DIY Giant Nutcrackers

If you never thought you could use concrete tube forms for anything other than concrete column applications, then think again. This year, building supplies are being transformed into colorful and playful Christmas yard decor.

Here's what you'll need for each nutcracker: 1 concrete tube form; drop cloth; painter's tape; three colors of spray paint (hat/legs, torso, face); newspaper; utility knife; marker; measuring tape; acrylic craft paint (to fill in chest and face templates); detail paintbrush; 2-3 wood landscape stakes; face shape template; chest template.

To create the look of a nutcracker, paint will need to be applied as four different sections: legs, torso, face and hat. Use a measuring tape and painter's tape to mark off each area. Tip: The torso should be the largest section, then the legs; and the face should be slightly smaller in size than the hat.

Turn the concrete form upside down so the hat section is on the ground. With the ground protected by a drop cloth, create the hat by applying spray paint approximately 8 inches from the surface of the form, moving back and forth in controlled spurts.