Christmas Archives - Manda Panda Projects

Snowman Ornament Shelf Sitter

Amanda — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 22:09:40 +0000

Move on over Frosty, these Walmart mini snowmen ornaments are coming through to make the cutest DIY Winter Shelf Sitter decor!

Every year, for the past 3 years, I have done a Countdown to Craftmas where I go live on Facebook from 12/1-24 for 24 days of Christmas Crafty Inspo.

And this Snowman Shelf Sitter was Day 24 of our 2023 countdown! (I am writing this in Jan of 2025, so we just finished the 2024 countdown)

Never sleep on the ornament sections at Walmart, especially the mini ornaments. They are NOT just for your Christmas trees, they make great craft “supplies” too, and this snowman shelf sitter is proof of that!

I also made a cutie little Reindeer Oversize Ornament with the mini ones last year too! Another Walmart ornament craft for the win.

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

Supplies Needed to Make a Snowman Ornament Shelf Sitter

Walmart mini snowmen ornaments
Long wood base (Dollar Tree)
Faux Snow
Small Chalkboard tag sign
White Acrylic Paint Pen
Paint: White
Snowflake embellishments
Silver and black bottle brush Christmas trees
Black and White Bakers Twine
Mod Podge
Hot glue gun

How to Make a Snowman Ornament Shelf Sitter

I did this Snowman Ornament Shelf Sitter on video. So you can WATCH the tutorial by clicking below.

Watch the video HERE

This adorable craft is VERY easy. It’s more or less just gluing and putting things together, but I will walk you through how I did it!

First thing I did was paint my wood base all white with Waverly plaster chalk paint.

I covered the top with a nice thick layer of Mod Podge and then sprinkled with faux sparkly snow.

Next, I just started gluing everything together! I glued the 3 snowmen in a row, and then some bottle brush trees around them.

In between the snowmen I added mini white pom poms as little “snowball” piles.

Using a white acrylic paint pen, I wrote “Let it Snow” on a chalkboard tag.

I glued a small snowflake embellishment to the top along with a mini bakers twine shoestring bow.

Then I glued a wood skewer to the back to make it a sign, and then glued the sign to the wood base in between the snowmen.

The hot glue is not the most sturdy thing to hold the sign, but it will do. If you have a drill and you are concerned about the sign not holding, then you could drill a small hole and stick it in the wood base.

I glued a couple of snowflakes to the snowmen’s hats for extra cuteness.

I felt like the wood base was a little plain, so I glued a piece of black and white buffalo check ribbon all around the middle of the base.

Here it is all together! Ain’t she a cutie!?

And that my friends was Day 24 of the 2023 Countdown to Craftmas!

Are you going to make a Snowman Ornament Shelf Sitter? If you do, I’d love to see it! Pop on over to our free Craftspiration Facebook group, and join in on the fun by posting a pic of your Tiered Trays, DIY’s and crafts. I just love to see all your creative and crafty creations.

If you’ve got a million projects on your crafting ‘to-do’ list like I do, than you need my FREE Craft Project Planner so you can plan to make *all the things*! When you sign up for the craft planner, I’ll also send you lot’s of fun, easy, and budget friendly ideas for you to fill it up with!

Free printable Craft Project Planner

Get organized, get inspired, and get crafting, with our free Craft Project Planner!

Download my free planner!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

Love this Snowman Ornament Shelf Sitter? Make sure to PIN it for later!

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Cardinal Napkin Sign

Amanda — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 23:34:31 +0000

Turn a gorgeous red cardinal decoupage napkin into beautiful DIY home decor. This winter craft is not only cute, but with a cardinal it’s meaningful too!

See that gorgeous Cardinal napkin on the sign? That was one of the napkins from my Big Pack of Craftkins napkin subscription!

With Craftkins you get 18 seasonal and holiday decoupage napkins sent to you once every 3 months, so that you never have to buy napkins for crafting ever again! Get on the waitlist for when it opens next HERE.

This red cardinal napkin is definitely one of my very fave from the Christmas and Winter bundle last year. But then again, it’s too hard to choose a fave!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

Supplies Needed to Make a Cardinal Napkin Sign

Cardinal Napkin (Get on the Big Pack of Craftkins Waitlist for cute napkins HERE)
Rectangular wood surface (I used a Dollar Tree sign)
Coordinating fabric
Red and Green raffia
Paint: Brown, Black, Red, White
Candlewax
Paint Scraper
Button
Kraft Paper
Twine
Acrylic Alphabet Stamps
Irregular Ruler
Mod Podge
Hot glue gun

How to Make a Cardinal Napkin Sign

I made this Cardinal Napkin Sign on video. So you can WATCH the tutorial by clicking below.

Watch the video HERE

I started with a wood surface that I had already used to test out a wood grain tool, so it had that brown wood grain look to begin with. You could simply stain your surface with Antique Wax, and it would look just as good.

