This wood Santa block DIY project is perfect for a holiday DIY date with your family.
Make a wood Santa or a holiday gnome? I’m in.
The genius reclaimed repurposer Pauline Henderson, the blogger and woodworker of My Altered State, suggested we make a little DIY Christmas Village together. I loved this idea!
About this project
I’m always hoarding the interesting little scraps from our bigger projects and renovations, tucking them away in the shop for an opportunity to create something else. And I usually dive into that box whenever an inspiration hits me or the kids. We’ve painted them and made garden decor, and we’ve fastened them together to make all kinds of fun. But the Christmas Village with wood santas and gnomes sounded extremely fun, creating an entire little Whoville to decorate around a tree or atop a mantel.
Of course, by the photo, you can see I left the home project and turned my blocks into gnomes. Like everything else we were mutually inspired to go further in the project than we would have, if left alone. That’s the fun in DIYing with family and friends. The pile of creativity is way huger.
If you want to try this project with your kids or friends, below is a supply list, photos, and the video of Pauline and I working on our homes, which turned into gnomes.
Wood Santa, gnome, and home supplies:
- wood blocks
- saw
- sandpaper
- paints
- artist paint brushes
- glow-in-the-dark paint
- spray paint
- glue
- embellishments
The Wood Santa and gnome how-to:
- Cut blocks to be staggered heights.
- Use a miter saw to create various angles on the tops of the blocks.
- Decorate the wood Santas, houses, or gnomes shapes.
Check out the how-to video
Pauline and I worked together during a live DIY workshop to create our little gnomes and homes out of wood. It was fun to create the villages with a DIY friend. I hope you’ll enjoy this project. If you are inspired to create a little village, we’d love to know about it. Share in the comments or send us a note.
