Picket Snowman Christmas Countdown

I wanted to get in a little Christmas in July before it was too late! Here’s a great project to work on now so you will be all ready for the holidays!

Good morning! It’s almost Thanksgiving!! Can you believe it! Do you start decorating already or do you wait until after Thanksgiving? I have started, mostly because of this blog, but I love it! I especially like the twinkling lights.So festive!

I have a Christmas craft for you today. I should have pictures of the living room and dining room for you next week. There are just a few finishing touches and it’s all ready for the holiday!

*(affiliate links are included at the end of the post for your convenience)*

For this project, I started out with a old painted clay pot. I sanded it down a little and then spray painted it white.

picket snowman countdown clay pot

After the paint had dried, I mixed up the Plaster of Paris. The package I had contained 4 lbs. of plaster. I used all of it. Of course, this is because one package drained out the hole in the bottom, even though I tried plugging it. After putting another piece of cardboard in the bottom and letting that plaster dry, I added the rest. I used a couple of disposable containers to mix the plaster in. I poured in the required amount of water, added the plaster and then mixed until  smooth. Then I poured each one into the pot.

picket snowman countdown plaster of paris

Once the plaster had set for a bit, about 1/2 hour, I put an old picket into the pot. You could use pallet wood or buy a piece from the store too. I then put some scrap pieces of wood around it to keep it upright until it completely hardened, about 24 hours.

picket snowman countdown propping up the picket

Now comes the fun of decorating my snowman. I found an old pair of socks and used a red one to make the hat. I cut off the toe and then slid it over the top of the picket and tied it with a plaid ribbon. I also found a piece of red fleece to tie as a scarf. I hot glued some buttons for the eyes and the mouth.

picket countdown snowman hat

Steve cut a small triangle for scrap wood to use as the nose. I painted it bright orange and then attached it with hot glue.

picket snowman countdown orange nose

I found these numbers awhile ago at a thrift store with no idea what I was going to use them for. This was a perfect craft for them! You could also use scrapbook numbers or house numbers or even print some off the computer to use.

picket countdown snowman numbers

I hammered in small nails, below the scarf, that didn’t have much of a head on them, so I could easily slip each number on each day.

picket snowman countdown nails

I added a little batting to the pot to look like snow and he is done! He adds a little cuteness to the front porch!

picket snowman countdown on the porch

Maybe I will add some stick arms too! With mittens!

picket snowman countdown close-up

This is a great way for your kids to count down the days to Christmas and a reminder for you every time you come to the door!! Of course, we don’t get real snow here, so maybe this makes him more likable. 🙂  See you next week with Christmas decor!

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*Here are some of the items available at Amazon. If you make a purchase, a little comes back to Home on the Corner. Thank you!*

                       

Backyard Camping Crafts and Activities

Good morning everyone! I know I haven’t been posting as often, but I have been busy with stuff around the house. Most things have been simple projects, nothing really to blog about, but I think I will take some pictures, just to show you what I have been up to!
Today I have a special guest post for you all to enjoy! Back in February, we shared Gabrielle’s valentine printables. We have some new summer printables for you today. My family went camping a couple of weekends ago, and while I don’t have any little children, we still had fun with these!
Here’s Gabrielle:
Summer is finally here and backyard camping is super popular. You don’t have to leave the safety of your own yard to enjoy some camping-themed fun in the sun. Of course, no “camping trip” would be complete without plenty of activities. Below, check out some printable crafts and activities to get you started. You’ll be creating summer memories before you know it!
Creative Nature Collage Critters
Use natural materials found in your backyard to make creative critters. Collect flowers, twigs, leaves, and more to design unique-looking animals. All you need is some glue and imagination! You can download these printable animal faces here.
backyard-camping-printables-nature-collages-mockup.jpg
Campfire Story Activity
Have some laughs together by taking turns storytelling based on random story elements. All you need is a single die, the story creation sheet, and your creative mind. Each person rolls the die 5 times, circling whichever story elements correspond with the number rolled under each category. Download this printable story activity here.
backyard-camping-printable-storytime-activity
Sensory Scavenger Hunt
Discover the hidden wonders of your own backyard using your senses. Download this printable sensory scavenger hunt here.
backyard-camping-printable-scavenger-hunt-mockup
Constellation Connect-the-Dots
Connect the dots of some favorite constellations to prepare for stargazing. You can color in the constellations, making them as bright and elaborate as you would like. When the stars become visible at night, you can find the constellations together with your knowledge gained by drawing them. Download this connect-the-dots activity here.
backyard-camping-printable-star-constellations-mockup

Thank you so much Gabrielle! These are so cute and fun!