Then I used a spouncer to dab on red randomly throughout the surface. I wanted just a little bit of red to peek through after we do the chippy paint method.

To get the “chippy” look, rub candle wax all over the surface of the wood, right on top of the red and brown. I didn’t cover it completely, but I did cover quite a bit in a total random fashion.

Basically, wherever you have the candle wax is where the paint will chip off in the next step. If you want it super chippy then add more wax, less chippy add less wax.

Next, I used a chip brush to paint white chalk paint over the top. I didn’t do a FULL coverage, but it’s not quite a dry brush either.

Now for the fun part……chipping it! Use a paint scraper to scrape off as much or as little of the paint as you like. You can also use packing tape to pull up the paint. I like that method better most times, but for this project I decided to just use my scraper.

I cut my napkin down to just the one image, and separated it down to one ply.

Then, I used Mod Podge to decoupage the napkin front and center on my chippy wood surface. (Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge, then lay your napkin down and smooth it out the best you can. Embrace the wrinkles!)

Next, I grunged it up with Waverly Antique Wax. I added the wax all around the edge of my surface, and around the napkin as well.

Time for the bow! I ripped up a bunch of red and green coordinating fabric along with some coffee stained muslin into 1 inch wide strips.

Then I used my Bowdabra to make a big messy bow. I added some red and green raffia into the bow too. You definitely don’t NEED a Bowdabra, but I sure do love mine!

I glued my bow to the top left of the sign, just above the napkin.

Using an irregular ruler, I ripped some thick Kraft Paper into the shape of a hangtag and punched a hole in the top.

I stamped the word “Believe” with my acrylic alphabet stamps. I chose “believe” because cardinals are reminders of loved ones, and I choose to believe they are here with us when a cardinal is around.

I grunged the tag up with my Antique Wax.

Then glued it to the center of the bow with a big brown button.

To finish it off I glued a twine hanger across the back, and reinforced it with popsicle sticks.

Can we say GORGEOUS with a capital G!? I just love how this one turned out.

If you love cardinals then you might love the Dollar Tree Cardinal Sled I made as well!

Here’s a closer look at the chippy.

Are you going to make a Cardinal Napkin Sign? If you do, I’d love to see it! Pop on over to our free Craftspiration Facebook group, and join in on the fun by posting a pic of your Tiered Trays, DIY’s and crafts. I just love to see all your creative and crafty creations.

Free printable Craft Project Planner

Get organized, get inspired, and get crafting, with our free Craft Project Planner!

Download my free planner!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

Love this Cardinal Napkin Sign? Make sure to PIN it for later!

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Dollar Tree Christmas Mailbox Makeover

Amanda — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:56:56 +0000

This Dollar Tree Mailbox was cute before, but just wait until AFTER my DIY makeover for Christmas with a vintage Santa vibe!

Every year, for the past 3 years, I have done a Countdown to Craftmas where I go live on Facebook from 12/1-24 for 24 days of Christmas Crafty Inspo.

And this Dollar Tree Christmas Mailbox was Day 4 of our 2024 countdown!

I had this darn mailbox in my stash for YEARS, and would look at it every year and not know what to do with it.

Then, someone in my subscription group, The CRafterparty, posted their mailbox and it inspired me to make my own version! I just happened to have the perfect candlestick that I found thrifting, and it really makes this project what it is.

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

Supplies Needed to Makeover Dollar Tree Christmas Mailbox

Dollar Tree Mailbox
Paint: White, Gold
Kilz Dark Wax
Napkin from my Big Pack of Craftkins
Coordinating Fabric and ribbon
Twine
Vintage Santa Christmas Card
Gold Poinsettias
Christmas greenery
Mod Podge
Antique Gold Rub n’ Buff
Candlestick (Wood or Glass) I thrifted mine
Hot glue gun

How to Makeover a Dollar Tree Christmas Mailbox

I did this Dollar Tree Christmas Mailbox Makeover on video. So you can WATCH the tutorial by clicking below. (I edited the live down into a 1 min reel for those that don’t have time to watch the full thing)

Watch the video HERE

To learn to make this mailbox, the best way is to watch the live replay, because I don’t have actual step by step photos since I made it live. I took a few screenshots from my live, and I will do my best to walk you through each step! If you don’t have time to watch the entire live, I edited it down into a 1 minute video for you to get the gist!

It’s actually pretty simple, I just decoupaged a napkin to the mailbox, made a messy bow for the top, added a card and greenery inside, and glued it to the candlestick base.

First things first, paint the mailbox all white so that the napkin shows up nice and vibrant. I left the inside red and the red and white striped portion of the front I left as well.

Next, I separated the plys of the napkin and got it down to one plyI and then used Mod Podge to decoupage the napkin to the mailbox. I worked in smaller sections to make this part easier. Don’t worry about wrinkles! Embrace the imperfections!

