Hey girl, hey! These projects were so easy that we made a three-in-one! You can watch the video here or follow along on this blog post to get inspiration for your decor!

Y’all. THIS happened when one of our Hickabilly sisters said we have only 52 days until Hickabilly Christmas! FIFTY-TWO DAYYYYSSSS???
If you don’t know what Hickabilly Christmas is (It’s our biggest crafting party of the year!) Check it out here! In-person has sold out, but we still have some virtual tickets (as of Sept 19, 2022). Virtual Hickabilly Christmas will be live on Zoom.

And we always have fun when Aunt Criddy is around! At left we are singing Happy Birthday to one of our friends. Top right is Aunt Criddy about to give me a pop-pop! And bottom right is our newest Team Hickabilly member: Judie! Welcome Judie! She is helping with all things Lizzy and Erin, and don’t mention this to Aunt Criddy, but Judie has her OWN desk! And by the way, Judie hasn’t met Pam yet. Think she will be surprised? I sure do!

What I used on the snowman project:
Goodwill plastic snowmen
Debi’s Design Diary White Swan
Dollar Tree chalkboard paint
Pine branch greenery (almost anything will do!)
Amazon rusted star (you can faux rust items, here’s one idea!)
Let’s build a snowman!
Aunt Criddy and I found several of these cute little snowmen at the Goodwill Outlet. The “before” is the one with the red hat. The “after” is after I painted him with Debi’s Design Diary White Swan

Debi’s DIY paints are clay based and they adhere well to plastic (among many other surfaces.) The plastic surface repels acrylic paint, so if you’re painting with a brush, you want to choose a clay or chalk paint. I began painting this cutie and covered him completely with White Swan. The third picture shows him almost finished!
“Almost” because I wanted some of his detail to show so I used Dollar Tree chalkboard paint and a fine line paint brush. (See bottom pix.) Then I dry brushed over those areas to create shadows in the crevices.

I used a fine grit sanding sponge to gently sand over the paint and bring out some rustic, aged style. Then I found some scraps of greenery and used them with a little piece of buffalo checked fabric that was just right for a bow. I also added a small rusty star that I found on Amazon.
Pictured below, you’ll see that I made a hole through the plastic with my glue gun for the twine knot. It just burned right through. Easy, right?
Then, out of the blue, Aunt Criddy suggested adding a plaid bead to connect the twine to the top of the hat. She looks a bit pleased with herself, so I decided to use it! LOL!

You can use “I” hooks to hang it like an oversized ornament. I couldn’t find mine, so I just used some twine. He would also be cute as a shelf sitter or on a tray! Another idea is to use a wood base and let him hold a little sign that might say “let it snow”.
I think he turned out just as cute as he can be!

Now for craft #2! Framed crocheted heart with beaded hanger.
Supplies:
Dollar Tree Craft Sticks
Debi’s Design Diary Apothecary
Waverly Antique Wax
Goodwill frame (.25!) and doily
Beads that I had on hand.
Let’s make it!
Here’s the cutest frame that could have been overlooked, y’all!
It’s just right for this project, as I knew I would paint it and make a background.

The paint went on like a dream! I’m using Debi’s Design Diary Apothecary for this and the next project.

You can set it aside to dry or use your heat tool like I’m doing here. Meanwhile, here’s what the Debi’s Design Diary can looks like.

These are craft sticks from Dollar Tree. Just measure and cut!

Once they are all cut to fit, just position them in the frame.
Note there are two support craft sticks going in a vertical direction. These simply hold the surface together so I can pop it out of the frame and paint it.
Do not glue into the picture frame yet. These images just give an idea of the fit, with spaces in between what are now the slats.

I used Waverly Antique wax to stain the craft sticks. I dried with my heat tool then applied glue to the inside of the frame to hold the slat panel.

I decided to use twine and some white beads to make the hanger.
I almost always add a little piece of a craft stick to add extra security for my hanger. I simply hot glue knotted twine ends to the frame, then add more glue and press a piece of craft sticks over each knot.
TIP: Have an even number of beads so your craft will hang evenly on both sides.

The lace heart is one of many doilies I found at Goodwill Outlet. I simply hot glued it to the slats. Adding a twine bow just made it all come together. I love the simplicity of this project!

Now for the big frame, large doily and hymnal pages!
Supplies:
Debi’s Design Diary Apothecary
Goodwill Outlet: picture frame (was .25), an old hymnal, and a doily
Dollar Tree fine grit sanding sponge (you can get these at Harbor Freight, Walmart or a hardware store) and one canvas
Mod Podge
Let’s make it!
I painted my frame and then dried it. You can set it aside to dry if you don’t have a heat tool.

I used my fine grit sanding sponge to sand down the surface of the frame.

I know some of y’all are like, “Wait! That’s a hymnal!” It’s ok, I got it to craft with and it will be beautiful, I promise!
But, if you don’t want to use the actual pages from a Goodwill hymnal, you can copy the pages and then tear them. Whichever way, it will look great!
I put Mod Podge on a Dollar Tree canvas and simply placed the sheets as you see in the pictures.
Then I dried it with my heat tool and then sanded the excess paper from the edges.

Here’s an idea of how it will look.

I decided to age the papers, so I sprayed some water into the lid of the Waverly wax. You can use acrylic paint here, just add a little water.
That sprayer y’all! It is the Water Girl continuous spray and I use it all the time. It is just the tool for misting water. You can get one here!
Bottom left: I painted the edges of the pages where they touch one another. I then came back with a damp paper towel and just buffed the whole project. You definitely want to do this right away before your antique wax or paint dries. This is a great way to age paper.

I dried it with my heat tool, glued on the doily and she’s just gorgeous! That last image shows how I folded down and hot glued the edges that were just a little too big for the canvas surface.

I hot glued the edges of my frame and set the finished canvas inside.
I added more hot glue over the canvas for extra security.

The paints on top are just weight to help it stay until the glue sets up.

Here is the finished project!

See how these complement one another? They are just beautiful, whether together or separate! I kinda love them together like this!
TIP: use gold flakes on your aged paper or on the frame. It would surely dress them up!

Here we are with tonight’s crafts! Say hi to Aunt Criddy and Judie!

Thank you so much for stopping by! I’d love to know which is your favorite and if you will be making something similar. Let me know in the comments below!
XOXO-Erin
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