Snowman Spoons

     I've been cleaning out my garage, but it involves a lot of staring at items and trying to decide where they came from, why I have them, and where my life is going.  For the first time, I have all the time, and I'm trying not to waste it, but the truth is-I'm dragging.  I don't think it's just me.  Oh, corona virus.
     So, a week or so ago I pulled out a basket of random stuff in the garage.  Normally, I would have tossed these two things, but I decided to try to repurpose everything in that basket instead of tossing or donating the items.  The scoop was from a candy bar I probably hosted years ago.  Most of the scoops live in a jar with other party items, but I guess this guy missed the boat....and got discolored and probably housed a spider family at some point.  The spoon was something I bought when I was trying to bang letters into metal.  It turns out metal letters prefer real silver, not dollar store spoons.  Don't we all?
    So, I gave each of these guys a snowman face and some ribbon and now they are ready for Christmas.  And probably a spider family, who I hope appreciates the festive new look.
    This also reminded me....I need to go back to that metal stamping craft I wanted to try out.  I did some research and I've determined I'm SURE my problem is I didn't have a two pound hammer and metal base.  I set aside two silver spoons to see if I can resurrect that craft.  Here's hoping things get back to (sort of) normal and I don't have the time, but if not.  Get ready.

Do you want to build a Snowman?

Normally I'd post this guy in December, but....I'm home.  I'm crafting up a storm.  I decided March seems like a goodtime for a snowman craft.  A lot of times I don't post things like this without a tutorial, but I'm proud of this guy.  Not because he's so amazing, but because he's the chair leg of a chair I bought at an online auction.  I went and picked it up and it turned out it was a piece of junk.  It was rickety and someone had replaced the seat with plywood and painted it to match the elegant chair.  I waited a year thinking I'd replace that seat.  One day I bumped it in the garage and it fell and the back fell off.  So, I took that puppy apart and tossed most of it.  I'm going to paint a second snowman with fancy spindle #2 and I have a back piece I think is going to be angel wings.  So, not a bad deal after all!  And....lesson learned with the online deal!

Snowman Screen

This in my third screen in a series I like to call:  I Got New Windows.  I saved all the screens from the old windows, all three of them.  I posted a picture of a pumpkin, a tree, and now...a snowman.  Again, the key is to pain your design with a trash bag or plastic table clothe underneath.  This allows the the paint to 'pool' a little and dry between the mesh so it's darker.  I also added the bow to a top, but I just used a safety pin to stick it on (from the back) so it can be replaced if necessary.

Snowman Spoons

 I used this technique to paint some wooden spoons that were hanging around my house.  My goal this year is to start getting rid of things I bought for projects I didn't do/or had to buy in larger packs than I needed at the time.  It'll take me years to purge, but....I'm four spoons lighter now.  My mom has a craft/antique booth and the plan is to throw these in there next Christmas.  I'll be creating some more friends to join these little guys, but...here's a start to purging, but more importantly...to Christmas crafts!

Snowman Muffin Tin

I know, I know....so many snowmen on this blog.  I just love them.  I, clearly, have spent too much time with my friend Terry-who will paint on anything.  Literally, she drives her old car to work on Thursday b/c it's bulk trash day.  I'm not alarmed by this...I'm inspired.  This is another note from her book. She buys old pans at thrift stores and garage sales.  I had this pan from a craft I planned to do about 4 years ago. I bought it at the dollar store.  I decided if I hadn't done that craft yet...it probably wasn't going to happen, so....I got out some paint and made some snowmen.  Gingerbread would be cute too, but...the nice thing about snowmen is that you don't have to pack them away after Christmas.

Snowman Softballs

 Christmas has come and gone....again.  It's never enough time....and then winter is here without the angels and Santa decor to keep me company.  BUT...never fear-snowmen are still acceptable after the season.  I took a feather from my friend, Terry's cap when I painted these snowmen faces on some softballs I found for a quarter each at the thrift store.

With this....I've officially become that person I usually am behind in line thinking, "Why in the world are they buying that?"

Snowman Treat Jars

 I have  a friend that does craft shows throughout the seasons.  She is a pro at painting.  I asked her to teach me some skillzzz this summer, and she delivered.  Another friend of mine gave me a ton of old baby jars she found in her attic.  I took the lids over to Terry's house and painted some pumpkin face jars (I posted in October) and these little snowmen.  I'm going to give a more detailed painting tutorial soon, but....in the meantime.  I love these.

I used regular ol' paint.  The base of the snowman is called sand.  It took two coats.  I then took a watered down brown and ran it over the sand to make it a 'dirty' snowman.  Next up were the face details (the coal mouth was made with the end of a paint brush) and then I flicked white paint over the whole thing.  Once he dried I added a coal of clear sealer and then some twine.

Snowman Fan Blade

 I replaced a fan in my house last spring.  I kept the blades to transform into some crafts.  This is the 3rd of those six blades, though the rest are coming....

My friend Terry gave me some painting lessons to make this grungy guy.  I'll give a step by step soon, but....seriously...fan blades, how fun...and they already have the holes for hanging!  I'm thinking I need to replace ALL the fans in my house!

Paint Can Pumpkin/Paint Can Snowman

 I can't get over how fast time moves the older I get.  With Halloween here, and Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner....here's a quick craft I put together for both seasons using one product.  I took the lid of an old paint can and painted a pumpkin.  I glued a rope to the back to hang it from.

