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Home » Christmas Crafts » DIY Christmas toy soldiers

DIY Christmas toy soldiers

December 11, 2019 By Jamie Dorobek 43 Comments

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…

 

Filed Under: Christmas Crafts

« Simple Christmas Decor
How to build a pocket door »

Comments

  1. Debbie says

    November 20, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    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
    • Jamie Dorobek says

      November 20, 2013 at 6:10 pm

      Great idea for a kids craft!

      Reply
  2. Kellie says

    November 20, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    I saw a tip on facebook that makes total sense. Put a 3/4″ dowel down the center, attaching it to the base with a screw and a round screw knob at the top. It will help keep it together for years because this guy will weigh quite a bit. Courtesy of Debi Reiser Dame… https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200214335480464&set=p.10200214335480464&type=1&theater

    Reply
  3. Melissa says

    November 12, 2013 at 7:56 pm

    What kind of paint did you use? Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Twyla says

    July 30, 2013 at 9:48 am

    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

      October 31, 2013 at 5:46 am

      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

    April 11, 2013 at 7:09 pm

    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

      October 31, 2013 at 5:48 am

      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

    January 10, 2013 at 7:17 pm

    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
  7. SusanaO says

    December 15, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    This is so cute. Thank you for sharing how you made it.

    Reply
  8. crystal says

    November 25, 2012 at 2:37 am

    That is SO cool! I want to make one. Thanks for the tutorial. 🙂

    Reply
  9. Elizabeth Upshaw says

    November 21, 2012 at 6:47 am

    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
  10. Audrey Dawkins says

    November 20, 2012 at 5:50 am

    I love this!!

    Reply
  11. Lucy says

    November 5, 2012 at 9:15 am

    Any tips on what type of paint to use? Also did you seal with something after painting? Thanks!

    Reply
  12. anita says

    November 4, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    Fabulous ,,,Can’t wait to make it ..Thanks for sharing am making big and small ones

    Reply
  13. Bambang P. Eryanto says

    March 17, 2011 at 12:37 am

    Nice work,inspiring…

    Reply
  14. Liz says

    December 21, 2010 at 11:56 am

    That's awesome! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  15. Bella says

    December 18, 2010 at 11:32 am

    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
  16. [email protected] says

    December 14, 2010 at 2:29 pm

    for a second there I thought your mom lived in my neighborhood because I've been eye some soldiers just like that! Super cute!

    Reply
  17. The Extra Ordinary Bree says

    December 13, 2010 at 11:48 pm

    My MIL was just telling me that she wanted to find some toy soldiers for her front porch but couldn't find anything affordable.

    I wish I could think of a way to make them easier to store… but can't come up with anything!

    Reply
    • Kena Waggoner says

      November 17, 2013 at 12:29 pm

      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
  18. Pink Princess says

    December 10, 2010 at 11:19 am

    Lovely, and easy to make ♥ I am a new follower lol. Going to check the rest of your blog now.

    Hugs from the Netherlands

    Reply
  19. Lorie says

    December 9, 2010 at 4:47 pm

    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
  20. [email protected] TALES FEATS says

    December 9, 2010 at 9:22 am

    Wow! These look great. You do have to have an impressive sized house to display them. They look great on your porch.

    Reply
  21. Lollipop Bouquets says

    December 8, 2010 at 12:23 am

    My friend and I want to make these! I need two for my mantel base. These would be perfect! I am a new follower. Follow me!!
    http://lollipopbouquetmadness.blogspot.com

    Reply
  22. Tanya (a Taste of T) says

    December 6, 2010 at 6:01 pm

    Wow this is super cool

    Reply
  23. Stacey says

    December 6, 2010 at 4:31 am

    These look amazing outside your house. Too adorable. I think I'll be making a mini-set of my very own. Thanks for the great inspiration!

    http://boyohboyohboycrafts.blogspot.com

    Reply
  24. Blogging by Pictures says

    December 4, 2010 at 2:16 pm

    How adorable! i love it!

    Reply
  25. Patty says

    December 4, 2010 at 10:34 am

    I stumbled over from Be Different..Act Normal. This is fantastic. I love, love, love Nutcrackers. I don't think I'll be able to pull this off this year but I'm definitely putting this on the "to do" list for next year. Thanks for sharing!
    http://www.lifeontheridgeside.blogspot.com

    Reply
  26. Heather says

    December 4, 2010 at 2:45 am

    Oh my goodness this is so super cute! I am totally going to make one of these for our front porch. Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply
  27. Jean says

    November 27, 2010 at 4:29 am

    Super cute. My mom has one of these from back when I was younger and I haven't seen them made it a while. He looks so great.

    Reply
  28. Geek+Nerd says

    November 17, 2010 at 5:56 pm

    This is unbelievably cute! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  29. Roeckers says

    September 13, 2010 at 10:57 pm

    My mom had one of these when I was growing up. I am thinking I am going to have to make one this year to add to my Christmas deco!

    Reply
  30. With our best says

    July 16, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    Hi! I am your newest fri follow! Nice to 'meet' you!

    very cute!

    I'd love if you followed me back
    http://www.withourbest.com
    -karissa

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Jamie!
I Create Really Awesome Free Things for your home, wardrobe, kitchen, and kids in Austin, TX with the sometimes help of Andy!
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