Christmas in July!

Welcome to my blog! I'm new at this so bear with me as I become acclimated to life in this century!!

Like it or not, the year is more than half over! Before you know it school will be in session again and then it's just a hop, skip, and jump until that magical time of year!  I keep hearing the phrase "Christmas in July" so I thought a craft with that in mind might be a good way to begin my blog!    

Even if you've never crafted before, this cute little snowman pin is a quick and easy project that will give you a chance to whet your creative appetite!  I tore it out of a magazine and stuck it in a file YEARS before the dawn of Pinterest!  It was first created by a lady named, Paula Bales.  Unfortunately....I have no way of knowing what craft magazine I found it in.  Let's get crafting!

Supplies:

white fun foam                                                   thin paintbrush

think line black sharpie marker                            black acrylic paint

white acrylic paint                                              red or black acrylic paint

orange acrylic paint                                            scissors or pinking shears

scrap of material                                                small stencil brush -foam works great!

glue



Trace the pattern onto the fun foam.  The side that the pencil marks are on will be the BACK of your pin. (I tried uploading a .pdf file of the pattern to no avail!, but I can email one to you if you don't feel like trying to make one on your own).

 

                       

    

Cut out the snowman.  When working with fun foam it's best to make as much of a continuous cut as possible.  Don't worry about being 100% accurate with your cuts.  Once you flip the snowman over, the pencil marks will be out of sight!

With a thin sharpie marker, mark around the edge of your snowman.  I like to mimic a blanket type stitch with my marking.

Now we are ready for his face!  I keep this very simple, but be as elaborate as you like!  Using my thin paintbrush I dip it into the the black paint.  Get enough paint on the brush for a thick dot for each eye.  Wash your brush with a little soap and water and dry it with a paper towel.   For his cheeks I use the smallest stencil brush I can find.  Dip the brush into your red/pink paint.  On a paper towel, or scrap sheet of paper, pounce the brush up and down several times.  There should be very little paint on the brush when you add the cheeks.  Now, just as you did on the paper towel, pounce the brush onto the fun foam to create the snowman's cheeks.  

Next dip the brush into the orange paint and make a small triangular nose. 

Using the sharpie give him some eyebrows and as a final touch put 1 small dot of white in each eye. 

Cut a 1" x 7" piece of cloth from your fabric scrap.  If possible, fray the ends or make scissor snips at both ends of the strip to mimic fringe.  Tie this around your snowman's neck.  A dot of glue wil help hold the scarf in place.

Glue a pin back onto the back of your creation and VOILA'! 

You've got a cute little snowman pin.  He measures about 2 1/2" tall.  This would be a great gift for teachers, or a thoughtful gift for just about anyone, just to let them know you're thinking of them!

I hope this project works well for you!  If you have any questions, leave me a message! I also welcome any comments you might have!  Check my blog again soon!  The crafting continues!