diy christmas menagerie

I’ve had these little paper doll animals floating around in my head forever, and now they finally exist in the real world!  I wanted to make a tiny menagerie of animals who were kind of peaceful and still and full of the quiet joy of Christmas, for you to use in any way you like — they can be ornaments, gift decorations or tags, shadow puppets, or just toys for your little ones.  Here’s how you do it.

First, download and print this template and this template on white or cream cardstock.  Cut out all the figures — animals, extra moving parts, and six holly wreaths.

Next, use a tiny paintbrush and some grey or silver paint to define the animals’ characteristics.  Just lightly trace the lines that are there for you already.  I didn’t trace the outlines of the animals — just the lines on the inside of each figure.

Then, glitter the animals if you like.  I used iridescent glitter on cream cardstock.  Use some tiny brads to attach the moving parts to each animal.  Make sure all the legs are in the right places!  Then glitter the holly wreaths.  I used light green glitter for these.

Once all of the animals are put together, glue a holly wreath around each of their necks.  Then use them however you like!  If you’d like to hang them as ornaments or on gift boxes, either tape some string to their backs or make a tiny hole to thread the string through.  Enjoy these — I sure love them.  Merry Christmas!  xoxo