Quick & Easy Lucky Leprechaun Horseshoe Charm
Do you celebrate St Patrick’s Day? My hubby is half Irish, so we most definitely do 😉 When we were younger it was a full-blown party with lots of green beer and singing Irish ballads at the top of our lungs. Now we spend the day quietly together, still with a beer or two in hand mind you 😀 Although the crazy parties have stopped we still like to add some Irish magick to our décor to celebrate the day. And this easy to make lucky leprechaun horseshoe charm will be going up on our wall and probably staying there all year.
Luck shouldn’t just be a one day thing right?!!!!
It’s a really quick and easy craft idea for St Patrick’s day.
Okay, before I get to the tutorial, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
What you need
- Horseshoe
- Green Fabric
- Furry Orange Fabric
- Air Dry Clay
- Tooth Picks
- Tin Foil
- Stocking and Cotton Wool
- Faux Greenery
- Glue
How to make a Lucky Leprechaun Horseshoe Charm
Making the leprechaun
To make the Leprechaun’s beard, use the horseshoe as a guide and cut a simple triangular shape from the furry fabric. The triangle should be as wide as the horseshoe, and roughly 3/4 as long. Just make sure the top point of the triangle follows the direction of the hair pile and use a craft knife rather than scissors so the furry edges don’t end up looking ragged and chopped up.
To make the leprechaun’s nose you can use whatever you have on hand. A wooden bead, small pom-pom, or a cut stocking stuffed with cotton wool both work really well. I have loads of old stockings so I used that. Take a small ball of cotton wool and place it in the middle of the cut stocking.
Twist and turn the stocking tightly around the cotton wool and tie a knot in the back.
Fill the extra bits of stocking behind the knot with a larger ball of cotton wool and tie off again. Glue the beard around the second, larger blob, making sure that the little nose blob sits neatly in the center of the top of the beard.
For the hat cut a semi-circle from a piece of fabric. The hat should fit on top of the second larger blob of cotton wool stuffed stocking. Roll the semi-circle into a cone shape and glue the edges down.
If you want your hat to make a little bend or kink, stuff it with tin foil.
For a more dignified, neat and tidy look use cotton wool instead 😉
Making Leprechaun shoes
The Leprechaun’s shoes are made from air dry clay. Cut two equally sized pieces of the clay and roll them into a ball. Flatten one end of the ball by rolling it gently . Pinch the rolled, flattened end into a point and twist upwards and around to form a curled toe for the shoe.
Make a small indent in the shoe shape with your index finger. Roll some clay into a worm and stick it around the indent.
Use your fingers to flatten the worm upwards and outwards a little.
Bake or air dry the clay according to the instructions on the packaging.
Giving the Leprechaun some legs
For the Leprechaun’s legs, I used an old t-shirt, but you can use whatever fabric you have on hand. Cut two long strips and roll them up to form a tube.
Add a little fabric glue to secure the roll of fabric. Glue or sew a small patch on if you like. I think it gives the soon-to-be legs leggings more character 😉
Putting everything together
Time to put everything together. The faux greenery I used to make this lucky Leprechaun horseshoe charm had lots of trailing bits all joined together on one wire stalk. I cut them off using my wire cutters, before gluing them to the bottom, back of the horseshoe.
Position the legging on the front of the horseshoe, making sure the glued seam is facing towards the back, and glue them down. Trim any excess fabric.
Glue the Leprechaun on the horseshoe. Place his hat over the beard and nose and glue down.
To finish off the lucky leprechaun charm, glue a toothpick or skewer inside the shoe …..
…… and then glue the bottom of the leggings around the toothpick.
Add the glasses (if you have them) and a small feather and you’re all done 😀
If you can’t find small glasses, this tutorial will show you how to make something similar.
Want to see more of piccies of the cute Leprechaun horseshoe charm?