I sanded off any excess napkin using my gator sander.

Next, I painted the rim of the front of the mailbox with gold, and the flag as well.

I like things old and grungy, so I took my Kilz Dark Wax and antiqued all around the mailbox edges and corners. The best way to do this is with a finger dauber, and dab it on all over until you are happy with it.

You can see the grunged parts below.

I then glued the flag back on (I took it off to paint it gold).

Of course we need a fabulous bow! I made a bow with both fabric and ribbon with my Bowdabra. You don’t HAVE to use a Bowdabra but boy oh boy do I love mine! I made my bow big and messy and glued it to the top of the Christmas Mailbox with a gold poinsettia in the center.

This was the easy part. I glued a Vintage Santa Christmas card inside, along with some gold glittery greenery and another gold poinsettia.

Last, I used hot glue and E6000 and glued the entire mailbox to the top of this wood candlestick that I found at my local thrift store.

I decided to leave the color because the dark wood looked great with the vintage vibe, but I did add a bit of Antique Gold Rub n Buff to bring out the details.

Oh EM GEEEEE I am so incredibly in love with how this mailbox makeover turned out!

It looks just fabulous with my Thrifted Etched Christmas Mirror I made last year!

And that my friends was Day 4 of the 2024 Countdown to Craftmas!

Are you going to makeover a Dollar Tree Christmas Mailbox? If you do, I’d love to see it! Pop on over to our free Craftspiration Facebook group, and join in on the fun by posting a pic of your Tiered Trays, DIY’s and crafts. I just love to see all your creative and crafty creations.

Free printable Craft Project Planner

Get organized, get inspired, and get crafting, with our free Craft Project Planner!

Download my free planner!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

Love this Dollar Tree Christmas Mailbox Makeover? Make sure to PIN it for later!

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Decorating an Apartment Living Room for Christmas

Amanda — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 22:33:43 +0000

Decorating for Christmas can be stressful when you live in an apartment, but it can also be inspiring and FUN. I’ll show you how I used a gold, white, and maroon theme to decorate my living room in my small San Diego apartment for Christmas this year!

Ya see, it’s a common misconception to think that if you live in a smaller apartment, that you can’t decorate all cute for the holidays. And I used to think the same thing!

So what if you have to squeeze your bookshelf over by the front door so that you have a place for your real Christmas Tree.

So what if you are practically sitting IN your Christmas Tree while sitting at your desk working.

As long as it makes you happy, decorate away. And be PROUD!

I am sooo excited to share with you my fun and festive Christmas decorated living room! I hope you love it as much as I do!

My living room is probably a little trickier to decorate then yours is too. Since my living room is all Sunflower year round, I have to work with my regular sunflower decor, gallery wall, and rug.

It’s just not feasible to completely UNdecorate before Christmas, so I just work with it the best I can. Although I am considering getting a littttleeeeee bit more of a neutral rug for year round. I am kind of “over it”.

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

Let’s Decorate an Apartment Living Room for Christmas

I may not have a fireplace and mantle, but I’ve got a TV stand so that does the trick. I am actually thinking of investing in one of those electric fireplace and mantles, does anyone have one? I wonder if they are worth it?

The gold and maroon felt ball garland and the greenery and pine cones are both from Home Goods. And you can make your TV a “frame TV” with a simple YouTube video!

Just search “Vintage Santa Television Art” or whatever kind of art you want, and play it on your TV. This “video” is 8 hours long so it just stays up all day and it REALLY makes the Christmas vibes!

You can search ANYTHING to match your decor. “Candyland Christmas Art”, “Disney Christmas”, you get the point.

These absolutely GORGEOUS resin gold Christmas Trees were gifted to me by one of my crafty friends, Amanda, and they are quite possibly my very fave piece of Christmas decor.

And of course the Bedspring Santa was made my ME!

This little Santa was rescued from my local Thrift Shop. He may go into retirement next year to make room for something new.

Every year I transform my coffee table centerpiece into a Christmas-y one. I add some gold ornament bulbs, and a winter sled and candle that I made for the 2023 Countdown to Craftmas. I think it is the perfect piece for this basket.

This entire end table is my “Made By Me” section and I love love LOVE it! I etched that Christmas Mirror myself, and you can find the blog tutorial for that here.

The Wood Block Christmas Tree was made from all thrifted materials and you can find that tutorial here.

The Folded Book Christmas Tree is one of my very faves, we made it in my subscription group, The CRafterparty, but I remade it for a YouTube video as well, and you can find that tutorial here.

Lastly, the Mini Flat Vintage Santa Rolling Pin was yet another tutorial from last year that you can find here.

Over to my bookshelf area where our stockings are hug with care. This was the theme I went with last year, all gold and white (and a touch of leopard), but this year I mixed in some darker red and even touches of green.

