A Painterlady's View: Snowman Decor by ~Audrey Pettit

Hi everyone! Audrey here, with a holiday home decor gift idea to share today using my favorite Donna Salazar Designs goodies, including some brand new products I know you guys are going to love.

Around this time of year, I am always looking for good small gift ideas, and one of my favorites is creating handmade decor pieces, like my snowman here. It's a unique and special gift, created straight from the heart. Even better, homemade gifts are fun and easy, and use only a few basic supplies most of us already have on hand.

To create your own, start by tracing the snowman template onto paper. I used Donna's quirky Crafty Chronicle for its fun typography. Love the text-print and the vintage feel it gives to my projects. I sanded my Crafty Chronicle snowman to give it a shabby chic finish. Next, lay the template onto the back side of a sheet of Artistic Paper and draw around the template, leaving about a 1/8" allowance all around. This will become the base for your snowman.

Apply Jasmine Mixed Media Inx lightly over the entire surface of the Crafty Chronicle snowman. Don't go too heavy, as we still want some of the text-print to show through. Sprinkle the ink with Donna's new Mixed Media Inx Jasmine Embossing Powder, and heat set with an embossing tool. Apply a thin line of adhesive around the edge of the Artistic Paper snowman base using the new Emboss Gloss, sprinkle with Jasmine Embossing Powder, and heat set.

Trace the hat template onto Artistic Paper and cut out. Sponge with Black Mixed Media Inx, and sprinkle with Black Mixed Media Inx Embossing Powder. Heat set. *Note: To keep a slightly vintage, shabby chic look to your hat, only lightly sponge the hat with ink, so that some of the underlying paper still shows through.

Now it's time to assemble the snowman. Simply adhere the two base pieces and add the hat on top. Machine stitch the edges, like I did, if you'd like a little extra detailing.

Now comes the fun part. Embellishing! I added black bubble caps for the eyes and buttons to the snowman's body. Tied some trim around his neck for a scarf and layered it with a fun rosette made from Spring In Bloom Springtime Ribbons paper, buttons, and a hang tag string bow. I added Mixed Berries Fairy Dust Glitter to the rosette using Glue Gloss, and stamped a pair of holly leaves to dress up the scarf. The nose is a simple triangle cut from Artistic Paper and brushed with a mixture of CandleGlow and Holly Berries Smooch Spritz, which together make a beautiful carrot orange.

To create the finished snowman, lay your embellished snowman onto the front side of a sheet of Artistic Paper. Starting at the bottom, machine stitch the two pieces together, stopping and leaving an opening on the side to insert a stick for the snowman's arms. Continue stitching until you reach the hat, and then repeat the process on the other side. Once both sides are stitched closed, stuff the body with a bit of cotton batting or tissue paper before stitching closed. Cut around the snowman, removing the excess backing. And now you have a sweet little snowman gift, perfect for everyone on your gift-giving list this year. Enjoy! ___________________________________________

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