Pinecone Elf on a Shelf

These are Ms Perfect's Martha's elves

I found this tutorial for Pinecone Elves and couldn't resist. We all know that the Elf on a Shelf has gotten incredibly popular (and a super fun activity!), but if you're like me $30 seems like a lot for a doll and a book. So, I thought that these little "Santa's Helpers" would be a great substitute! I made all 3 of mine for less than $10, and now I have 3 elves instead of just one. Plus, you can find Elf on a Shelf ideas all over the internet, so you can still participate in the fun!

A couple of suggestions:

• If you don't want to buy the acrylic paint (or you don't have any) for the cheeks, use pink eye shadow. I used a small eye shadow brush, wet it down a little, and dipped it in the eye shadow. Then I just dabbed it on! I felt like I had more control over it, plus, since I have a whole eye shadow palate, I had a lot of shades of pink to choose from
• When you get everything cut and sewn as you want it, use your hot glue gun to secure them in place. That way you don't risk them falling off at inopportune moments!
• Skip the bell/bead/ball on the hat. I didn't really care for it, and it's an unnecessary expense unless you already have them around the house. 

Enjoy!

These are mine, complete with the "village" I put out every year