The Acting Mom: Make your own peg people

Peg people are simple to make and so adorable. I decided to make them for my family just because, but thought it was a fun idea anyone could do as a personalized gift for Christmas. All you need are a couple of supplies, a study hand to paint and your creativity.

This is an inexpensive gift with a lot of charm and thoughtfulness. It can be as simple or intricate as you have the time and ability to make. My family of 6 took about an hour to make as I experimented with what I was doing. I am looking forward to making new ones for different seasons and occasions now that I've mastered it. And I am excited to try making the different characters I've listed at the bottom of the post. These can make great durable toys for kids of all ages.

How to make peg people

Supplies:

-Wooden peg people (Amazon or Hobby Lobby)
-Acrylic paint
-Small paint brushes
-Mod podge
-Patterned paper

Extras:

-White picket fence
-Wooden bench
-Seasonal decorations (leaves, wreathes, miniature lights, etc.)
-Miniature airstream

1. Paint the skin color. At Hobby Lobby they have a flesh tone color for caucasian skin, but I had yellow on hand and decided to go with it. If you have a different color flesh tone, I would suggest buying brown, yellow and white and mixing until you find a color that matches. For my youngest sons, that was what I did.

2. Paint their clothing, or mod podge on clothing. All of my kids have a color assigned to them, so I simply painted their clothing one color. There are some great examples of clothing choices out there (here, here, and here), so have fun with it! Here is a YouTube video of a woman using mod podge and patterned paper for clothing.

3. Decide their hair style. I think this is the step that really makes the dolls unique from one another. It can be challenging to try to come up with a different way to paint a round peg to look like different styles, but there are lots of examples (boys and girls).

4. Give your peg people eyes, a mouth, or none. The choice is yours. Some people add a specific eye color, some leave them black. Others will paint mouths and pinked cheeks and many leave just the eyes. It all depends on what you want your peg people to look like.

5. Find them a home. This whole idea started for me from something I pinned using a cookie jar to create a Christmas scene. My mind started racing as I thought of so many different ideas for each season. So, find a cookie jar or a cake stand and top or glue your family together to make ornaments. Decide where your little peg people will call home.