It's time for another puppet. I was thinking about Christmas foods and settled on the Little Debbie's Christmas Tree Cake. I don't know that I've ever eaten them but the package is rather iconic. And as I was considering them I immediately imagined one of those cakes with a face. I fashioned my puppet out of foam with knit fabric stretched over it. The stripes are made from fabric paint and the sprinkles are glitter. The mouth is a loop of elastic with a string attached to manage the movement.
Would it be Christmas if I didn't make a sock puppet? Some years I try to pick a more traditional Christmas figure but this year I leaned into more of a "that's not normally something I associate with the holidays" theme. And this particular sock really wanted to be a rhino. So it's a rhino struggling to decorate.
I've never really been into the Krampus tradition, but I love the look. This is especially true when they lean cute. Hence, this little Krampus finger puppet.
If you've seen one of my countdowns before, you know I like to include at least one puppet. Some of my favorites have been inspired by holiday foods. And that includes this year's Christmas cookie.
I have made many, many finger puppets over the years but this is the first time I've tried this particular design. It's meant to be used with two fingers, allowing you to open the mouth in a pinching motion.
I have a pretty solid roster of finger puppets that I make for craft fairs so I seldom try new designs these days. When I got a good deal on some large pieces of felt, though, that needed to change. Since I don't have a lot of designs using pink and light blue felt and you can only make so many pigs and song birds I'm trying out some new ideas. Here are my first two: a red panda and an axolotl.
I welcome more suggestions for pink and light blue creatures. Feel free to leave your ideas in the comments.
Maybe it's strange, but I have a fondness for opossums. They're a little bit creepy with their squinty eyes, sharp little teeth, and scrabbly paws. But I think they're creepy cute. I've wanted to make a sock puppet opossum for a while now and I finally collected the right materials. One key - a long pink tongue that can hang out and let it play dead. And thanks to my mom who suggested rickrack for teeth.
Christmas is nearly upon us! That means it's time to start making holiday pies. Personally, I'm partial to blueberry. But when I set about making this fellow he insisted on being more of a cranberry color.
I neglected to photograph the process here but his tin is made from a whipped topping container, the crust and filling from an old foam mattress pad. Both foam and plastic are covered in pieces cut from old t-shirts.
I've been thinking about a camel sock puppet for a while now and when I found this sock in my stash it seemed just about perfect.
With no hump to help imply camel, I used long fake eyelashes and folds in the toe of the sock (for the flat nostrils and split front lip) to give it strong camel vibes.
I wanted to add a couple of Christmas themed finger puppets (apart from Santa and elves) to my repertoire
I think what I like best about sock puppets is that there is no end of ways that you can personalize them. With this duo I decided to go pretty basic. They are just people, though I did give the guy a bow tie and goatee and the lady a necklace and earrings.
I thought long and hard about how to end this countdown right. I wanted to share a project that I really enjoyed and that really captures Christmas. I decided on a puppet. For my subject I went with one of the magi. I've been toying with the idea of a full puppet version of the Christmas story, so this is my first attempt at a puppet for that. I used the same design as I used for my Dobby puppet. No process photos here, since I sort of just cut and glue on the fly for these puppets. It will probably need a little refinement in future but I think he looks surprisingly regal.
It's puppet time, friends! This is a fairly simple one. Start with a small stuffed animal.
Next find a box that your animal will fit in with enough room to move around but not so big that there's a lot of extra space. You want a box with a lid or top flap. Cut or collapse the bottom of the box. Then wrap the box like a present, leaving the top able to open. Glue a tube of fabric, like the leg of a sock or part of a shirt sleeve, between the bottom of the box and the opening in your animal. Now you have a little toy that can pop out of a present.
I've been designing some sock puppets. When I found a brightly colored leopard print, it just begged to be a cat.
I've been toying with the idea of selling sock puppets for a while now and I've finally decided to give it a shot. Here's my first design: a walrus.
I'm in the process of developing some puppets to sell at craft fairs. While I come up with the right designs, I've been playing with other ideas including the sock puppet I made this weekend of a housefly. My favorite part is the sequins on top of metallic paint for the eyes.
A couple of years ago, my big puppet build was a cranky fruitcake. It remains one of my favorite puppets, though this year's may give it a run for it's money.
From a simple foam tube ....
to a yule log cake.
I make no secret of my fondness for puppets. Especially for sock puppets. Every time I think I've run out of unique ideas, I come up with a new one. I'll admit, I found it a challenge this year to come up with a new Christmas themed puppet. Then, while looking for inspiration for another project, I came across this image.
Wilfred (occasional companion on Doctor Who if you're unfamiliar) was the perfect subject for a sock puppet. I was so excited for this build that I completely forgot to take any process photos.
This particular sock puppet required two socks. One serves as a base with a layer of quilt batting to add some softness to Wilfred's face. I cut the leg off of the outer sock, building the body instead from some green fabric.
I realized I've never posted a glove puppet before. Probably because they aren't my favorite puppet style. Still, I've been trying to push myself creatively so I figured I'd give one a try. With that style in mind, I decided to go with a goose.
The nice thing about glove puppets is that the design stage is very simple. You only need to make the puppet outline, keeping in mind where your fingers will fit.
