue or newspaper and a paint brush. I paint smalls sections at a time with the paste, adding one piece of paper at a time, smoothing it with more paste, then continually overlapping more paper bits until the whole form is covered. Let it dry completely, then paint the belly a nice, bright Santa red and shellac it to give it a nice high gloss. (No need to paint the head. You'll see why.)

SANTA'S ACCESSORIES
Important: As you position each accessory, check it with the bucket on Santa's head to be sure it's all fitting properly together. This is especially important with the collar and beard as they will tuck slightly underneath the bucket.

SANTA COLLAR
I don't sew, so for the collar, I used a bit a spare white textured yarn and did a strand of single crochet. For my yarn, I needed 18 stitches with a Size F crochet hook if that gives you any indication. I sewed it right onto the neck for a nice, tight fit just the way Santa wears it. (Note: I'm sure you can make the collar with a bit of felt or faux fur fabric cut to size, but again, be sure it accommodates the bucket before you commit.)

SANTA BELT & BUTTON
I cut a strip of black felt (actually black sparkly felt) and glued it to Santa's belly. Then glued one white pom pom to suggest Santa's buttons. As a finishing touch, I used gold glitter fabric paint to create Santa's buckle and let it dry completely.

SANTA BEARD
Next, I used some spare Fun Fur white yarn to crochet the beard. (Again, I'm no pattern maker, but I have included my stitch count below. My best advice is to size and shape it to create the suggestion of the beard beneath the bucket using crochet, knit, or any piece of white fuzzy fabric you may have hanging around.)

Santa's Crochet Beard Pattern (sort of):
Using Fun Fur yarn and a Size F crochet hook...

1. Chain 4.
2. SC in the second chain. SC two more times. Turn.
3. SC twice in the first stitch. SC. SC twice in the last stitch. Turn. (Total: 5 stitches)
4. SC twice in the first stitch. SC. SC twice in the next stitch. SC. SC twice in the last stitch. (Total 8 stitches)
5. Chain as many times as necessary to go around Santa's head. ***  Sew together around Santa's head for a snug fit.

***Before you sew on the beard, hold it in place on Santa's chin and position the bucket over it to be sure it tucks neatly underneath. Check to be sure you can't see any of the papier-mache underneath. If you can, add a couple of stitches to mask the bare spots.

BACK TO THE BUCKET

Because the Ice Bucket Challenge has been so much fun and done so much good this summer, I wanted to memorialize all the shivery antics, so I painted "Ice Bucket Challenge" on the front and ALS 2014 on the back. That way many Christmases from now, you'll still be telling the story of the time you dumped a bucket of ice water on your head... and why!



Of course, if you're trying this at home, you might want to print the name of your shivering hero on the bucket, or some other message. But if you do, remember to paint it right side up so when you dump it on Santa's head, it will be upside down!

The bucket looked a bit unfinished, so just for the flair of it, I added a silver ribbon, hot-gluing it in place along the rim of the bucket.

And then, to place the bucket, I beaded some hot glue around Santa's head (near, but not on the beard), and stuck the bucket in place.

SANTA ON ICE!
And for the finishing touch, I hot-glued decorative clear beads around Santa's collar and dribbling down his belly.

And the more ice the better! After all, where do you think "Ho-Ho-Ho" comes from!

Mmmmmmmmmerrrrry Ccccccccchristmmmmmmmmas.

ORL #4: ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE SANTA (10 ornaments available)

Ice Bucket Challenge Santa ornaments are sold out. Thank you!