A Paper & Chicken Wire Snowman

The handy thing about chicken wire is that it will hold things you stuff into it. I tore up packing paper into approximately 6x6 or 6x8 squares and rectangles-- do not take the time to measure anything, just start tearing. Then crumple each sheet up and stuff it into a chicken wire hole. I gave him two black eyes (crumpled black paper), a carrot nose (a twisted piece of orange paper), tree branch arms (twisted brown paper with fingers made from tearing one end into three parts and twisting them), and three green buttons (crumpled green paper). Excuse the reflection from taking the photo outside the library windows-- I should've taken a picture of the display before I set it in front of the window.

This background color is a truer depiction, but the snowman is fairly ragtag-looking from this angle, but it gives him character. I bought two lacy pillow shams for fifty cents each and covered a couple of boxes to display Christmas and winter books in the corners.  The wire shelving is another garage sale find that's become a permanent ficture on the chicken wire frame. Students made big and little snowflakes for the display and to hang around the library. I need to add some more small ones to the background.





I made the wreath the same as the snowman-- tearing green paper and stuffing it in the chicken wire. Add some red wads of paper for the berries, and voila! It's done. I put more holly and berries in the corners and above and below the saying. I think I misquoted a Mary Englebreit saying, which probably needs to say, "A book is a present you can open again and again." But since I'm about to have a book fair, the quote I used will do. Wrapping the back of the chicken wire frame with bulletin board paper makes a beautiful backdrop that pulls it all together.



 Here's a closer shot of the snowman and wreath.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Hanukkah!



A Good Book Brings Great Joy

It's December already! How did that happen? I recycled snowflakes made by the art classes three years ago and created a winter wonderland display for this month. I wrapped the loft bed with blue bulletin board paper. The snowman was made from styrofoam equipment packing-- this is his second year to be used.

The snowman is leaning up against an easel, and the knit cap covers the top part of the easel and keeps him upright. I cut out some black tree trunks and used shredded paper from our office to make the icy-looking leaves for the trees. 

I even piled some on the mattress grid above the trees as well as hung a few snowflakes from the grid to make it look like it was snowing.

I pulled Christmas books and scattered more snowflakes on the ground, and sat the snowman on top of a star-shaped crocheted tablecloth I found in someone's trash. I have used it in so many displays.

At the end of the loft bed I put the theme "A Good Book Brings Great Joy," and also added a table with a red Christmas tree skirt and more Christmas books after I took the picture. I also outlined the big picture windows with snowflakes in the front of the library. On the snowman, I used things I found in the office drawers: binder clips for the mouth, Percy Jackson pins for the eyes and buttons, and half of a plastic fork for the nose.

Here are some more quick displays:

Cost for these displays? Only a little time,
and with helpers, it didn't take long at all.
Have a wonderful holiday!