Almost everything you see here is from HomeGoods and I got it all in one foul swoop last year. The Leopard Print Santa, the Gold and White Snowman, Gold and White Christmas Tree, the Gold and White Angel, the Gold Merry Christmas Sign, the Snowflake Stocking Holders and the Gold Heart Glasses.

The only things I made was the little Reindeer Snow Globe (for Countdown to Craftmas 2023), I thrifted the angel candy jar on the left and added mini ornament bulbs and gold glitter pine cones.

I put a vintage Santa print in the little gold heart frame for an added touch.

The tan stockings are from good ‘ole Walmart, I got those new last year for the boys and retired their childhood stockings (saved them of course!)

And I’m not sure where my stocking came from to be honest, it was given to me somewhere along the way.

I am loving the added touches of dark red this year, and even a smidge of green too.

This Thrifted Hand Painted Snowman Lamp doesn’t necessarily match the rest of my living room decor, but I absolutely HAD to display it this year!

Then again, none of the Christmas decor on my desk really goes along with the rest of the room. This is where I keep all my traditional nostalgic pieces that I have from my childhood, that have been passed down from my Mom.

Those Santas on the top have been around since before my Dad passed away, so before 1987!

And of course our Christmas Tree! I included a picture at night, because with the window behind it, it’s very hard to get a decent picture during the day.

We do a traditional memory tree, nothing themed or fancy. We love it and we love that it’s a REAL tree, it smells Oh SO Good!

And that’s it! Our apartment living room all decorated for Christmas. I am actually writing this blog on 12/26, so it will be time to take it all down soon and start fresh for the New Year. Cheers!

Are you going to decorate an apartment living room for Christmas? Heck, are you going to decorate ANY living room fro Christmas? If you do, I’d love to see it! Pop on over to our free Craftspiration Facebook group, and join in on the fun by posting a pic of your Tiered Trays, DIY’s, Decorating and crafts. I just love to see all your creative and crafty creations.

Free printable Craft Project Planner

Get organized, get inspired, and get crafting, with our free Craft Project Planner!

Download my free planner!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

Love this Apartment Living Room decorated for Christmas? Make sure to PIN it for later!

The post Decorating an Apartment Living Room for Christmas appeared first on Manda Panda Projects.

2024 Countdown to Craftmas

Amanda — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 17:21:12 +0000

Each year, for 4 years in a row now, I do a Countdown to Craftmas where I go live on Facebook from 12/1-24 for 24 days of Christmas Crafty Inspo. Come see what we had in store for 2024!

Welcome to the 4th Annual Manda Panda Countdown to Craftmas! Make sure you are following along over on Facebook so that you don’t miss out on this years Countdown!

I also have a broadcast channel, where I send out notifications when I go live, announce giveaway winners, and anything else important that I don’t want you to miss. You can join that channel HERE and the messages come through FB Messenger.

You will hear me say code words in each video, please note the giveaways are hosted each week, and you may be watching the video AFTER the giveaway. That’s why it’s super important to be following so you get to see the videos in real time and be entered into the Craftmas giveaways.

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

2024 Countdown to Craftmas

Day 1: Jeans Pocket Angel Ornament

Day 2: DIY Snowball Pail Christmas Ornament

Day 3: DIY Chalk Couture Christmas Ornament

Day 4: Dollar Tree Christmas Mailbox

Day 5: Family Christmas Tree Farm

Day 6: Craft Completion Challenge Part 1 Paint Stick Winter Sled

Day 7: Bourbon Bacon Pecan Brittle

Day 8: Craft Completion Challenge Part 2 Paint Stick Winter Sled

Day 9: Craft Completion Challenge Winners Ceremony

Day 10: Christmas Crack

Day 11: Dollar Tree Snowman Floral Wall Pocket (Craftkins)

Day 12: Mini Christmas Tag Ornament Kit

Day 13: Mini Cutting Board Santa Ornament

Day 14: Wonderland Cookies

Day 15: Fun Christmas Present Wrapping Hack with Ribbon

Day 16: Christmas Operation Santa Auction

Day 17: DIY Toilet Paper Roll Gift Card Holder

Day 18: Merry Christmas Santa Napkin Tag (and St. Pattys Day LUCKY Tag! )

Day 19: Nighttime Winter Stick Christmas Tree Scene

Day 20: Scrapwood Winter Cardinal Sign

Day 21: Wrapping Hack to Hold a Card and DIY Wrapping Paper Bow

Day 22: LIVE CANCELED COME BACK FOR DAY 23

Day 23: Clothespin Snowflakes

Day 24: Wonky Santa Hat Kit

Make sure to come back next year!

Are you going to make any of the crafts from the Countdown to Craftmas? If you do, I’d love to see it! Pop on over to our free Craftspiration Facebook group, and join in on the fun by posting a pic of your Tiered Trays, DIY’s and crafts. I just love to see all your creative and crafty creations.

