I made this animated Elf to decorate my house for Christmas in 2009.

Parts used:

12" oscilating fan with the blades removed
small trash can
large doll head (left over from my Haunted House)
1/2" and 1" PVC pipe
aluminum L beam
swimming pool flotation noodles
zip ties
felt and fabrics
hot glue gun

I mounted the trash can over the top of the fan to protect it from getting wet. It also gave me a good starting point for the shape of the body. I used 4 zip ties to attach the trash can to the fan by carefully drilling several holes through the trash can and the plastic case around the top of the fan. I then filled the holes in the bottom of the trash can with caulk after it was attached so water wouldn't get to the fan.