This Christmas lights snowman craft is pure holiday cheer on paper. Three cupcake liner snowmen peek in from the edges of the page, staring wide-eyed at strings of colorful lights. It takes simple supplies, no paint, and about 20 to 30 minutes from start to finish.
What makes this version extra fun is that you get two looks in one craft. Make it on light blue cardstock for a bright, snowy daytime scene. Or switch to black or dark paper for a nighttime version where the bulbs really glow. Both are adorable, and kids love choosing their favorite.
Craft Supplies:
Gather everything before you begin so kids can dive right in.
- Cardstock: light blue for a daytime look, or black/dark gray for a nighttime look (one sheet per child)
- White cupcake liners: two or three per child, standard size
- Orange construction paper: a small scrap for carrot noses
- Black marker: a fine tip works best for faces
- Silver marker: for drawing light strings on dark paper
- Colorful dot stickers: yellow, green, pink, purple, orange, red, and blue all look great
- Glue stick
- Scissors
Directions:
Step 1: Fold the cupcake liners in half
Flatten a white cupcake liner and fold them in half. Add a little bit of glue in between so it doesn’t come apart. Repeat until you have three halves.
Three snowmen is the sweet spot. You’ll place one on the left edge, one on the right edge, and one peeking up from the bottom. Don’t worry about smoothing out the ruffles. Those pleats make the snowmen look extra fluffy and snowy.
Step 2: Cut out carrot noses
Cut three long, skinny triangles from the orange paper. Pointy triangles look the most like carrots.
Older kids can cut these on their own. For younger crafters, a grown-up may want to prep the noses ahead of time.
Step 3: Glue the snowmen along the edges
Rub glue along the straight edge of each liner half. Line it up with the edge of your cardstock and press down. Place one on the left, one on the right, and one along the bottom.
Keep the rounded side facing toward the center of the page. This is what makes the snowmen look like they’re sneaking a peek at the scene.
Checkpoint: Your snowmen should look like they’re peeking in from just outside the frame. If so, you’re right on track!
Part 2: Draw the Christmas Light Strings
Step 4: Draw loopy lines across the page
Draw three or four wavy, swooping lines from one side of the paper to the other. Use a black marker on light blue paper, or a white or silver marker on dark paper.
Encourage kids to make the lines bouncy, like lights draped across a porch railing. Wobbly lines are perfect. They look handmade and full of personality.
Step 5: Leave space around the snowmen
Try to keep the light strings in the open space between the snowmen. Stop each line just before it reaches a cupcake liner.
This keeps the snowmen’s faces easy to see. It also makes it look like they’re gazing right at the lights.
Mini summary: At this point, you should have three blank snowmen around the edges and several loopy strings running across the middle.
Part 3: Add the Bulbs and Bring the Snowmen to Life
Step 6: Stick on the colorful bulbs
Place sticker dots or paper circles along each light string. Aim for about 15 to 25 bulbs per craft, spaced out evenly.
If you’re using paper circles, here’s an easy trick. Rub the glue stick right along the drawn line, then drop the circles on top. It’s much easier than gluing each tiny circle one by one.
Kids can create a color pattern, like red, green, yellow, repeat. Or they can go totally random. Both look cheerful and bright.
Step 7: Add the carrot noses
Glue one orange triangle onto each snowman with the point facing the lights. Side snowmen get noses pointing inward. The bottom snowman’s nose points straight up.
This small detail makes every snowman look like it’s leaning in for a closer look.
Step 8: Draw the faces
Use the black marker to give each snowman two dot eyes and a mouth. This is where the personality shines!
Try a few different expressions:
- An open “O” mouth for a snowman amazed by the lights
- A row of dots for a happy smile
- A little sideways mouth for a curious look
Giving each snowman a different face makes the whole scene feel like a story.
What “done” looks like: Three surprised and smiling snowmen peeking in from the edges, all staring at glowing strings of Christmas lights.
RELATED —> Fingerprint Christmas Lights & String Height Ornament
GRAB THE BOOK “SNOWMEN AT CHRISTMAS” VIA OUR AMAZON AFFILIATE LINK
This Christmas lights snowman craft is simple enough for little hands and fun enough to make again and again. Grab a copy of Snowmen at Christmas, pull out some cupcake liners, and plan a cozy craft time this week. Happy crafting, my friends!
