How to Make an African Snowman – IBC Christmas Challenge
It’s that time of the month again when blogging friends from around the world take part in the Int’l Bloggers Club. This month’s theme is all about Christmas crafts and how we spend the day in our countries. So for this challenge I thought I’d make us an African snowman. Meet Olaf’s cousin 😉
Isn’t he just the cutest thing ever? But before I get into how we made him, let me tell you little bit about how we spend Christmas in South Africa.
Christmas in South Africa
Down here in the Southern hemisphere it’s summer and hot as Hades, so the chance of us having a white Christmas is zero, unless it hails 😉 Since we seldom get snow in the northern parts of South Africa, we all go into a complete meltdown when it does happen. Shops close and everyone jumps in their cars and rushes off to do snowy things and maybe build a snowman. It’s chaos. So while we’ll probably never have a white Christmas, we will have braais (our local version of a bbq) and watermelons and pool parties. The kids will get burnt to a crisp and the adults will indulge in copious amounts of ice cold beer.
Most South Africans will go to church on Christmas morning before joining their friends and family for a full blown Christmas brunch around the pool. We normally serve a butterflied lamb that the hubby cooks to perfection on the braai and there’s always Malva Pudding. Because our Christmas is spent outdoors our decorations tend to be “outdoorsy”. Is that even a word? So our Christmas trees are real growing specimens and most of our ornaments are all hand made. After watching Frozen again the other day and I really wanted my very own Olaf to celebrate Christmas with us. I know, it’s kind of the impossible dream but hey, this is Africa and we love the impossible 😉
What You Need To Make an African Snowman
To make Olaf’s African cousin we used the following:
- A broken lamp base. You could also insert a threadbar into a piece of wood
- Three different sized faux topiary balls (small, medium and large)
- Two extra large wiggly eyes
- Twig from the garden
- Small top hat
What you need
And our African snowman probably took all of three minutes to make too.
Making An African Snowman
Slide the biggest faux ball onto the broken lamp and then add the second biggest. Grab two twigs and insert them on either side to make some arms.
Add the balls and twiggy arms
Glue those extra large wiggly eyes onto the smallest faux ball before sliding it onto the broken lamp.
Glue on the eyes
Squish on a twiggy nose.
Squish on the nose
And finally make him a top hat using an empty tin can and some craft foam. If you prefer you could also buy one of those little top hats from the toy store.
A little top hat
Once you’re done give Olaf’s cousin a big fat kiss, before moving your African snowman to his new home next to the pool 😉
Hi, I'm Olaf's cousin and I like warm hugs too.
I don’t think our little guy is going to melt anytime soon 😉 What do you think?
Meet Olaf’s African cousin
I hope you enjoyed a little sneak peak into how we spend Christmas in South Africa and I’d love to hear how you celebrate in your part of the world. If you’d like to make one and don’t want to go to all that trouble of finding the materials to make your own African snowman, I’ve got you covered 😉 Disclosure: If you click on the links below, we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more crafty things to share with you 😉
So here’s wishing everyone a beautiful, safe and loving festive season and remember to pop on over to my international partners in crime to read all about there traditions.
We had our first snowfall today…but I’m a summer loving girl, so your snowman is a wonderful sight! Love the face and all that green!
He’s a keeper for us 😀
Your summer snowman is quite adorable, Michelle! And that nose is a hoot! I had to do a double take cause it looks like something else I dare not say! Lol! Have a great holiday, my friend!
😀 LOL That’s the closest we’ll ever get to a snowman here in South Africa
This snowman man is perfect for the Florida weather also.
Oh, that’s right. The climate is very much like ours
This is super cute and a great way to continue winter after the holidays. Visiting from Sweet Inspiration party.
Yay Victoria, thanks for the visit 😀
I like your snowman Michelle. Your fingers don’t feeze while trying to make balls out of snow, and those eyes seem to give him life. I find it quite odd to celebrate Christmas around the pool, but I promise I’d love to go there and join the party.
Wishing you a merry merry Christmas my friend.
Thank you sweet Pili. Hope you and your beautiful family have a wonderful Christmas too
This is so fun! I can totally understand wanting your own Olaf. It’s always amazed me how the southern hemisphere is a totally different season than the northern one. Up here we’ve already had bunches of snow. We get so much of it that unless it’s accompanied by sub-zero temperatures things continue on as normal. Haha. 🙂
It is strange that on one planet we can have so many different seasons at the same time. I can’t imagine a world where there’s so much snow.
I wrote a comment, but it disappeared. Oh no, I have to write again. I really liked your green snowman, a very creative idea. You are reminding me the days when I was in South Africa. Yes, it is very hot in December.
Thank you Sadhna, December is probably our worst months, and if it’s hot in Gauteng then Durbs is worse because of the humidity. Really glad you retyped your comment, thank you 😉
A warm Christmas by the pool sounds divine! I love Olaf and the hat tutorial – I’ve spent all week trying to make a giant snowman with an open mouth to catch balls for my son’s Christmas Bazaar today, I suspect about now that there’s a couple of hundred kids doing their best to break him (Frosty)!
Oh shame poor Frosty, I hope he comes home reasonably intact Sarah after the kids have had their fun
There is a literal white out outside my window right now. I would much rather be hanging out somewhere with Olaf’s cousin here than looking at all of this snow! This guy is super adorable!
Oh wow a real Olaf. Are they difficult to make?
He is so cute and perfect! In Greece the snow is also very rare so he could be perfect for us!
Yay Katerina, I’m so glad we’re not the only place where snow is a rare thing 😉
You could almost take the eyes and hat off and use it as a spring/summer decoration too!
We might just do that Sarah 😉
It is hard for me to wrap my brain around Christmas with swimming pools and bbq’s while we sit in -30C temperatures with our cars plugged in so they start in the morning. Olaf’s cousin is adorable and I’m sure has been quite a conversation piece in your neighborhood. Wishing you and yours a Merry South African Christmas!
It is quite weird how the north and south are so different. We’re dying of heat and you guys are freezing. Thanks so much Marie, wishing you a beautiful warm and loving Christmas too
Oh this is brilliant, I love this! – Tasha
Thank you so much Natasha 😉 Do you think that your pet snow balls can come for a play date?
🙂 🙂 🙂 so cool..
Hello my old friend. I missed you. Thank you for coming to say hi again
Ek is mal oor jou sneeuman Michelle. Dis perfek. Ek soek ook een
Hi Saartjie, ek’s so bly jy hou van Olaf se neefie 😉
Michelle, your lovely traditions in Africa remind me of what my husband tells me about Christmas in Argentina, pool parties and so much fun! How different for me, the northern gal! I’d love to visit and spend it there with you, it must be amazing! Olaf’s cousin is the BEST, I love the idea and now I’m off to watch frozen again as well!
Oh I wish you guys would come visit Katrin. Just imagine the fun we’d have 😀
Aww Michelle, Olaf is such a cutie. And his hat makes him a proper gentleman! Wow it is so weird to me to read Christmas and swimming pools in the same sentence. I’m sure you will really enjoy yourselves and we all have the food in common. That is a given. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas.
That’s so true Mary. Isn’t it strange how some things stay the same, doesn’t matter what country you’re in and others are so different. Enjoy your last Christmas in beautiful Greece
Michelle, it sounds like you have fun Christmas traditions around the pool. That’s neat that everything shuts down when it snows; you’re all taking the time to enjoy it while it lasts. Your Olaf is so awesome! What a great idea to use topiary to make a snowman. I’m sure he looks great beside the pool.
Thanks you my friend. It looks like Olaf might be leaving us for a while. He’s going camping apparently 😉