I took the base of the can and painted a snowman face.  I hate my handwriting, so...the message will have to go on an attached tag  I print...I just added snowflakes.  This actually was a can I bought at a thrift store-it had held hot chocolate from some Christmas gift someone probably got and then wondered what to do with the can-therefor-it found a home in the donation bin.  Ta da-a new gift container.

Snowman Records

 I took some painting 'lessons' from my friend Terry this summer.  I do a lot of disobeying, but....she still gives me great tips I'm going to take...someday.    I've also taken some pointers through the years on project ideas...if it's not nailed down....or if you can pull the nails off and remove it...paint it.

 I found these old records at a used book sale this summer for a steal.  I added some of her primitive snowmen trying not to pile on the paint (no Starry Night).

I'm working on penmenship....I know I'll look back someday and cringe, but....you gotta start somewhere...sometimes I just go wordless, so I don't have to practice.  But....still fun.  I drilled a little hole in two sides to hang up the records.

Snowman Gifts

 Last year (in January, actually) I put together a little snowman gift pack for my secret sister at work.  She was a fan of sweet and salty, so I got her a little bag of kettle corn.  I drew a snowman face on the back, and tied a little ribbon around it for a 'scarf.'

 I drew some snowman faces on some gum as well.  I got the idea for this on Kerry's blog.

 ...and I found a free melted snowman printable here for a water bottle.

Snowman Jar

Sometimes you need a cheater Christmas gift.  Every year I've got a list of things I plan to put together for people....and then November comes....and December slips in and it's time to give out gives and I'm all out of time to make those gifts.  I cheated and made this little jar, which I saw here a few years ago.  The innards are white pretzels...which brings up my cheating-I bought them. I found them for a few bucks at the store already dipped and thought-you know....I'm pretty sure mine aren't going to taste 'better', they will just take more time, so I bought them.  I think packaging pre-made food in a cute jar makes it OK.  I have drizzled them with an alternative color of chocolate before to make them a little more gourmet, but....this year....I'm leaving them snowy white.  I also made some tags I'm attaching to these little guys.  You can download those here.  I took some scraps of fabric and tied them around the lids of my jars and fringed the edge.  I glued three buttons down the jar and ta da-frosty's belly is filled and one or three more gifts are knocked off my list.

Snowmen...Literally....Everywhere on Anything

 So....it's August, and it's clearly time to talk about snowmen....ha!  Actually, I took these photos in April while visiting with my friend, Terry.  She travels around and sells her Christmas goodies during November and December and she works all year.....especially during the summer.  This year I've been whipping up a few projects of my own.  I'm not going into buzzz-nass, but I wanted a way to earn some money for charity. So...enter assembly line crafting---->on a much smaller scale.  I went to Terry's house for some inspiration.  My house would fit inside her foyer, so I don't have the room to store some of the treasures she finds at garage sales and alleys, but how clever is she?  I had to share some of the things she is using this year to paint on (last year she used randomness like sunglasses)....this year records (above), little ladles (below) and spoons from garages sales/thrift stores.

 Ummmm....hello adorable funnel....I need to get in my time machine b/c I've totally thrown this sort of stuff away and now I can't throw away dryer lint without feeling like I've missed a craft opportunity...

 Little tea kettle.  Go ahead, it's the cutest thing ever....all of these get bows and accessories before she takes them to the shows...

 PHONE!  I died.  It was sad.  Then I undied so I could write this blog post.  Un-died-let's enter this word into the dictionary...

 Little pot o' frosty.

 Wine box....clearly, she isn't a baptist...but what a cute way to store Christmas cards....I'm working on one of these too....I'll share later....but it wasn't a wine box...it was silverware.  Just to be clear.  In case my pastor is reading my snowman post.  In which case....well, that would be a little weird all the way around.

I'm pre-setting this to post in April....so I have no idea how much trouble I've found over the last few months....but I'm pretty sure I'll have blog post to pop up for the next two years if it's anything like I expect.  I'm off to scavenger through garage sales....thrift stores...and friend's houses now....that'll teach me not to hoard crap I don't need!  I.  KNEW.  IT!

Christmas in July: Recycle Crafts

This is what my friend Terry does all summer long.  I have ADHD of the crafting world and I find I can't mass produce, but she does.  She also is the reason the show hoarders will probably be back for a new season b/c if you craft, and have spent 3 seconds with Terry you will realize you can never throw anything away.  Ever.  Because she canfind a way to use anything.  Case in point, the project above is a snowman face.  She painted it, cut out a few pieces for the nose and eyes out of scrap woods and attached them to cabinet doors she found in an alley.  Below she just painted up an adorable little Jesus in a manger.  

 How clever is this....fan blades....Santa's beard is made out of shredded old sheets, and the hats are little sweaters etc she gets at thrift stores.

 She haunts the thrift stores in Dallas for old Christmas supplies and uses these in her project-she made the candy canes in the boot out of pipe cleaners.

 She found these trays and cake pans at a garage sale-you can add magnets or just use these as is...

 Old shovels she added Elf/Santa faces too and they can sit on the corner of a porch.

 Old lamp shades she paints...

 ...or dresses up like some of our favorite December friends...

 These little guys are some of my favorite made from scrap woods-the beads were from necklaces from the thrift shop.

These are just a few of a million little projects she makes out of fence post etc.love the 'hair' made out of broken Christmas lights.  Seriously....can't wait to head over and see what she has going on this summer.