I found an interesting site where people post their creative works. What's not there? And food and decorations and furniture. But before you find something worthwhile, you need to dig around. And the site is in English. On the eve of the New Year I found it on
Here are instructions for creating a snowman to decorate your yard for the Christmas holidays. It is not simple, not made of snow, but all-season.
Here is my free translation of a master class on making a snowman. Website .
I've only seen snow a few times in my life. This is because I live in Florida and anyone who has ever been here knows that we don't have much of it. Or not at all. This means that I never took part in such children's activities as sledding, snowball fights and building a snowman. (Although I recently went ice skating!).
This year I decided to make a melting snowman for the front yard - Christmas decor.
I needed to find some material suitable for open areas, so I immediately rejected the idea of a papier-mâché snowman. (Although if you want to make indoor Christmas decorations, this method is cheaper.
I used the following materials to make the snowman, although you can substitute or omit some. Everything I bought was from Walmart and Dollar tree.
3 balls different sizes(large, medium, and small)
-Spray paint (I used blue, orange, and white),
-Shine
-Black buttons/pebbles (I used those sold in florist shops for decoration),
- Expanding polyurethane foam
- Cone (for carrots) (Used for flower arrangements)
- Red ribbon
- Two branches for hands
- Hat (carnival)
The first step is collecting the base. If you don't want to spend forever scrubbing foam off your garage floor, I suggest laying it on the floor large leaf cardboard Also keep in mind that foam cannot be wiped off from clothes, so wear something you don’t mind ruining.
Start with a large sword - place it on the cardboard. It will stay in place if you attach it to the cardboard using double-sided tape. Make the base of your snowman using polyurethane foam. It's easier to work by starting to make a snowman from the base.
You don't have to perfect everything at once. You can return to the first layer after the foam has dried. It expands when it dries and appearance snowman may change. After you have thoroughly strengthened the first ball. you can move on to the other two.
Place two others on top of the first ball and secure them with tape to prevent them from moving.
Foam the joints of the balls. After the foam has dried, you can remove the tape. Or use double-sided tape.
After the base has dried, you can proceed to further steps. Add some foam to the balloons to create a melting snowman effect. Attach your arms. To do this, attach them to the balls with tape and foam the top so that the tape is not visible.
If you want to smooth out the foam a little, use a spatula.
Now comes the fun part of the project! Snowman coloring time! Start creating. There are no clear instructions for painting with spray paint. But I can give some tips to achieve best result.
* Start with dark paint first and then move on to light paint.
The right one white It will be quite difficult to achieve if the top is covered in places with dark paint. Therefore, you first need to cover the entire surface with dark paint, in my case it was blue. Don't let it show yellow color foam.
*Lighten the right places lighter paint.
You need to cover with white paint the places that in your opinion should be light.
I also added a little glitter. It's Christmas! Everything should glow!
I also wanted to attach a flashing LED display to the snowman with wishes for a Happy New Year, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it without piercing the balls.
Nose
It's just part of a cone painted orange. I used a cool gun to attach it to the ball.
The buttons/eyes/mouth are just black pebbles that fit the shape.
They are sold in florist shops.
Instead of pebbles for the mouth, I would use a twig. It would be more elegant.
We put a hat with a red ribbon or a bucket on the snowman and the snowman is ready.
Crafts from polyurethane foam can be made with your own hands in just a few hours.
If you have a disposable bottle that hasn't run out yet, why not put it to good use? landscape design.
In this case, it is still better to resort to professional foam rather than household foam, since a small gun with a diameter of 2 mm is added to it.
Unusually simple and beautiful figures made from polyurethane foam will become the property of your site. They will not leave either neighbors or people simply passing by indifferent.
Materials for fakes made from polyurethane foam
You will need:
- gloves;
- sprayer with pre-prepared water;
- polyethylene;
- aviation kerosene.
Kerosene is needed so that upon completion of work with polyurethane foam, hands can be easily washed from the building material.
It will also be useful to create a base for crafts made from polyurethane foam with your own hands.
You can take an ordinary plastic bottle, an old pan, or something else that you don’t mind.
With foam coating auxiliary material the creation of the craft will begin...
They need to be painted carefully, and before this procedure
dry thoroughly in the shade. It takes at least a week to dry, but if the layer of foam is large, it is better to wait longer.