Free printable Craft Project Planner

Get organized, get inspired, and get crafting, with our free Craft Project Planner!

Download my free planner!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

Love the ideas from this Countdown to Craftmas? Make sure to PIN it for later!

The post 2024 Countdown to Craftmas appeared first on Manda Panda Projects.

Hand Painted Snowman Thrifted Teapot

Amanda — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 03:13:54 +0000

You will never look at a thrift store teapot the same again after you see how I hand painted this one to look like a snowman. Move over Frosty, theres a new guy in town!

Every year, for the past 3 years, I have done a Countdown to Craftmas where I go live on Facebook from 12/1-24 for 24 days of Christmas Crafty Inspo.

And this Hand Painted Snowman Thrifted Teapot was Day 4 of our 2023 countdown!

I saw this Teapot for $3.50 at my local thrift store, and I IMMEDIATELY knew what I would do with it. I know, the sticker says $6.99 but everything is 50% off all day everyday so = $3.50.

For as adorable as this Thrifted Snowman Teapot is, it was actually pretty easy to paint!

Don’t let the “hand painted” title intimidate you, I CANNOT paint, but I show you how to do it step by step in this blog.

I wasn’t 100% happy with the bow on the handle, which you will see if you watch the Live replay tutorial, but it grew on me and was cute enough.

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

Supplies Needed to Hand Paint a Thrifted Snowman Teapot

Thrifted Teapot
Black fine tip Sharpie
Paint: Black, White, Orange, Pink
Fabric of your choice
Hot glue gun

How to Turn a Thrifted Teapot into a Snowman

I painted this Thrifted Teapot on video. So you can WATCH the tutorial by clicking below.

Watch the video HERE

First things first, I gave the bottom of the Teapot a good 2 coats of white chalk paint with Waverly “Plaster”. Then I painted the handle black. (I know the handle was already black, but it was shiny and I wanted it to be matte, so I went over it with the black chalk paint).

Next, I painted the “spout” with Waverly “Pumpkin” chalk paint, and then added light lines with Antique Wax to make it look more “realistic” carrot.

For the eyes, I drew the outline with a pencil FIRST so that if I messed the shape up, I could just erase and fix it. This took a LOT of pressure off! The outline shape looks like this…

Then I traced over the pencil with black Sharpie.

Your eyes will look something like this after you have outlined them…

Remember, progress over perfection! Don’t get too hung up on whether they are perfectly even or the exact same size. Just do your best and it will be cute, even if it’s wonky.

Next, I used a small paint brush and painted sort of half circles on the left sides of each eye like you see below…

The hard part is over! Now, add a small white dot with a line under it on the inside edge of each black part of the eye.

Finish the eyes off with 3 small eyelashes on the outer upper eye “lid” and a small line above for the eyebrow.

For the rosy cheeks, I dry brushed some pink paint in large circles. You want hardly any paint on the brush, so wipe almost all of it off on a separate piece of paper before doing your cheeks. You could use actual blush as well. If I were to do it over I would do that instead of the paint.

On top of the blush I added a white hashtag and some random white dots for character. I used the end of a paint brush to make the dots.

For his mouth, I did the same thing as the eyes and used a pencil to draw the wavy simple mouth. Once I was happy with it I outlined it with black Sharpie.

I added a small “wrinkle” underneath his mouth for character. (I used an image of another painted snowman for inspo. I told you, I am NOT a painter).

While I was dotting the cheeks, I decided that the black handle and lid needed a little somethin’ somethin’, so I decided to add polka dots to them as well.

Last but not least, I wanted to add a scrappy fabric bow to the handle so I just simply tied some strips of ripped fabric to it and called it a day.

I just love Day 4 of the 2023 Countdown to Craftmas!

I mean c’mon, how darn cute is this Hand Painted Snowman Teapot!?

Are you even a crafter if you aren’t RUNNING out to the thrift store to get a teapot right now?

Are you going to hand paint a teapot to look like a Snowman for Winter or Christmas this year? If you do, I’d love to see it! Pop on over to our free Craftspiration Facebook group, and join in on the fun by posting a pic of your Tiered Trays, DIY’s and crafts. I just love to see all your creative and crafty creations.

Free printable Craft Project Planner

Get organized, get inspired, and get crafting, with our free Craft Project Planner!

Download my free planner!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

Love this Hand Painted Thrifted Snowman Teapot? Make sure to PIN it for later!

The post Hand Painted Snowman Thrifted Teapot appeared first on Manda Panda Projects.

Thrifted Snowman Lamp Flip

Amanda — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 19:03:39 +0000

You will never look at a thrift store lamp the same again after you see how I flipped this ordinary lamp into adorable Christmas and winter decor. This Thrifted Snowman Lamp will put Frosty to shame!

