Snowman Bottle

I was looking for some painted bottles that I did several years ago, and I think I gave most of them away.

So, as I was thinking about painting another one or two, I saw my 3 packages of DecoArt DecouPage Paper sitting near my work area, and I thought, I think I will try to use some of this on the bottles and then paint a snowman on the paper!  

This paper is very thin and easy to work with.   It is similar to wrapping paper.

Of course, my favorite is the music paper~~I have used it for several projects.

I am not going to go into how to paint a snowman, but I am sharing this link with you for some fun Circle Snowmen that a friend did to show me HOW to paint them.  I love to learn new techniques.

Click here for a tutorial that Cathy from Tolentreasures has on her blog on how to paint Circle Snowmen.  They are so much fun!

The bottles I used are from the Dollar General Store--they were Sparkling Cider--one of my favorite Christmas Treats, each year.

I don't drink alcohol, so this is just a fun change from my REAL COKES...lol

You can find some neat drink bottles

To prepare them, I simply rinsed them out, and then pulled the labels off.  They weren't sticky labels, so I sanded them and wiped them clean--they are going to be covered in glue! 

I cut several pieces of paper and found that longer, skinny pieces of paper were best and didn't wrinkle so much.

I used an old scruffy brush to add lots of DecouPage (Matte is what I used) on the bottle and smoothed out the paper with the brush.  I made certain to have glue under all of the paper and on top of it.

Just keep gluing and smoothing until you get it all covered.

I then brushed a very heavy coat of the DecouPage

 on top and allowed it to dry.

You will find some spaces that weren't covered, so just add them

I free-handed the snowmen bases with 

circles of a medium Blue.

This is one of the snowmen.

And the other snowmen...

just some different angels of the snowmen, 

so you can see.

These are the colors I used.

I used the Matte Decou-Page  to seal my snowmen, 

and then spinkled this fine dust over them and they are sparkly!!  LOL The pictures don't show that, though...

Just another fun idea for you to enjoy.

I hope that you are taking time to enjoy this Advent Season!

I am simply Blessed to create~charlotte♡

Uodate: after meaning to paint a Tag, for over a tear, to add to tgem, I out fur around the tops! Aren't they fancy smancy?!
😁😂🤣😃

Tutorial Thursday: Winter Village

What a fun project.

I know...you all are sick of seeing the same project over and over. 

I  apologize. I really do work hard to not over share myself, but if I don't promote my stuff, whose responsibility does it become?

So, please just smile, roll your eyes and go forth with your day. I really do understand! 

I also want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. It means so much to me. I Hope that I somehow, return the love!

I thought I would show my finished box. It has taken me since Saturday to finish it...good grief, right?!

I have painted crooked houses...wonky windows and then, just as the villagers were settling their lawsuits against the contractor, what happens, but that a GIANT SNOWMAN builds his Church on top of the box!!

The Winter Village is a pattern for the Puddles of Paint Club (POP) by Susan Kelley. It is a fun group...we get a pattern each month a year before any one else--how cool! Click here to go to Susan's website.

I am not the best Saltbox painter, but it still turned out pretty adorable, despite me...lol

I designed the snowman to go on top of the box. 

All of this was a fun paint, and now the pattern for the snowman and the actual painted Box is available in my etsy shop By clicking here for the box and by Clicking here for the pattern.


I used DecoArt Glass Texture for the snowman and for the icicles. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Honestly, I need to work with it some more...anybody out there got any ideas how to better use it?? Lol.

I  do like how shiny it was. I like the texture it created.

 I added white paint to mine. I really didn’t see much difference between it and the dimensional effects, so time will tell. It could be one of those things that I will learn that I can't live without! Lol

So, I am not sure that I have been very helpful today!

Grab your paints, or scissors, or crochet needles, or knitting needles and create!!

If you want to learn something that I know, please ask...I will do my best to help...

I am simply blessed to create~charlotte ♡

Snow Cream Memories

We got snow at my house!

Ok, mind you, it was only about an inch, but we got snow!

I  forgot to take a picture, so I stole, YES, I stole 2 pictures from Miss Ann to share.

She lives in Barren Plains, which is where my Momma was born!

Really, there isn't much difference,  except we don't have pine trees on our property. Daddy said that pine trees will only grow in poor soil...lol...I think that was his way of joking with his fellow farmers.

Mother's brothers were great friends with Miss Ann's father and every time that Uncle Harold or Uncle Jimmy would come to visit, making a prank call to the Heatherly's was a top priority.  It didn't matter if her mother or her father answered, it was fair game. Oh, how they loved each other and as families did on the farm, they were always ready to lend a hand.

I am thankful to facebook for getting the honor to love Miss Ann. ..who knows, maybe a pank will have to be started in honor of my funny uncles.

Mother made a great long move when she married to live on the outskirts of Youngville...about 8 miles away.

I  love being raised in a small farming community. Back then, the families rallied to support each other and to support their communities. Schools were small and the communities worked to get what they needed. The North Robertson Men's Club would sponsor events when there was a community need...