The paint is applied to the foam craft with your own hands every spring. If this is not done, the foam may crack and the craft will be damaged.
Ideas for crafts made from polyurethane foam
If you have a small pond on your site, you can make a large green toad. This is especially true where there are many plants, especially large-leafed ones. In some cases it is easier to make a lizard or a crocodile - whoever succeeds.
In order not to make a mistake with the sizes and “get your hands on”, you can practice on plasticine. No matter how strange it may sound, it was after trying this simple material, you can make gorgeous crafts from polyurethane foam.
The same goes for dough - if you like to bake delicious buns, sculpt animals - this will help you figure out what you can do better.
Perfect solution- make turtles from polyurethane foam. And it is not at all necessary to have a pond on the site. Besides, White paint Almost everyone has it, and it’s now cheaper than the colored ones.
Turtles are easier to paint; their shells can be alternated with natural ones. If, during the creation of a craft, bumps appear that should not be there, they can be cut off sharp knife.
The situation is similar with rounded parts - if they need to be sharpened, the excess is simply cut off.
Not only crafts made from polyurethane foam street views decorate, they can be made for home. Funny frogs will make people passing by smile!
Yes, as original New Year's decor You can make a snowman out of foam, but you need to start creating it in advance so that the material has time to dry thoroughly.
If you paint the foam ahead of schedule, it will quickly crack.
New Year is just around the corner and, therefore, it's time to cook new Year gifts and decorations. Who main character V New Year's Eve?
That's right, even children know this. It's Santa Claus! And so I decided to make a figurine of Santa Claus for a child in the garden, so that it would stand on the street, on the playground. I’ll say right away that I made this sculpture last year and it has already successfully passed the test of winter, frost and children, and this year it will delight us with its presence again :)
I knew right away what I would make the figure of Santa Claus from: polyurethane foam. Firstly, it is quite inexpensive (considering the size of Moroz - 115 cm), secondly, it is fast enough, since the foam dries in 15-20 minutes and the next layer can be applied, thirdly, products made from polyurethane foam are lightweight and are not afraid of any weather conditions, with one caveat - the foam must be well insulated from sun rays and moisture. Under the influence of direct sunlight, the foam turns yellow and collapses, and if water gets inside the figurine, then in cold weather it crystallizes and the figurine can “tear”. I will tell you below in my master class how to avoid all this and make a figurine that will last for many years.
So, be patient and use a vacuum cleaner, as the work is quite dirty and dusty.
First, I found on the Internet a picture of the Frost we will make. We need general form, we will make our own details.
As a base, I took a plastic bottle that I had on hand, poured sand and stones inside for stability (in fact, I didn’t have to do this, it stands great anyway) and inserted a wooden stick from a children’s shovel on top.
The result was the frame of the future figure.
Then we take newspapers and begin to add volume to our workpiece. We fix the newspapers with paper tape. 
When we have collected the required volume with newspaper, we cover the entire workpiece with craft paper on top: this will make it easier to apply foam later.
When everything is dry, we take the foam and continue to add volume to our Grandfather. When working with foam, I advise you to use gloves, since the foam is very difficult to wash off the skin and cannot be washed off clothes at all. The floor also needs to be covered with newspapers or film.
When working with foam, I use a special gun (pictured), which allows you to regulate the supply of foam and reduce its consumption. You should apply thin layers of foam: this way they will dry faster and you can apply the next layer. 
We continue to apply the foam layer by layer. Try to have as few gaps and voids as possible. If you apply a lot of foam at once, then greatly increasing in volume, it becomes empty inside. And when we then cut off the excess foam, we will have to fill these holes with fresh foam.
At the bottom of the sculpture we glue cardboard and also foam it. Unfortunately, I didn’t film this moment, but I think that everything is clear. If it’s unclear, ask, I’ll be happy to answer. 
Having gained the required volume on our Frost, we begin to move on to the details. We outline the face, very approximately, the place of the hat and begin to make the collar of the fur coat. To do this, take thick cardboard or, as in my case, a calendar cover, and fix it in place with masking tape. After this, we begin to apply foam to the cardboard collar. 
