The ManFlesh's mom's favorite animal is the giraffe and a few years ago I spotted (heh, get it?) this plain paper mache giraffe at one of the big box craft stores and snatched it up. Finally this year I thought to make a pull toy decoration out of it. As I wondered the craft stores this year looking for the supplies to make it into a pull toy, I got the idea to have the giraffe pulling Santa's sleigh and Rudolf the Red-nosed Giraffe was born!
I foolishly assumed that I could find a pre-made sleigh ornament to alter or a blank at a craft store. Wrong and wrong. I couldn't even find a flat version to make into a 3D version, so I bought a paper mache box in the appropriate size and then drew a sleigh pattern, traced it twice (once facing each direction) on paper board. I used faux bois textured paper, metallic black paper and paint to cover the paper board. I "hung" wee wreaths (weeths?) on the sides for some color. The inside of the sleigh is a cute little red/white/green plaid, but I over filled Santa's sleigh so it can't really been seen. D'oh!
I made Santa's sack out of felt and filled the bottom with mini presents from the craft store, then topped them with little bits and bobs from my stash + the drum which came with some of the mini-presents. It was originally shiny silver and gold so I painted it and restrung it with black embroidery floss.
So I just painted the giraffe with craft paint. His harness is cobbled together from a silk knot that came from a decoration on some of that twirly luck bamboo - it had a loop on the top and a piece of faux jade with the symbols for luck or prosperity (or cherry trees for all I know) written on it. I cut and knotted both ends, tied and glued a wee jingle bell to the bottom, then used the side loops for adding ribbon (with more jingle bells sewn to it) for the sides and abdomen. A pre-made wee pompon for the nose.
And one final shot of the whole thing from the other side and at a different angle
Oh! The base is two pre-made wooden planks (well, it's actually thin plywood) that I glued together to double the thickness. Instead of making axels, I drilled 4 holes for dowels into the sides and slid the dowels through the pre-made wheels. I used a standard thumbtack for the "hubcap" which I covered with the same paper that lines the sleigh. So the wheels actually roll. There's a tiny screw eye up front for the little ribbon and wooden beads that make the pull rope.