NOW, most of us have no clue who our neighbors are...no longer is a hand thrown up in a wave of "howdy" but instead to a finger of disguist...what are we doing, folks?! Why are we so angry?!

Oh, well, did I mention we had SNOW!

GUESS what I made--yep, snow cream!

I am amazed at how many people have never had it! Yep, it probably isn't good for you any more because of pollution, but I enjoy taking a walk on the wild side, every now and then to feel alive!

A friend asked for a recipe, but are you kidding me??  What you need is: SNOW, (a wet snow is best),  sugar, milk, vanilla.

Fill your bowl as full as you can, because it will stir down to less than half. I used the same stainless steel bowl that has made at least 53 years of snow cream. I am so happy that I was able to make Mother a bowl the last year of her life.

Pour milk over the top and gently stir-- this will cause the snow to melt some. How much milk? I used about 1 pint or a bit more to make this...just add as you need it.

Add sugar next, probably a half cup to start with and stir...add more milk to make it come together, if you need it.

No...it is NOT dirty snow...it is the best quality vanilla that I could buy! Mix until you get the smooth consistency.

It should look like homemade ice cream...adjust sugar to taste...and yes, you can add chocolate or mint, but I promise, it is so good as is!

Two bowls were LAB tested and approved!

Words cannot express the memories that are in that bowl. I  am so thankful that my parents CHOSE to do without material things in order to teach us about REAL LIFE and all the good it has to offer in people and adventures.

Thank you Mother and Daddy...I will never understand why I was so blessed. I wish these same BLESSINGS to YOU...~charlotte♡

WHAT a FEBRUARY! Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Look at those EARS flying in the wind...

Oh, my furbaby is SO SO HAPPY!!

>

This is the wheat field that is behind my house...just a few feet from our back door.

What a difference a few days can make...MANY people say that IF you don't like the weather, just wait and it will change...WELL, of COURSE it will, but sometimes it REALLY changes...

Charcaol was having SO MUCH fun running...

This was a BEAUTIFUL Saturday in Middle Tennessee...The weather was 67 degrees and not a cloud was in the sky!

There is ALWAYS time to stop and smell the roses when you are a

 puppy...OR at least sniff at the ground!

These pictures were taken on February 6th.  The next day, the temperature FELL to freezing...it remained COLD all week and the ground was frozen...THEN this is what happened on February 15....

This is the back porch...hmmm...I think BIG FOOT came to visit

At about 3 am EARLY on Monday morning, sleet started to fall...Then some ice...then some sleet...then some snow...then....sigh...

Big Foot STRIKES again!

This is the same field...but OH, how beautiful!!  

We ended up getting about 4 inches of STUFF~~ice, sleet, snow!!

This is the BIG Tobacco barn...

I LOVE the look of freshly fallen snow...
everything is so CLEAN and CRISP!

This shows more of the same field...our property goes into the woods...There was a tenant house at the edge of the woods!

That is our road...see it? huh, huh?  Nope, me either...LOL...

crunch....crunch...crunch...ROFL...

I LOVE to see the bird's footprints in the snow...

it is a reminder to BUY birdseed...LOL...

This is day 5...This was after an ENTIRE DAY of weather above freezing!!  It looks like there is NO HOPE!!

I am ONLY about 1 mile from the STATE road that is CLEAR all the way into town, I am sure...but THERE is a BIG curve on a slight hill to get to the end of the road!!  HOLD ON TIGHT!!!

This is the MORNING of Day 6...It looks pretty HOPELESS, still...BUT IT DID melt and I got to go to town that evening!!  It was like seeing a NEW WORLD!  People who didn't SIMPLY TALK TO me...roads with the freedom to go MOST anywhere I wanted...Fast FOOD restaurants...It was WONDERFUL...

I LOVE living in the country and would have it no other way, BUT there is ALWAYS a swap-off!  I get frustrated at those who CHOOSE to live WHERE they want (on big hills, curves, outside the city limits) and THEN complain when things don't go their way...We as humans tend to be that way...We WANT what we WANT when we WANT it...sigh...EVERY choice has a consequence!!

I am SO THANKFUL for all those who worked so hard during this time of inconvenience!  Thank you to the Electric Company who worked to keep my lights on and who got out in this AWFUL weather to repair the problem...I was ONLY without electricity for about 2 hours and I am SO GRATEFUL...

To the Policemen, Firemen, EMTs, Road Crews, Medical Personal, Water Company, and THOSE who had to SACRIFICE their time, sleep and SAFETY because of so many SELFISH people who thought of NO ONE but themselves...THANK YOU...I APPRECIATE YOU!!!

To the Mother/Son who was killed on the interstate when a truck hit them as they were stopping to help someone else, I PRAY God will send someone to stand in the gap for the husband and sister (daughter)...NO GREATER LOVE hath a man than to lay down his life for his fellow man...

I pray for those who are STILL in the path of the storms...

Those who are weary...

 

LIFE is filled with storms...I HOPE you each KNOW the MASTER of the WIND...Thank You, God, for the BEAUTY of the EARTH...for the SEASONS, and for LOVING ME when I am SO VERY unlovable...I wish...Blessings to YOU...~charlotte♥