Of all the hundreds of website articles we’re written, Making Rudolph, our log and sticks reindeer is the most popular. He was created for our first book, Build it Together (1994 Stackpole) as one of many projects designed for a parent and kid to build together. Later he was featured on our first website HouseNet in the late 1990s and then on Do It Yourself or Not, both sites about the cost of home improvements which we’ve since sold. Occasionally he makes the pages of our current long-running column Do It Yourself or Not syndicated by Tribune Publishing.
What’s most rewarding is the fan letters Rudolph receives from scout leaders who make him a seasonal project for their kids. We love seeing the pictures they send. They often share the fun the kids had gathering the natural material we used. They scour the woods for just the right size and shape of twigs for his legs and antlers; the parents get involved cutting 2 logs for his head and body. Since we created Bring Binoculars about using binoculars, we brought him into the fold with shiny red binoculars around his neck for his feature image.
Katie Hamilton, co-creator
