A huge thanks to Craft Supplies USA‘s commitment to teaching projects on the lathe. They released a video last month showing off how to use their German Smoker (incense) kit to make a fun little Christmas project.

After plenty of rewinding, fast-forwarding, and otherwise studying the video, I was able to turn my own Santa Claus this weekend.

At the part of the project where I was painting the face, I was incredibly skeptical that it was going to look good in the end. But once the hair, beard, and hat were added – I’m very happy with it!

If you’re looking for a fun project for the holidays, give it a shot. You may just end up with a decoration you’ll pull out year after year.