I built a reindeer!

Well, I was part of a team that built this mammoth of a reindeer. It was a lot of fun! We made it as the main attraction on a Christmas parade float for our school. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to the parade today because I was home alone with 3 kids, and just couldn't fathom taking them all by myself to a crowd in the snow...

We started with the pattern for a small wooden yard ornament deer, enlarged and traced it to create a frame for this guy (and doubled the torso pieces). Then, we covered it with 11 yards of faux fur - machine stitching and hand stitching, stuffed it with newspaper, and secured the final touches with a staple gun. Awesome, huh? The head is hinged and swings back and forth, too!