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DIY Christmas toy soldiers

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These terra cotta pot soldiers are a fun project I helped my mom do for Christmas 2009. We oringially saw similar Christmas toy soldiers guarding a front door in a neighborhood in Dallas and had talked about making out own for years. This was before my blog obsession which is why there are no action shots! For more of my mom’s Texas themed Christmas decorations, check this post out.
 
*This post was first published on December 4, 2010.
 
How to make a DIY clay pot soldier

 

What you need to make Chrsitmas toy soldiers

  • 5 pots all the same size
  • paint
  • ribbon 
  • belt 
  • hot glue
  • black faux fur (or black felt)
  • wooden base (we used the top of a stool) 
  • epoxy glue

How to make Christmas toy soldiers out of clay pots

Step 1- Make the base and paint black

We used the top of an old bar stool for the base of the pot soldier and painted it black. Then, paint one pot black.

Step 2- Paint black and blue

Next, it’s time to paint the second terra cotta pot. For this pot, paint the rim of the pot black and then paint the below the rim blu

How to make Christmas toy soldiers
Step 3- Paint the 3rd pot

Keep the black paint out because you will paint the rim of the 3rd pot black to create the toy soldiers waist. Below the rim, paint red.

Step 4- Paint the 4th pot

There is no not need to paint the rim of the 4th pot since it will get covered with black felt. Below the rim of the pot, paint it skin tone as this pot will be soldiers face. DIY Pot Soldier
Step 5- Paint the 5th pot

The rim of the 5th pot does not need to be painted since it will also get covered with black felt. Paint the rest of this pot black. It will act as the soldiers hat.

Step 6- Add details

After ample drying time, it is time to bring the toy soldiers to life! Here are the embellishments my mom and I added:

  • We added a real belt around the waist.
  • 6 gold buttons and we used ribbon to connect
  • We used fake fur around the the rim of the face pot and hat pot to add character to the hat. We put 2 stripes of gold ribbon above the fur to fancy up his hat.
  • The hat topper is actually 2 gold Christmas ornaments we found at Hobby Lobby for 1$. We used hot glue to stick them together and then attached them to the pot with epoxy glue.
  • For the face- We used a sharpie for the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth, and then painted a simple light pink triangle for the nose. The rosy cheeks and inside of the eyes are felt.

 

DIY Pot Soldier


Step 7- Glue pots together

We glued the pots together with epoxy glue. Word to the wise, the toy soldiers are very heavy and moving them is difficult. We use a little red wagon to move the soldiers from place to place!

DIY clay pot soldier
 
And here’s one last picture of the clay pot soldiers guarding the house!
DIY Pot Soldiers

A few years after my mom and I made the big toy soldiers, I made these mini clay pot Christmas soldiers by myself. For the record, it was so much easier! 

DIY Chrsitmas toy soldier

 

Have you ever made Christmas toy soldiers our of clay pots? I’d love to hear…

 

Comments

  1. Debbie says

    I made these with my girl scout about 25yrs ago we use Dixie cups instead of clay pots. they turn out great I still have a set..

    Reply

  4. Twyla says

    I’ve made these for my front porch also. Instead of gluing them together, I got a dowel rod that will fit through the holes in the bottom of the pots. I screwed it into the bottom round board. I then just slipped the pots in order over the dowels. This eliminates trying to move the whole thing at one time. Hope this helps you out!
    <

    Reply

    • Ann says

      Great idea, Twyla! I’ve been trying to think of an alternative to gluing the huge pots so that they’re easier to move. The dowel rod makes it do-able!

      Reply

  5. LeDena says

    This is adorable. My mom goes all out every year to decorate. She is always looking for something new. I’m thinking I will try with the plastic pots because of the weight and use velcro to hook them together so they can be taken apart and stored.

    Reply

    • Ann says

      Plastic pots, velcro attachment…I never considered that, but it’s brilliant! Makes these so much easier to store and transport. Love the idea!

      Reply

  6. Kathy McKellar says

    Love this. I make the little ones every year to give as gifts to different people. Yours is definitely bigger than mine. They look great!

    Reply

  9. Elizabeth Upshaw says

    I have been looking how to make these! Could you forward a pic of the top? Did you use one gold ball per soldier hat?

    Thanks so much!!

    Elizabeth

    Reply

  15. Bella says

    Another awesome creation, I bet those were heavy, and yeah little ones would be cute too, but these are just so BOLD, and DEMAND attention, so cute, guarding the house like that.

    Girl, please come share, **Amaze me August** or even my Christmas party **6 weeks 2 JINGLE**, I would just really love to have you.

    Bella 🙂

    Reply

    • Kena Waggoner says

      Try adding 4 roller cart wheels with locking brakes to the “stool seat” or treated plywood base. That should make it easier to decorate, allow easier transporting and raise it up off the ground a bit so that you can decorate without blocking its bottom pot. I’ve also seen these with a small pot cut in half painted black attached to the bottom pot at the base with the rim end to the large pot. Decorate with smaller gold buttons and cording for shoes.

      Reply

  19. Lorie says

    That is AMAZINGLY cute! And I love the way the look in front of the door! I am going to have to find a way to make them more secure because I am sure my kids would knock that guy over!

    Reply

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