Pipe Cleaner Elf Ornaments

Hmm, these look suspiciously like those elves everyone sits on their shelves…

Let me explain, growing up there were two ornaments on my grandparents tree that always grabbed my attention. One was an umbrella (yep, tried unsuccessfully to make one like it – maybe next year) and the other was a kind of elf with long bendable legs and arms.

After finishing the elf and realizing I’d created exactly what I wanted to – one the first try no less – I was sitting at the table, completely full of myself, when my son walked by and said, “Cool, you made Gladys some friends.” Gladys is our Elf on the Shelf. Crud…that’s when I realized I had indeed made a rather crafty, DIY-ish version of that sometimes loved, sometimes despised elf.

Similarities aside, I’m still so happy with these guys and THEY ARE intended to be ornaments you can pose on your tree branches, I swear! Here’s how you can make your own!