Every year, for the past 3 years, I have done a Countdown to Craftmas where I go live on Facebook from 12/1-24 for 24 days of Christmas Crafty Inspo.

And this Thrifted Snowman Lamp is by FAR my fave from 2023!

For as adorable as this Snowman Lamp flip is, it was actually pretty easy to make!

Don’t let that face intimidate you, I CANNOT paint, but I show you how to do it step by step in this blog.

And can we talk about that bow!? I normally prefer fabric bows, but for this particular project a ribbon bow was in order. And of course it came out just PERF thanks to my Bowdabra!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

Supplies Needed to Make a Thrifted Snowman Lamp

How to Turn a Thrifted Lamp into a Snowman

I made over this Thrifted Snowman Lamp on video. So you can WATCH the tutorial by clicking below.

Watch the video HERE

First things first, I took the lamp shade off to work on the “face” and “body”.

Here is the surface that we’re working with. I decided I would first paint the entire bottom part of the lamp all white with Waverly plaster chalk paint. A good two coats did it.

Now for the face, it’s best to watch the replay to see exactly how I painted it, but I will show you the steps the best I can here. Pardon the pictures, they are screenshots from my live video, but it’s better than nothin’!

First, with a pencil I drew 2 ovals, kind of wonky, leaning in towards each other like you see here.

I then outlined the pencil with black Sharpie and painted them in with black paint.

I used a fine tip sharpie to draw 3 wispy eyelashes on the outer bottom eyes, and painted a small white line on the right sides of each eye.

I dry brushed some pink paint to make the rosy cheeks.

Then painted on the orange carrot nose.

And finally, I drew on the squiggly wonky smile with the fine tip black Sharpie again.

Here is the face alllllll done! Not perfect, but done. And cute.

For the trim around the “top hat” lampshade, I used this buffalo check ruffle trim that was sent to me in a PR box by the company. It’s “Place and Time” brand and can be found at Joanns Fabric in stores and online. I did find some on Amazon, but it’s red instead of black (would still be cute!).

I just hot glued it all around the bottom rim of the lampshade.

Here’s how it looks once it’s on there. Cute, right!?

I also glued some thinner buffalo check ribbon around the top of the shade.

Time for the star of the show..the BOW! Thanks to my Bowdabra, this was super easy, and the first time I ever used ribbon instead of fabric with it.

Of course I had to add some greenery and berries along with a rusty bell.

Like I said….my FAVE from the 2023 Countdown to Craftmas!

I mean c’mon, how darn cute is this Thrifted Snowman Lamp!?

Are you even a crafter if you aren’t RUNNING out to the thrift store to get a lamp right now?

Are you going to flip a Thrifted Lamp into a Snowman for Winter or Christmas this year? If you do, I’d love to see it! Pop on over to our free Craftspiration Facebook group, and join in on the fun by posting a pic of your Tiered Trays, DIY’s and crafts. I just love to see all your creative and crafty creations.

Free printable Craft Project Planner

Get organized, get inspired, and get crafting, with our free Craft Project Planner!

Download my free planner!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

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Wooden Winter Mittens Decor

Amanda — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 23:22:45 +0000

Christmas is over but Winter is still in full effect. Send warm winter wishes with this easy and adorable DIY Wooden Winter Mittens Decor! This Neutral and Gold piece is the perfect way to warm up the vibe of your home this winter.

This is my first official “Winter” craft of the season and I am in LOVE love love!!

I mean don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy all the Christmas crafts, but it comes and goes so quickly so I’m totally here for a piece we can keep up through Valentines Day.

I really stepped out of my color comfort zone this past holiday season. Starting with Fall crafts, I opted for the more neutral, gold vibe and it was a nice change of pace.

Of course, I threw in the leopard print here and there because it wouldn’t be a Manda Panda Project without it. Even though this particular craft doesn’t have any leopard it.

Of course you know that you could make this absolutely any colors and theme that you want to match your winter decor!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

Supplies Needed to Make Wooden Winter Mittens Decor

How to Make Wooden Winter Mittens Decor

I made these Wooden Winter Mittens Decor on video. So you can WATCH the tutorial by clicking below.

Watch the video HERE

Start by tracing the chunky wooden mittens onto the Dollar Tree faux tile and cutting them out.

Then paint the tile mittens all white with chalk paint, and then dirty up all the edges with antique wax. Acrylic paint doesn’t work quite as well with the plastic material of the tiles.

Next, take the Gold Leaf Rub n’ Buff and rub all around the edges of the chunky wood mittens. (you could paint them gold as well).

Glue the tiles to the top of the wood mittens. Then take the Rub n Buff, and using your finger rub it gently over the top of the tile mittens so only the raised portions catch the gold color.

