I did this project last year before the snow started falling. The poor boys put up a good fight but I think they came out on the losing side of the battle: scarred, blinded, and in pieces.
Today, with the smell of winter in the air and shops already playing 'Frosty The Snow Man' I thought I'd pull the bodies from their tomb and practice a little resurrection living...and share with you how I made & embellished them.
1. Dig out some old pieces of wood. I used various heights and thicknesses. Choose one piece for your base and then decide how many snowmen you want and figure out where you want them placed.
2. Beginning with the shortest 'snowman', work upside down and hammer at least two nails through the base and into your board resting perpendicularly beneath the base. (Ideally you should use a drill and screws but one of our drills had a dead battery and the other was rusted out - nails worked for me and they can work for you BUT SCREWS ARE BETTER!) Continue with each piece working from shortest to tallest. (This is tedious and annoying to balance - if you want to simplify this project, choose boards of all the same height.)
3. Paint. I wanted my snowmen to appear weathered and so I didn't try and cover everything. Because I used different boards, old paint and finishes show through the white and I love the varying effect.
4. Embellishments. This is the fun part. I dug around my house and craft table and barn to find all kinds of goodies to sweeten these guys up.
5. I used a glue gun to attach all the bits and pieces - you may want to use something stronger, depending on how exposed your snowmen are going to be.
I just can't get over how adorable these are! Have fun adding different personalities to the faces and don't be afraid to add something unexpected!
This will eventually make it's way outside by the door but it weighs at least a ton and there's a November blizzard going on so, for now, it waits in my living room - keeping me company until the kids get home from school.
http://lifeasathrifter.blogspot.ca/2013/12/its-linky-party.html
I love your creativity, Alanna. No two posts are the same. I never know what to expect. And I love it that way. ... now could you come over here to Ontario and make some for me?
ReplyDeleteWell, what do you know?...I am in Ontario! I guess I don't talk very specifically about where I live. If I could make a living crafting stuff out of junk I'd be a happy, happy girl :)
DeleteIt's nice to hear that you appreciate the different topics and such - any research I've done on blogging and building audience etc, says you must focus in on one area or your randomness will cause people to lose interest. I just can't do it - or won't. I share what I care about - that's my focus.