I recently decorated for our church’s summer VBS, Emerald Crossing. The theme was Psalm 23 set on an Irish sheep farm. Much of the decor consisted of green meadows and sheep. Paper worked wonderfully in covering the walls and hallways, but I wanted to use several stuffed sheep for 3D farm vignettes in the lobby.

Have you priced sheep lately? Buying them was out of the question. I prayerfully looked around my home with creative, resourceful eyes, finding everything that I needed to make adorable sheep. This project cost me nothing but an hour of time and a joyful experience.

I hope this little project will help others to make sheep for next to nothing… and bring joy along the way.

Materials & Supplies

2 plastic Folgers coffee containers

Bubble wrap

Old nappy white blanket

Large black sock

4 black plastic plant containers

(or plastic cups painted black)

Googly eyes

Duck tape

Hot glue

Instructions

1. Place the 2 coffee containers together, end to end, and tape together by wrapping with duck tape. This will be the sheep’s body
2. Wrap the body with bubble wrap to desired fullness and tape in place.
3. Cut a rectangle piece of blanket large enough to cover the sheep. It helps to place the sheep body on the blanket and cut around it, (much like placing a gift on wrapping paper to size how much to cut).
4. Wrap the sheep with the fabric blanket and hot glue with a bottom seam and end seams.
5. Cut a tail piece from the blanket and hot glue to the sheep body.
6. Cut off the top half/ leg part of a black sock and save for ears. Stuff the bottom foot part of the sock with bubble wrap and hot glue to close the opening. This will be the sheep’s head.
7. Cut a piece of blanket fabric for the top of the sheep’s head and attach with hot glue.
8. Using the set aside leg part of the sock, cut it in half lengthwise for two ears. Fold and glue shut with edges hidden on the inside of the ears. Attach with hot glue to the sheep’s head.
9. Attach 2 googly eyes onto the face with hot glue.
10. Turn the sheep over and attach 4 plastic plant containers to the sheep’s belly with hot glue. (Plastic cups painted black would also work well for feet.)