For the fur, I have this roll of faux fur from simplicity creative group that was the perfect width, but if you have regular fur then you will need to cut it to the proper size to fit the “cuff” of the winter mittens.

Glue the fur to the cuff, making sure to wrap it around the top and the back of the wood mittens.

Now to make the two tiny bows, I ripped a bunch of small strips of coordinating fabric, and then used my Bowdabra to layer them in an X formation. Don’t worry if the length of the fabric is the perfect size, because we’re going to trim it up afterwards.

If you don’t have a Bowdabra, you can easily do this by just layering the pieces on the table in an X formation and then tying a piece of twine around the center.

Trim the ends of the fabric to keep the bows small enough to fit on the cuffs.

Glue a small rusty bell to the center of each bow, and then glue the bows to the cuff of the wooden winter mittens, slightly off center.

For the background, line up 6 paint sticks, alternating the handle ends. Cut 4 other paint sticks to use as a “brace” to hold the background together. They should be long enough to go across the 6 paint sticks without hanging over the edge.

Glue two of them across the back in the middle.

And then glue the other two on the top and bottom of the front to add to the look of the background.

Stain the entire background with Antique Wax and wipe the remaining stain off with a baby wipe.

I decided to give it an extra wintery look by adding white wax over the top of the antique and then wiping that with a baby wipe as well.

Cut a strip of coffee stained muslin to use as the banner at the top, and then stamp “Warm Winter Wishes” with the Acrylic Stamp set.

Glue the banner to the top of the Wooden Winter Mittens Decor.

Glue the wood mittens to the front of the background.

Paint a few snowflakes with gold paint and then glue them around the mittens.

Last but not least is the hanger! Cut some rusty with sheers and then glue to the top back using E6000 and then some hot glue. The E6000 will hold it permanently and the hot glue will hold it in place until the E6000 has a chance to cure.

Be careful not to mix the two glues together.

Here it is all said and done!

How darn cute are these Wooden Winter Mittens? Stay warm my friend, I’m sending you lots of Warm Winter Wishes!

Are you going to make these Wooden Winter Mittens Decor? If you do, I’d love to see it! Pop on over to our free Craftspiration Facebook group, and join in on the fun by posting a pic of your Tiered Trays, DIY’s and crafts. I just love to see all your creative and crafty creations.

Free printable Craft Project Planner

Get organized, get inspired, and get crafting, with our free Craft Project Planner!

Download my free planner!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

Love these Wooden Winter Mittens Decor? Make sure to PIN it for later!

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Dollar Tree Let it Snow Sign

Amanda — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 02:42:48 +0000

Christmas is over but it’s not time to pack up that winter decor just yet. This Dollar Tree Let it Snow Sign is not only adorable with its pastel ombre words, but it’s easy to make and affordable too! Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snooooooooooow!

This is a craft where we turned Lemons into Lemonade. You see those snowflakes in the corners? Well they were a total craft fail from something we made in my subscription group, The CRafterparty.

But we put them to good use in this Dollar Tree Let it Snow sign, and they couldn’t be any cuter!

This Dollar Tree “Let it Snow” wood cutout was one of those things that was in my craft stash for far too long before I finally figured out what to do with it!

Of course, I decided to walk on the wild side and do mine not only ombre, but a pastel rainbow ombre.

I’m pretty sure I love it.

Of course, you could do yours more traditional “winter” with a dark to light blue gradient ombre, and that would be equally cute as well.

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

Supplies Needed to Make Dollar Tree Let it Snow Winter Decor

Let it Snow wood cutout
Wood Pallet Background (I got mine for $1 at a flea market)
Various scrapbook paper
Rub n’ Buff – Gold Leaf
Diamond Dust
Paint: White, Pink, Purple, Green, Teal, Blue
Twine
Mod Podge
Hot glue gun

How to Make a Dollar Tree Let it Snow Sign

I made this Let it Snow Ombre Sign on video. So you can WATCH the tutorial by clicking below.

Watch the video HERE

Start by painting your entire background all white. I then added a bit of Gold Leaf Rub n’ Buff on the edges and in the crevices of the pallet.

Paint your Let it Snow cutout Ombre, from pink, to purple, to green, to teal, to blue. Make sure the paint stays wet in between colors to help with blending, and keep a cup of water handy as well.

The best way to see how I do this is to watch the LIVE replay, but basically I paint both colors side by side, and while its wet I blend them back and forth back and forth until I am happy with the gradient.

Trace the snowflake onto your choice of scrapbook paper, and then cut it out and Mod Podge it to the wood snowflake.

Using Mod Podge, add diamond dust to the snowflake as well.

In each of the 4 corners I added the snowflakes from my “Craft Fail” that I talked about in the beginning of this blog post. Each corner has a unique snowflake, and each one is also covered in Diamond Dust.

Remember when you would make paper snowflakes as a kid, and fold a paper circle and then cut little shapes out of it? Well that’s what I did here!

