A Christmas themed cigar craft!

Once again, do you or someone you know smoke cigars?
This is a fairly easy ornament that could make a great gift!

You'll need one cigar band per ornament.

Step 1: Required Materials

For this project, you'll need:

Materials
- A cigar band
- A 5/8" dowel rod
- Some tobacco looking scrapbook paper
- Small ornament topper
- (Optional) Brown paint
- Black paint or fine black sharpie
- Ribbon
- (Optional) Styrofoam

Tools
- Cheap Paint Brushes
- Mod Podge Epoxy Glue
- Hand Saw
- Scissors
- (optional) modeling knife
- (optional) sandpaper

Step 2: Procuring a Band

Go ahead, smoke your favorite cigar. You owe it to yourself to take a break from life for an hour or so.
Or grab a band you already have on hand.

Not a smoker? Sneak it out of the smoker's ashtray, cigar band jar, whatever!

Step 3: Creating the Base

The dowel rods I purchased came in a bag of 5 rods, 5/8" thick by 12" long.
One rod can be used to make three ornaments.

1) Use the hand saw to cut the rod approximately 3"-4" long.
2) (Optional) If the end is rough or jagged, you may want to sand it down.

Step 4: Cut and Add the Wrapper

The paper I used to wrap the cigars was recommended to me by a friend who scrapbooks.
For Corojo (reddish/brown) cigars, I used "the Paper Studio: Solid Pearl - Gold" #697748
For Maduro (dark) cigars, I used "The Paper Company: Double Sided Mulberry Chocolate/tan" #11003-119

Both are 12x12 sheets found in the Scrap Booking isle of Hobby Lobby.

1) Use the Scissors to cut a 3/4" thick 12" long strip as straight as possible.
2) Tightly wrap the strip of paper around the dowel rod
3) Angle the paper so that it makes a barber pole shape
4) Try not to overlap the paper, but do not let any dowel rod show. Slight overlap is OK.

Once you have aligned the paper how you like, let it go. It should keep the shape, but be loose around the rod. Align the rod in the center of the paper, so that excess wrapper sticks out from both sides.

5) Use a paintbrush and dip it in Mod Podge
6) 'Paint' Mod Podge all over the rod
7) Tighten the wrapper around the rod and hold it in place for 15-20 seconds.
8) Put some glue on the unraveled bits and attach them back to the wrapper.

Once you've completed the final step, cut off some of the excess paper at each end. It should come off about 1/4 inch from the wood and make a complete circle.

Step 5: The Cap

The Rolled Cigar Look
Decide which side will be the 'cap' and which will be the 'foot'
The cap of the cigar is the part you put your lips on.

For the cap:
1) Cut 1 thin strip of paper 12" long
2) Cut a second thin strip 6" long
3) Tightly roll up the long strip
4) Place it inside the cap hole
5) Tightly roll up the shorter strip
6) Use the scissors to uncurl the large strip while in the cap, place the short strip in the center of the larger strip.

The cap should look like a rolled cigar now.
1) Use some brown paint on the white areas of paper showing
2) After the paint dries, apply a light coat of epoxy on top.

Step 6: The Foot

The Toasted Cigar Look
The foot of the cigar is the lit part.
We'll hang the cigar from this side.

1) Use the paint brush to apply a small amount of black paint on the edge of the foot. This will give the foot that burning look.

While this dries, we will work on the ornament top
2) Cut a length of ribbon
3) String both sides of the ribbon through a small ornament topper
4) Tightly tie a few knots in the ribbon on the other side of the ornament top

Once the black paint is dry:
5) Put glue on the outsides of the topper
6) Fit the top inside of the foot.

Optional: You can put Styrofoam inside the foot to give the topper something to hold on to.

Step 7: The Finishing Touches

To make the cigar look like a cigar:
1) Take the Cigar Band you have
2) Put glue on the white inside of the band
3) Tightly wrap the band around the ornament

Note: Make sure the bottom of the band faces towards the 'foot' of the cigar. The cigar should look like it's hanging upside down.

4) Take a brush and dip it in the Mod Podge
5) 'Paint' an even, light coat of Mod Podge all over your ornament - make sure to include the cigar band. This will preserve and protect the band and the paper.
Note: Try to spread too much gathered epoxy - it may thicken and show white spots rather than drying clear.
6) Hang the cigar ornament up somewhere to dry.

Step 8: Hang It Up!

Your surprisingly real looking cigar ornaments will be a topic of discussion among your friends!

Check out this and more of my man-crafts at my new blog:
http://manlycrafts.blogspot.com/

(The Mario Mushroom Ornament idea I got from:
https://www.instructables.com/id/1_up_and_Super_Mushroom_Ornaments/)