When all areas of the figure are completely filled and look a little like Santa Claus, take a mock-up or construction knife and begin to cut off everything unnecessary. Knife blades must be sharp to make clean cuts. Foam dulls them very quickly and therefore they need to be changed quite often. If suddenly we cut off too much or didn’t like something, we can always increase the volume again and cut off the excess again. This work is not very fast, but very creative. 
We gradually move from the general to the specific. We draw the details, paying special attention to the face of Santa Claus and his beard. Large cavities are filled with foam. 
When you are satisfied with the result, you can sand the Frost sculpture a little: the foam sands beautifully.
Then we apply acrylic putty. You can apply it with a brush, but I applied it directly with my hands: it turns out much faster. We applied one layer, dried it, sanded it a little and applied the second layer. It's hard to close all the holes in the foam the first time. It is very important to isolate the foam well from direct exposure to light and water, as I said above.
We sand the second layer more carefully. We still won’t be able to achieve perfect smoothness, but we don’t need it. After painting, the irregularities on the fur coat and hat look like scribble. The face should be given more attention: fill all the unevenness more thoroughly with putty and sand it well. Using a toothpick, draw hairs and strands on the beard and mustache. 
It's time to paint. First, I painted all of Santa Claus with white acrylic paint. Then I glued those places that should remain white masking tape. To color the fur coat and hat, I used auto enamel in a can. I didn't like it very much: enough strong smell, which takes a long time to weather and plus it takes a long time to dry. Longer than just acrylic spray paint. I usually paint with Bosco paint, which I like better.
One can of auto enamel was enough for me to cover 2 times.
The only plus of this paint: rich red-cherry color. Another important point: it did not adhere well to the white acrylic paint and became craquelure. Of course, it turned out to be original in the end, but unplanned. This has never happened with Bosco. 
This is such a beautiful craquelure. 
This is what Frost looks like after painting. 
Now we need to embellish it a little. We take a white varnish marker, acrylic paint and a thin brush, or outlines, and begin to apply patterns to Frost’s fur coat. 
Then I started painting my face. First I mixed umber + pink + Ivory and applied it to the face. I covered the mustache, beard and edges on the hat and fur coat with pearlescent silver color: it turned out to be real frost. The photo doesn't convey this, unfortunately. Then I applied a little black acrylic, diluted to water, onto the beard and mustache. I wiped off the excess with a dry cloth. 
Then I drew the eyes and applied blush to the cheeks. True, I got carried away again and did not photograph the intermediate stages of the work.
When everything was dry, I covered it in several layers with aerosol acrylic varnish, Special attention focusing on the bottom. 
Grandfather turned out to be quite weighty and stable and we had to take him to the garden by car :) The children were happy! 
This year I plan to make a figurine of a deer and a sleigh so that grandfather can safely travel and deliver gifts to the children.
Polyurethane foam – unique construction material, which is widely used for installation, sealing of structures and increasing their thermal insulation. Lovers of garden decorations have expanded the scope of application of this building material. Every owner can easily make garden figures from polyurethane foam with his own hands. country house or summer cottage. In this article you can see photos of finished crafts, as well as popular sculptures made from polyurethane foam.
1. Light weight.
2. Ease of use (applied to any surface, easy to cut).
3. The ability to make crafts of any size.
4. On ready product not affected by precipitation and temperature changes.
Conditions for using polyurethane foam for garden sculptures
Conditions for using polyurethane foam for garden sculptures
If you have never worked with polyurethane foam, we recommend that you read the instructions from the manufacturer. Do not forget that the foam inside the container is a liquid mass, and when it comes into contact with air, it begins to harden. Complete hardening occurs after 10-12 hours. When working with foam, use personal protective equipment. It is not recommended to carry out work when sub-zero temperature air.
Before each use of the foam, shake the container well. While working, keep the can with the cap down so that gas does not escape from it and all the foam can be used. You should not apply many layers at once, as the uncured ones will fall off. Do everything gradually, apply the next layer at least 10-15 minutes after the previous one. For ease of application, use a special gun.
The appearance of a polyurethane foam figure directly depends on the type of frame. You should first find a picture of the figure or make a sketch so that all the nuances are taken into account and the finished product looks like a wooden or plaster sculpture.
To make the frame, you can take different materials, for example, plastic bottles or iron cans are suitable. You will also find it useful wooden planks, fittings and wire. To make the sculpture stable, you need to fill it with sand.