 

Okay, now I will show you our versions! My girls and I each created a collage critter. We gathered our supplies from around our campsite and then started gluing our pieces on. I love how different each one was!
 Next, we did the story time activity. Um, I found out we are NOT very good story tellers! Haha! We had a story about a Ship Captain and a Vampire struggling to rule the kingdom in the middle of the dessert, a Witch and a Detective battling to save the world, and lastly, a Werewolf and a Detective in an adventure to solve a mystery on the ocean!
camping story
Lastly, we did the scavenger hunt. We divided into two teams and set a timer for 5 minutes. We tried to find each thing on the list and take a picture of it. We got one point for each item, but if we had the same answer, neither one got a point. It was interesting to see what we each came up with for our answers!
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Can you guess which category each of these pictures went with? Scan over each picture to see the answer!
 This was so much fun to do together as a family! Thank you again Gabrielle for sharing these activities with all of us!
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Here are a few other posts you might be interested in!

ocean wooden buoys orange, turquoise, blue    Wander Supplies  rV cushion title

How To Use Spray Paint for Home Decor

Good morning! I posted this last year, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to put it out there again for you all!

Summer time is my time to get some larger projects done at home. We are finishing up a lot of the work in the living room and I am so pleased with how it is turning out! What a huge difference flooring and opening up spaces does to a room. I can’t wait to show you all! I have a few more things to finish up and then it will be ready to go!

How to use spray paint for your home decor

Last week, my favorite blogger, KariAnne, from Thistlewood Farms, blogged about spray painting different items for your home. Please hop over and take a look! I started thinking about all the items I have spray painted. In fact, my mom laughs at me when I say, ‘Just spray paint it!” 🙂 So I thought I would make my own list too. Some of the items are the same as Karianne’s, but most are different. There are just so many options!

1. Frames

I have painted SO many frames!! I find the outdated ones with fancy woodwork on them at the thrift store, take them home and spray paint them. You can paint them any color to match your decor. I have made mine into chalkboards, Christmas decor, or gasp! an actual frame!

pink christmas black frame wall decor

sweet-something-valentines-chalkboard-even-the-winds

2. Outdoor Furniture

Spray paint is a great way to refresh our outdoor furniture. The furniture can get faded and worn over time and this revives it. Be sure to clean the pieces well before painting. These Adirondack chairs are plastic and were a hunter green color, so I pulled out my favorite turquoise color and they look great! In fact, I just repainted them a couple of weeks ago! I also used spray paint on the metal furniture. Black is a great basic color and makes them look fresh and clean.

Transitional Back Patio Full view 2015

outdoor patio chair cushions recovered

3. Dishes

I wouldn’t recommend actually using these painted dishes to eat off of, but its great for decor pieces. The pitcher had an 80’s design on it, but a few coats of white spray paint and it is up to date.

spray paint white pitcherspray paint starfish plate

4. Home Decor

Do you have a vase you really like, but the color doesn’t go with your decor? Or find a piece in the thrift store, but it doesn’t match? That’s right! Paint it! This cow was too cute to pass up. A fresh coat of white paint, and she is perfect!

spray paint home decor cow

5. Indoor Furniture

I have painted beds, dressers, chairs and so many other furniture pieces. I usually paint larger pieces by hand. But if the piece is rattan or wicker, spray paint is so much easier. It can get into all the little spaces better than a brush. I used white spray paint on this rattan table for my living room.

spray paint white rattan table

6. Lamps

Again, wicker is so much easier to paint with spray paint. You can also use paint for the base of an outdated table lamp. Put a pretty new shade on it and you are all set.

spray paint silver lamp

7. Wooden Signs

I spray painted the background on this sign and then hand painted the letters. This will work for any piece of wood. On the second sign I added chip letters to form the word ‘Laundry.”

lazy days and lemonade wooden sign potting table

Laundry room letter sign

8. Planters

I made these planters years ago from a concrete block, but I have also painted regular ceramic or plastic flower pots. Spray paint is great for covering any type of surface!

concrete planter stencil succulents

There you go! 8 different ways to use spray paint, and there are so many more! What have you transformed with spray paint? I would love to hear from you! Thank you so much for following along!

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