Popsicle Stick Truck Ornament
This popsicle stick truck is such a fun Christmas craft! Make this festive truck ornament from craft sticks, and add a pipe cleaner Christmas tree in the back. It’s so cute!
Make a Christmas red truck, or paint it your favourite colour. This popsicle stick truck ornament looks so adorable on the Christmas tree, and it’s quick and easy to make using inexpensive dollar store supplies.
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How to Make a Popsicle Stick Truck
Materials:
- 4Popsicle sticks
- 2Large popsicle sticks(aka tongue depressors)
- Black craft foam
- Acrylic paint(white, brown, red)
- Green pipe cleaner
- Red metallic baker’s twine
Equipment:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Gather and cut the popsicle sticks
- To begin making the popsicle stick truck, line up 3 of the regular sized popsicle sticks.
- Use a pencil to mark 2-1/2 inches in on each of the popsicle sticks.
- Cut the popsicle sticks on the marked lines.If your scissors won’t cut through the popsicle stick easily, you can also use a craft knife to score the wood and then snap them.Try to round off the cut edges on one of the popsicle sticks to match the other side. This will be the top of the truck.
- Keep the 2-1/2 inch long sections of the popsicle sticks and discard the other parts. Then bring in 2 jumbo popsicle sticks.
Step 3: Put together the truck base
- Arrange the popsicle sticks into a truck shape.Place the 2 tongue depressors horizontally along the bottom. Then set a short popsicle stick down (the one with the rounded edge) about 1 inch above them and in about 1 inch from the right side.Connect these pieces vertically with the other 2-1/2 inch craft sticks. Place the left one straight up and down, and arrange the right one on an angle inwards (pointing to the left).
- Use dots of hot glue or tacky glue to connect the popsicle sticks together. Make sure the vertical popsicle sticks extend down to the bottom tongue depressor so the glue can hold them together.
- Repeat, adding glue so that all 5 popsicle sticks are connected together.
Step 4: Make the truck’s window and tires
- Cut a piece of black craft foam to fit over the truck’s window.
- Draw two circles, about 1-1/4 inches in diameter, onto the black foam. We traced the bottom of a paint bottle to make our circles.
- Cut out both foam circles, which will be the truck’s tires.
- Use a fine tip paintbrush and white acrylic paint to draw reflections (short diagonal lines) on the truck’s window.
- Add 2 curved lines around the outside of each tire using the white paint.
Step 5: Paint the truck and make the Christmas tree
- Paint the front of the popsicle stick truck a nice Christmas red (or blue, green, or any other colour you like!).
- Grab your 4th popsicle stick and paint the front of it brown. This will be the Christmas tree’s trunk.
- While the paint is drying you can make the pipe cleaner Christmas tree.Bend the end of the green pipe cleaner down about 1/4 inch, and then bend it back in the opposite direction, so the next row is a little bit longer.Continue bending the pipe cleaner in a zigzag pattern that gets gradually longer each time, until you reach the end. If there’s a little bit extra left at the end of the pipe cleaner you can cut it off.
Step 6: Connect the parts of the truck
- Flip the painted truck over and add glue to the back of the window area.
- Place the foam window into place, making sure the painted side is face down.
- Flip the truck back over and glue the wheels at the front and back of the truck, so that they’re sticking out the bottom about 1/2 way.
- Add hot glue to the top half of the brown popsicle stick.
- Set the pipe cleaner tree into the glue on the trunk.
- Then glue the bottom of the trunk onto the back of the truck. We found it helpful to attach the tree to the truck while looking at it from the front so you can find the best looking angle for the tree.
Step 7: Add an ornament hanger
- Cut a piece of ribbon or twine to about 6 inches long. Tie a knot in the ends, creating an ornament hanger.Place it on the back of the truck, near the top center.
- Add hot glue over the bottom of the hanger, securing it in place.
- Your Christmas popsicle stick truck is complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Glue a portrait photo in the truck’s window instead of foam, to make a personalized Christmas ornament!
- Add an extra bit of sparkle to your tree by using a metallic or glitter pipe cleaner to make the Christmas tree.
Do I have to paint the popsicle sticks to make my Christmas tree truck ornament?
No, you can also use markers to add colour to your popsicle sticks. Or, make this Christmas craft even easier by purchasing coloured popsicle sticks!
How many craft sticks do I need per popsicle stick truck?
To make a Christmas truck ornament you’ll need 4 regular sized popsicle sticks and 2 jumbo craft sticks (also called tongue depressors).
Do I need craft foam to make this popsicle stick truck?
If you don’t have foam sheets you can also use cardstock or construction paper to make the window. To make the truck’s tires, we recommend cutting circles out of cardboard and either painting them or gluing black paper on top. Or use black buttons for the wheels!
Can I draw the small details on this popsicle stick truck craft?
Yes, you can definitely draw the reflections on the window and the details on the tires. If you don’t feel comfortable painting small details with a brush you can use a white paint pen or metallic Sharpie marker instead.
Do I need to use hot glue to make this popsicle stick truck ornament?
Hot glue makes this craft really quick since you don’t have to wait for it to dry. However, if you’re making this craft with younger kids, we recommend using Aleene’s tacky glue to glue everything together.
Tacky glue is better than regular white glue because it’s sticky right out of the bottle and keeps things in place without shifting. The only downside of using tacky glue is that you’ll need to wait for it to dry between steps.
This craft stick Christmas tree truck is such an adorable DIY ornament! This popsicle stick craft is such a fun piece of holiday decor that’s cute enough to make (and display) any time of the year!
Here’s even more popsicle stick craft ideas:
Glittering Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees
DIY Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
