I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Friday 20 December 2019

Sellotape Snowman








Hello all!  It really is nearly here now... how's everyone doing?


I've got a bit of decorative recycling for you today.  If you use up all your sellotape as you're wrapping presents, whatever you do don't throw away the inner cardboard circle.  Look what you can do with it instead!


I'm really happy with this dangling decoration, full of snowy sparkle, pinecones and cinnamon sticks, berries, rusty wire, and of course that delightful "vintage" snowman figurine.
















I've always hung on to the leftover reels from my parcel tape, sure that they would come in handy craft-wise one day, but this is the first time I've found a use for one.












I started by giving it a good coat of white paint to give me a nice blank canvas, and then set to with the DecoArt chalk paints and crackle glaze.














As you all know, I love a bit of crackle, and this has plenty of it both inside...















... and out.  I think it's Relic (a soft grey) on the undercoat and then Everlasting (white!) over the top of the crackle glaze.  And that's not inking on the edges of the frame, that's rust from when I was wrapping it round - genuine distressing!













Painting the snowman himself was a little fiddly, but worth the effort...













... especially once I'd sanded back the Fresco paint in places to give it a chipped look, and added a coat of Distress Dry Glitter for that vintage sparkle.  















I used matte medium to glue it on, but rubbed some of it off for a worn look in places.













He gleams beautifully in the sunshine.  (It was honestly not summer when I took these pictures - just the one sunny day we've had in the midst of ceaseless rain lately and a non-deciduous bush in the background of some of the photos!)
















He's even sparkly round the back!














I cut some planks of scrap cardboard to create the platform for him to stand on, and then added DecoArt Snowtex all over them, except where he needed to be.












The Idea-ology trees have had a few spritzes of Pumice Stone Distress Spray (I wanted to stick to neutrals with just that pop of red, rather than go for the full on green) and then a dry-brushing of snow white on the tips of the branches.













I snipped off the wooden bases so that I could stick the wire trunks directly into the cardboard planks.  Thankfully I remembered to make the holes for them before the Snowtex set solid.














I think it would still have been possible to get them in, but it would have been much harder work!















I knew from very early on that I wanted to include some festive gatherings - pinecones and berries, and maybe a cinnamon stick for good measure.












I just had to figure out how to attach them whilst making it possible still to hang up my decoration.

Rusty wire to the rescue!















It took a couple of goes of twisting it around the sellotape circle to get it in place as I wanted it.  It goes round the outside and then around the top edge of the frame a couple of times before looping over the top of the pinecones for the hanger part.














It needed plenty of Liquitex Heavy Body Gel Medium to glue down the pinecones and berries in place as the surface was quite bumpy what with all the wire!












I'd picked up these lovely frosted berries just a couple of days earlier in The Range.  They come on brown stems which echo the rusty wire beautifully once they're all twisted and gnarly.














Here's that extra loop of rusty wire over the top so that you can hang the whole thing up.















I gave myself another tricky photography session with this project, of course - and it was a windy day too, despite the sunshine!  Trying to get the thing to stay still was quite the game.

















But if it does revolve all the way round, at least the view is pretty good from the back too.

For once there are no words on this project - but maybe once a year that's okay, don't you think?  (The last one I can remember that had no words at all was Walking in a Ginger Wonderland, three Christmases ago - but feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong!)


I hope you're all almost ready for the festive season.  I'll be decorating the tree this weekend and baking some Christmas biscuits too, so if I'm not in the mood by Monday, I guess I never will be! 





I'm sorry I'm not a very good visitor at the moment, but things will improve over the festive break.

For now, my friendly snowman and I are wishing the very best of good luck to you all for the final countdown!   Oh, and watch out on Saturday for more festivities over at Cestina's Dollshouses.  See you again soon.

It snowed last year too: I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea.
From A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

I'm pretty sure I've used that quote before, but I love it!






I'd like to join in at Try It On Tuesday where they know that Christmas Is Coming
Anything Goes over at Moo Mania & More
At the Creative Artiste Challenge as usual Anything Mixed Media Goes

36 comments:

Chrissy said...

Oh wow, Alison this is totally adorable, I love the idea and the cute snowman all painted up is too cute, I love the snow and the trees and I love the decoration on top, just fabulous..I also had a chuckle over the quote, sounded like my family when we were young..

Luv CHRISSYxx

Helen said...

What a great idea - I love the snowman, and the sellotape reel is perfect for your snowy setting. It's beautiful.

maj. said...

Such a beautiful Christmas creation! Great idea!!!

Anke said...

Fantastic work, so lovely ...

Hugs
Anke

Neet said...

What a wonderful idea for using up your sellotape rolls, no-one would know how it started life as they see it hanging in the tree or wherever else you decide to hang it. I can imagine one in the middle of my window would look great. Now where did I see that empty roll and where have I got some cake icing figures?
Hugs, Neet xx

Meggymay said...

Oh my this is fantastic recycling and a great idea. The snowman looks amazing the way he seems to be sparkling
Thank you so much for joining us at Try it on Tuesdays , your snowman is very welcome at TioT's.
Yvonne xx

Valerie-Jael said...

Love your fabulous, winter decorations, so sparkling and beautiful! Have a great weekend, hugs, Valerie

Redanne said...

A fantastic piece of recycling Alison, the crackle looks wonderful especially with the rusted wire (love that). The snowman really does look vintage the way way you have distressed him and the sparkly snow is so pretty. Love this! Anne xx

My name is Erika. said...

Now that is clever! And I do like that vintage looking snowman. Very clever Alison. Happy holidays to you. Hugs-Erika

Margaret Mifsud said...