Always be yourself. Unless you can be a leprechaun. Then be a leprechaun
If you like the idea of making a lucky Leprechaun horseshoe charm, don’t forget to pin it for later.
Sharing is caring 😉
Want some more fun leprechaun crafts ideas? Then you’ll love the leprechaun shoe planter, this cute bottle topper, and these miniature sock gnomes that can be turned into leprechauns with a few tweaks. And if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us make more amazing crafts to share with you 😉
And if you prefer to buy rather than DIY, then maybe these beauties will appeal.
And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
Hi thank u for sharing ur crafts with me I love them I have a cat his birthday is on March 15 he will be 4 he is still my baby I love st. Patrick day I love making stuff to thank u for ur time Kimberly Fava
I am pleased to meet you, Kimberly and thanks so much for leaving such a lovely comment. It always makes my day. Wish your kitty a happy almost birthday from us, and I hope you both enjoy St Patrick’s day together.
Oh he is just too cute from the bottom of his adorable shoes up to his pointy hat and cool glasses. ?
I must be a broke Irish, plain, green, or red because I’ve never cared for beer. Lol
Thank you, my friend. I really enjoyed putting him together
Love your little Leprechaun, he’s very cute. My best friend is Irish and she’s celebrating St Patrick’s day this year by getting her COVID vaccination on the day.
What a great way to celebrate. The rollout here in South Africa has been a little slow, but I’m sure they’ll pick the pace once all the logistics have been figured out.
A brilliant idea to use the horseshoe as a swing! I’d love for you to join us over at the Creative Crafts Linky Party every Wednesday through Sunday
https://creativelybeth.com/creative-crafts-linky-party-31/
Followed and Pinned! ?
Creatively, Beth
Thanks so much for the invite, Beth. I’ll see you there 😉
We love some corned beef and green beer here as well. This guy is the best. Love him! Such a great craft and the details are amazing.
Thanks so much, Brooke. I really enjoyed putting him together
Those glasses are the best and I love the horseshoe. We could all use a little luck!!
Aren’tthose glasses just the coolest. They’ve been in my printer’s tray for the longest time.
This is just adorable! Pinned because he should be out there in the world!
Thanks for putting him on the map, Libbie 😉
So dang cute! I absolutely LOVE his darling shoes. I never would have thought of using Fimo. And it looks perfect.
AND the horseshoe. Love it. I love visiting your blog for continual inspiration and creativity, Michelle. Happy St Patty’s Day!
Thanks so much, Meegan ❣ Isn’t air dry clay a wonderful thing. It’s so easy to work with and you don’t have to worry about firing up a kiln and getting the temperatures all wrong. I love the stuff.
Amazing as always!! I love this little Irish man. He would look great hanging out on my front door!
Thank you, Deana. We have him hanging in our pub right now, but I suspect he’ll be moving around quite a bit depending on our mood 😉
I don’t celebrate it but this is just beautiful leprechaun! Beautiful job
Thank you, Maria
The 25% Irish in me is doing the jig over this cool leprechaun dude. He’s the cutest I’ve ever seen! Those glasses, those shoes, and perched on a horseshoe – ADORABLE!!!
LOL Marie, I’ll think we’ll join you in doing that jig 😀 Thanks so much
Completely adorable! I love his wee glasses. He’s like the coolest Leprechaun ever!
My hubby says he’s the John Lennon of Leprechauns, and I kinda agree with him. Those glasses are really cool.
He is just too cute Michelle. My family is also half Irish so I know what a good st Patrick’s party looks like but I am too old for that too. lol Have a cute gnome like this that would be about my speed with a glass of wine.
😀 I hear you, Anita. If I had to try and dance on the tables now, I’m afraid I would make a complete fool of myself
He’s adorable! Gabi wants a pair of those shoes, but alas she can’t squeeze all her toes in those – lol! I agree that luck shouldn’t be one day thing.
Well, then we’re just going to have to figure out how to make one of a kind shoes for the beautiful Gabriola 😉