Now you can start decorating the craft with foam. Distribute the foam evenly over the frame, taking into account the future reliefs of the craft. When it has completely hardened, you can use a stationery knife to remove unnecessary parts and correct defects. If necessary, add foam to places where you forgot or want to correct something in the craft.
A layer of putty will help protect the mounting foam from destruction. To garden craft turned out smooth, grout sandpaper. Now take acrylic paints and cover the figure. Preferably two layers or more. To extend the service life of the future masterpiece, it is coated with varnish on top.
Garden figures can be additionally decorated with the most different materials, for example, beads, flowers or make LED backlight so that the sculpture glows at night.
In order to make a snail for the garden, you will need half a bottle of foam. Cover the table with oilcloth and begin applying foam for the base of the snail. When the first layer has dried a little, apply the second and insert a kefir bottle to make the snail's neck. Cover your neck with foam too and form a head with your hands.
Give the snail horns and a slightly elongated muzzle. After this you can start making the shell. To do this, a round mound of foam is applied to the snail's body. Now insert a bucket, which will be intended for flowers and will turn the garden craft into an original flowerbed.
Use a marker to mark where your snail shell begins and ends, and make curls. When the foam is completely dry, sand the product. All that remains is to decorate the snail and the garden craft is ready.
Materials:
- old saucepan;
- can:
- oil or acrylic paint;
- foam container;
- wire;
- beads.
1. Separately fill the pan and jar with foam and let dry.
2. The jar is the head, and the pan is the body of the frog. Fasten these parts with wire and secure with foam.
3. In the place where the frog’s arms should be, secure the wire and also cover it with foam.
4. Now shape the head and body so that they look like a frog. Make the lower legs as well.
5. Paint the craft with paints and then insert the eyes. The frog is ready, now it can be placed near a pond in the garden or near the pool.
To do garden figurine foxes, you will need plastic bottle. Fill it with sand or pebbles, then the wind will not be able to turn your product over. Foam the bottle, but not immediately in a thick layer, but gradually, pausing for about 15 minutes for the foam to set.
You can use a rubber tube to make the paws. To make the legs flexible, insert a wire into the tube. The tail can also be made from a tube, which will need to be well foamed. For the neck, use a cardboard cylinder from under toilet paper. Install some kind of round blank for the head.
Foam everything well and give the sculpture the appearance of a fox. After that, paint the figure oil paints and varnish. Keep in mind that if the paint is white, the varnish will make it yellow.
You can use a plastic ball as the frame of the kolobok. Place it on some kind of support, such as a jar or bowl. Now apply the foam, waiting for each layer to dry. To make handles, insert wire.
Also form the scarf from foam, and you can make the ears from cardboard. When the foam is completely dry, use a utility knife to cut out the eyes, mouth and nose. Make legs from wooden planks. All that’s left is to color the craft and the bun – it’s ready!
Interestingly, polyurethane foam can be used to make not only garden figures, but an original lantern that will give your personal plot notes of exclusivity and will help decorate the garden in Japanese style. To make a lantern stand, take a pipe that needs to be foamed with bottom side and set it to level wooden base. For the lantern bowl, you can use a plastic bowl that needs to be secured on top.
Now pour the foam in layers, waiting for each layer to partially dry. Come up with a design to decorate the lantern, draw a diagram and implement the idea using polyurethane foam. You need to make a hole in the center of the bowl so that you can secure the lid with self-tapping screws. Insert the bars into the bowl and foam them.
Attach the lid to the bowl with self-tapping screws. Now cut out a smaller square from the chipboard. Foam it on one side and secure the racks on the other. In the center of the squares you need to make a hole in order to insert a lamp into it later. solar battery. Hide the wires.
After that from big piece The roof is made of plywood, which is installed on racks. To make the relief design beautiful, first draw it with a marker on the surface of the lantern, and then carefully cover it with foam.
Garden figures made of polyurethane foam master class
The finished product is completely painted. To install it, you need to dig the pipe a little into the ground or make a small flower bed around the lantern.
DIY polyurethane foam figures will help transform any garden plot. Even without the skills of a sculptor and artist, you can make a beautiful sculpture that will enliven your exterior.
polyurethane foam can also be used to decorate rooms or building facades.