Gosh, it's been so long since I last visited but I'm so happy I took a minute to check this out. Your project is gorgeous Alison! What a brilliant way to use up that cardboard ring .. I love it!! Bookmarking this so I can make one for next Christmas .. I think it would make a lovely gift! Love the way you altered the snowman. He does look really vintage and I love how he sparkles! Love this so much! Have a wonderful Christmas and wishing you all the best for the coming year! hugs xx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Recycling at its best. I also save those cardboard and plastic circles. I've only used mine to create circles on my art. I prefer this, though.

One thing that worried me when I read this was your use of the rusty wire. I sincerely HOPE you wore disposable gloves when working with the rust. If not, and you have any cracks, nicks, or cuts in your hand, the rust will get into your system and play hell with your hemoglobin. PLEASE be careful with that rusty wire you love so much.

Having said that, this is an incredible project and very well executed. I totally enjoyed seeing you work in miniature with the snowman and the trees inside the ring of crackly snow. Happy holidays, dear Alison.

Cestina said...

I love the way Frosty is tipping his hat. Very Jimmy Durante....
Xx

craftytrog said...

Great idea! He's fabulous Alison xx

María said...

This Project is fantastic and it's full of details, beautiful. Thanks for joining us at the Try it on Tuesday's challenge. Hugs, María.

ann barnes said...

I love this recycled snowman ornament! I am also a keeper of all the used up tape spools and now I’ve got a project to keep in mind-especially with the upcoming snowy months! Thank you for sharing. Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas xx

Sandy said...

Hey Allison! I am back and loving every minute of it. You are so creative and clever. I guess the two go hand in hand. Love your snowman and he really looks vintage -- He reminds me of snowmen of my childhood and seeing that I am 75 that would make him vintage!!

I am always going to be watching and sometimes commenting. Hopefully will get back to card making in 2020 but will not blog. Time gets away from me and there is not enough time to do everything I enjoy.

Merry Christmas!!
Sandy xx

mamablitger said...

This is fabulous ... and he looks so cute. Love the vintage look as well. The crackle makes it even better. Funny I have been collecting these cardboard rings for years. Now you gave me an idea for how to use some of them. ... You are so creative !
Thank you for sharing.
I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas .
Hugs from Monica
Spain

Astrid Maclean said...

The title made me smile! Fun idea, love all the textures you added. xx

Art By Wanda said...

Wow!!! This is so fabulous, Alison!!! How I wish I now had all those empty rolls I've thrown away over the years :-)) Merry Christmas!!!

suzyb said...

Great use of recycling!! Super snowman, finicky as it was, he looks amazing. Merry Christmas Alison and can't wait to see what you come up with in the coming year!!

Sue said...

Oh I love this Alison, full of brilliant ideas and what a gorgeous result. Have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful 2020, Sue xx

Anna-Karin said...

This is fantastic Alison!! Do you know how many times I have looked at the remains from a tape roll thinking I should make something from it. But I never did! This is stunning! I love the finish on the circle and your snowman with the red details is so pretty.

I hope you will have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Elkes Lebensglück said...

Brilliantly crafted so imaginatively designed! This is so cute!!
Happy Merry Christmas,
Elke

Elkes Lebensglück said...

Brilliantly crafted so imaginatively designed! This is so cute!!!
Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Elke

Julia Aston said...

What a wonderful repurpose of the tape cardboard Alison - Love your snowman tucked in with the trees and the lovely foliage on top along with the rustic wire to hang it all! A beautiful winter decoration! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! xx

Paper Profusion said...

Genius idea! Your snowman looks BRILLIANT! Thank-you for sharing idea, one to file in my brain for future copying. Well done of the photos under challenging conditions. A most Merry Christmas to you dear Alison. Nicola x

sally said...

I cannot imagine a better use for the “dead roll” perfect for the occasion :-). Merry Christmas from the snowy alps!

Sallyxx

Let's Art Journal said...

Such a beautiful decoration! I was so excited how this all came together, so much so I had to show my hubby ...lol 😉. It's a fabulous make and I love all the elements that you added too! Wishing you a magical Christmastime! Hugs, Jo x

Craftyfield said...

Wow, what a stroke of recycling genius! And a beautiful Christmas decoration to enjoy many future Christmasses!
Wishing you a very Happy Christmas Alison! xx

Patty O'Malley said...

What a sweet creation, Alison! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. I haven't posted lately due to illness and lack of mojo but am feeling better now.

Mac Mable said...

A darling of a project and a fun idea to use the sellotape roll. Great attention to detail as always and great to have genuine rust on the roll.....LOL x.

sarascloset said...

Love this ornament, Alison! Especially love that you found a use for your recycled spools. The snowman is perfectly vintage thanks to your creative play.

I could see this on my snow/ice tree I keep in our breakfast room. It's artificial (our real one is in the living room), so it gets to stay up into January to make me feel like it might be cold outdoors. We are having the most wonderful summer days here, and there's no dips in temps in the forecast.

Ina G said...

Oh Alison you have blown me off my chair with this gob smackin' amazingly beautiful Christmas decoration. What a clever idea to recycle an old sticky tape holder and real berries and rusty wire. Love the crackle! I love looking at every little detail you put up for us to swoon over. This would be my most favourite decoration I have ever seen. Again I am in awe of your MM talent.

Judy McKay said...

Beautiful snowman project. Love the design. Thank you for joining us at Creative Artiste this month. Hope you will join us again in 2020. Judy DT

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Nearly missed this and it's adorable. Hugs, Angela xXx

Mary Elizabeth said...

Best use of sellotape cardboard ever :). Fantastic vintage touch on Mr Snowman. And don't you just love the gift of rust that the wire gave to this adorable ornament? Wonderful keepsake from 2019. -- ME