DIY RECYCLED CHRISTMAS LIGHT BULBS into SNOWMEN ORNAMENTS

A few years ago I won a long strand of these old type Christmas lights in an auction box.  The bigger bulbs that would get hot to the touch.

I used them for one season and figured I'd just take them apart for a craft.
And finally, just yesterday, I got around to painting them in a design similar to some I'd seen on Etsy for $6.75 each. I just love all the snowmen items that the shop, FlatHillGoods, makes.

So here's how I made my version of

RECYCLED CHRISTMAS LIGHT BULBS into SNOWMEN ORNAMENTS
in case you want to give them a try.

Here they are again before, after I had unscrewed them from the light strand.

First off, I just got out some of my craft paints and a variety of paint brushes and began painting on white circles for faces.

Letting them all dry, I was ready to add some eyes and mouths in a charcoal gray.
I use the end of my brush, the plastic tip for this process.

And then comes the cinnamon orange noses.

And a few more with noses....

And then after they dry, I go back with the antique white and add a little dab of snow to their noses and white dots to their eyes.

I love the finer little details like this.

Then I take a toothbrush, dip it in a mixture of half water and half off white paint, and do the speckle effect.

I love how it makes them all snowy looking.

And then after they dry, they are ready for their wire hangers.
I just used the craft, thin gauge wire. It is at the Dollar Mart, 3 rolls in a pack for $1.00.

And then after the hangers are on, I was ready to add some decorations.
I cut up pieces of the green garland and wove them into the wire hanger.

And I also cut some strips of jute twine and tied them on to a few.

Then I found some small, metal, rusty stars in my craft supplies and I slid a few of them onto the wire hanger also.

On the rusty star, I plan to write "FROSTY" in off white if I have time later.

And here they are, all coming together.

 I gave the ends of the wire hangers a twirl with the tip of a paintbrush also.

I priced these with sticky, print out tags, for $2.49 each.

And here they are all ready for the Christmas shoppers in my local co-op craft booth.

Remember, keep those ole glass Christmas bulbs. You may just want to give this a try one day!

Speaking of Christmas, I've started listing some of my hand made, custom necklaces/charms on Etsy.
Here's the latest: GOD Gave Me U if you're interested in custom gifts.

GOD GAVE ME YOU

See ya'll next time,
~Lisa

DIY PRIMITIVE SNOWMAN LID MAGNETS

This post is an expansion of a craft I did a few weeks ago.

You may recall the 

DIY PRIMITIVE SNOWMAN LID ORNAMENTS?

Well, this is basically the same only that I made more into magnets instead of hanging ornaments.

 Here's how I made them in case you want to give it a go. 

If you don't have any on hand, here's how they look in boxes at Walmart.

I started out with a bunch of plain ole, used, metal Mason Jar lids in two sizes of

Regular: 2 2/4"

Wide Mouth: 3 3/4"

Some were new and shiny, some old and rusty. It doesn't matter to me.

And I spray painted them a base color in various shades of green and maroon that I had on hand.

The white was used for speckling (snow) only because it's a cheaper can and doesn't cover good.

Here are the Rustoleum and Valspar that cover great in one coat:

After they dry, they are a flat, softer color. Then we're ready to get started painting with craft paint.

My favorite brand is Folk Art but I do have a lot of Apple Barrel on hand too.

Just start by making various circles for the basic face shape of the snowman. 

I use Antique White as the color.

Sometimes I dab my brush, sometimes swirl.

Then just on to the dots for the eyes, and carrots for the noses.

When you think of them all as dots and such, it's easier for me to paint, rather than thinking, "oh I have to paint a face." Dots and carrots come easier. ;-)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY HELP PAGE on DRAWING SNOWMAN FACES

Dot by Dot

And after they were all painted and dried, I simply went glued on some round magnets using E-6000 glue.

I always recommend the E-6000 glue over anything, especially hot glue because you want a good strong hold for magnets.  And with taking them on and off refrigerators and such, the E-6000 glue really holds up.

As for the magnets, you can get the good round ones at Walmart in the crafts section.

For the larger lids, I used the larger magnets and for the smaller lids, I used the smaller magnets.

And that is about all there was to it, besides adding a few decorations to the front.

I love homespun fabric on about anything. And to a few, I added a bell here and there.

And here they are all ready to go in my craft booth for the Christmas Open House.

I save my metal cans that food comes in such as green beans and baked beans to use as display tins.

I like having a variety of sizes to catch the eye.

I am pricing these for $1.99 each in my craft booth, un-packaged, with just a sticky price on the back.

I hope they will make for a quick, grab and give gift item!

What do you think? Would you give these as a lil' inexpensive Christmas gift?

See ya'll next time,

~Lisa