A roundup of handmade Daruma ideas: making Daruma with various materials
The traditional Japanese daruma has long been cherished as a good-luck charm.
For that reason, it’s used as a New Year’s decoration, carried as a talisman for guaranteed victory, and is also a popular charm for entrance exams.
In this article, we’ll introduce a whole range of ideas for making your own daruma by hand! We’ve picked out a wide variety, from easy ones made by crumpling newspaper into a ball, to sewing and knitting projects, and craft-style versions using paper plates and paper cups.
Find ideas that fit your needs—who will make it, how long it will take, and more—and create a wonderful daruma of your own.
Handmade Daruma ideas roundup: Daruma made with various materials (1–10)
Easy and cute Daruma origami
As we welcome the New Year, let’s make the perfect daruma for setting our goals.
First, crease the origami paper in half vertically and horizontally.
Fold along the creases to shape the outline of the daruma.
Since it’s a daruma, the key is to round the corners for a softer, curved shape.
For the body, decide the width while adjusting the overall balance.
Once you draw the daruma’s facial features—eyes, mustache, and eyebrows—it’s complete.
If you use different colors of origami paper, you can create various types of daruma; lining them up might look festive and be a lot of fun.
daruma stacking
https://www.instagram.com/p/DEwdhr4BC32/How about a DIY game you can enjoy making? In the spirit of the New Year, it’s a game where you stack lucky Daruma dolls.
Combine two empty containers, like those from finished instant cup noodles, to create a Daruma.
You can cover them with construction paper or paint them—both would look great.
If everyone makes one, you’ll end up with a delightful variety of unique Daruma dolls.
Then, stack the finished Daruma as high as you can without them toppling over.
It’s an idea that’s sure to be a hit in both individual and team play, bringing lots of smiles.
Pom-pom daruma
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmltVACKjxs/This daruma has a charmingly round, adorable look.
First, wrap yarn around a fork 60 times to make a pom-pom, then tie on a smaller pom-pom made by wrapping 40 times to balance the head and body.
Trim the excess with scissors to shape it, and finish by attaching a felt face.
It’s fun to vary the yarn colors and facial expressions to give each one its own personality.
They’re perfect not only for New Year’s but also as winter decorations.
A heartwarming idea that combines a pleasant touch with cute looks.
Daruma wall decoration made with paper plates
https://www.tiktok.com/@haruharo_made/video/7309799399104859399A friendly, paper-plate Daruma wall decoration that feels warm and humorous.
First, cut out the center of a craft paper plate, punch a hole at the top, and thread a red string through it to prepare it for hanging.
Place a paper-made Daruma face and body in the center, then add festive New Year motifs like pine, bamboo, and plum around it for extra flair.
By drawing different expressions and changing the background colors or arrangement of decorations, you can create a unique piece.
It’s a fun craft to make with children, and once finished, it brightens up the space when hung on the wall.
An easy yet striking idea that elevates the New Year mood.
roly-poly daruma
Fun for the whole family! Try making New Year’s decorations with paper clay.
You’ll need paper clay, marbles, empty capsules, paints, brushes, and so on.
It’s fun to shape the paper clay to match the zodiac animal, but the painting stage will really let personalities shine, too.
By putting a marble inside a capsule, you’ll create an adorable daruma that moves unpredictably—kids are sure to love it! Try varying the sizes for adults and children, and enjoy decorating as you create.
Made of felt
A cute daruma made with felt.
Use embroidery thread to create the patterns and face.
Attach the face felt to the daruma-shaped felt—and stitch this part on as well.
If the characters on the belly are too small and tricky to sew, it’s perfectly fine to draw them with a permanent marker instead! Embroidery might sound difficult, but these are all simple stitches you can do as long as you can sew straight lines, so no worries.
It would make a delightful gift and a good-luck charm for exams or competitions!
Made with paper clay
If you want to emphasize cuteness, making a daruma out of paper clay is also recommended.
With paper clay, you can color it to your liking and draw a face on it.
It’s also easy to add little touches like ears.
There’s one more reason I recommend using paper clay: it pops back upright even if it’s knocked over.
Besides being auspicious, the gentle wobbling is adorable.
And if you have small children, it could even double as a toy.
make with cloth
You can also make a daruma out of fabric.
The body has the same structure as a beanbag, and you finish it by embroidering the daruma’s face onto it.
However, unlike a typical beanbag, you can also use materials like yarn.
First, think about what material you want to use and what pattern of fabric to choose.
It’ll look cute as a decoration, and you can also play with it like a beanbag or use it for finger exercises.
If you make it larger and stuff it with batting, it can even serve as a cushion.
Made with candles
Melt some wax and shape it—how about making a daruma candle? Add red pigment to white wax and mold it into a round shape, and the basic body is ready.
Then attach separately made skin-colored wax for the face, and use black wax to add the eyes and mustache—done! The best part about this method is that you can customize the colors to your liking.
It really feels like making a truly one-of-a-kind piece.
You could even add a few drops of oil to turn it into an aroma candle.
Just don’t forget to insert the wick!
Made with balloon art
When you hear “balloon art,” you might picture twisting and bending long balloons, but this idea is very simple.
You just take a red, round balloon, blow it up, and stick on parts for the eyes, whiskers, and mouth to finish it.
No difficult techniques are required, so even small children can have fun making it.
And the result is super cute.
Since it’s a balloon, you won’t be stuck figuring out where to put it in the end, either.
That said, there is something a little bit lonely about that, too.