Once you unfold the paper each snowflake has a unique shape, depending how and where you cut the shapes.

I Mod Podged Diamond Dust to each one of those as well.

Here it is all put together and looking so pretty and wintery. I am loving that pastel ombre, but could totes do a traditional winter blue ombre instead.

How darn cute does this look with those Kraft Paper Hearts and the Stuffed Heart Bouquet!? Perfect for AFTER Christmas for winter leading up to Valentines Day.

Are you going to make a Dollar Tree Let it Snow Winter Sign? If you do, I’d love to see it! Pop on over to our free Craftspiration Facebook group, and join in on the fun by posting a pic of your Tiered Trays, DIY’s and crafts. I just love to see all your creative and crafty creations.

Free printable Craft Project Planner

Get organized, get inspired, and get crafting, with our free Craft Project Planner!

Download my free planner!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

Love this Dollar Tree Let it Snow Winter Decor? Make sure to PIN it for later!

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Ombre Snowman Gift Bag Decor

Amanda — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 02:04:44 +0000

Christmas may be over, but we’re still very much in Winter. So why not craft and decorate with some Snowmen?! Better yet, an Ombre Gift Bag Snowman! Just looking at those snowflakes makes me think….Brrrrrr!

If you have been around here for any length of time, then you know how obsessed I am with gift bag crafts. Before Christmas I made a GORG Winter Church Gift Bag Window, but this Snowman one is on more of the cutesy side.

I am 99% positive that this gift bag is from Walmart, but don’t fret if you don’t have it and you can’t find it, you can use ANY cute gift bag and make something super similar.

Normally, I use the entire front of the gift bags when I craft with them, but I really wanted to do something different with this one, so I cut the Snowman image out and mounted it on Kraft paper.

I’m so happy I did, because I loveeeee love love how it turned out!

The best part part about this one, hands down, is that ombre though.

It’s the easy kind of ombre because there is really no blending involved, but when you watch the replay tutorial you’ll see exactly how I do it.

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a cent more!)

Supplies Needed to Make an Ombre Snowman Gift Bag Decor

Snowman Gift Bag (You can use any gift bag!)
15 Paint Sticks
Diamond Dust
Small wood snowflakes
Kraft Paper or cereal box
Paint: Various Shades of Blue and White, Antique Wax
Strips of thin fabric
Small Button
Fine tip Sharpie
Mod Podge
Hot glue gun

How to Make an Ombre Snowman Gift Bag Decor

I made this Ombre Snowman Decor on video. So you can WATCH the tutorial by clicking below.

Watch the video HERE

Start by painting the 12 paint sticks ombre from Dark blue to light blue to white. I did have a few different shades of blue, but mostly I just kept adding white to the same pile of blue paint as I went to make it lighter and lighter until the last color was *almost* all white.

So basically, you have your dark blue and you paint the first paint stick with it. Then add some white to that dark blue and paint the next paint stick. Add some more white and paint the next one, and so on…..all the way until your paint is almost entirely white.

Then, brace your 12 paint sticks together by lining them up and gluing 3 paint sticks on the back to hold them together.

Cut your snowman image out of the gift bag, and then place it on Kraft paper, and trace around the shape about 1/2 inch bigger then the actual image.

Then rip the Kraft paper out along the line rather than cutting it out, so you get the jagged feathered edge that you see below. Mod Podge the snowman on top of the Kraft paper.

Take some Antique Wax and grunge up all the edges of the snowman/Kraft paper.

To give it a little dimension and detail, make a small bow with coordinating fabric, and then glue it to the “scarf” of the snowman.

Paint a few wooden snowflakes white, and then Mod Podge some diamond dust on top to give them that snowy sparkle.

Glue the snowflakes around the snowman.

Finish it off by making a “Brrrrrrr” banner using kraft paper.

Rip a curved rectangle shape and paint it white. Using a fine tip Sharpie, write “Brrrr” (or whatever you want- “let is snow” would be cute too). Then add some dots to the ends and tips of each letter to give it some extra pizazz.

That’s it, that’s all! I am loving this Ombre Snowman Gift Bag sign sooo so much.

How darn cute does he look with the Conversation Heart Bouquet on the left?

Are you going to make an Ombre Snowman Gift Bag craft? If you do, I’d love to see it! Pop on over to our free Craftspiration Facebook group, and join in on the fun by posting a pic of your Tiered Trays, DIY’s and crafts. I just love to see all your creative and crafty creations.

Free printable Craft Project Planner

Get organized, get inspired, and get crafting, with our free Craft Project Planner!

Download my free planner!

Until Next Time…

Stay Crafty San Diego!

Love this Ombre Snowman Gift Bag Decor? Make sure to PIN it for later!

The post Ombre Snowman Gift Bag Decor appeared first on Manda Panda Projects.