Heart Dot Art

Cute, easy, quick Valentine Craft - so easy this would be a great kid craft (unless they're gonna get paint everywhere haha, use your judgement and have them wear an apron!). I made these two different ways - cut out a heart template from light cardboard, I made one cut on the bottom of the cardboard to cut out the heart and then taped it back together; for one I put the heart down on white cardstock and held it in place (if a kid is doing it maybe lightly stick it down to keep it in place) then using a pencil eraser dipped into craft paint dot all around the heart - I did thicker and darker next to the heart and lighter as I stamped away from the heart. For the other one just use the cardboard that you cut the heart out of as a stencil and put the eraser dots on the inside of the heart. Easy.

Gnome Facelift

My Grandma had 3 old gnomes in her garden for years; my sister and I inherited them and even though they aren't in good condition anymore we both love them and have them on display...just in different ways. Jen has left hers alone (in all their faded glory haha), but I decided to give mine a facelift with a fresh coat of paint - I could have just freshened up the peeling and fading paint to return it to its original look, but instead I went sort of modern and painted it all one color. This is gonna sound strange, but painting over his creepy little face was slightly disturbing I have to say!

I know it's hard to part with gifts and memorabilia from special people, but I'm a firm believer in the idea that it's ok to change the thing to fit in with your decor or taste - better that than getting rid of it or leaving it in storage because it isn't "you". The memory or intent is still there, but change it if that is better for you. You could change the upholstery on a piece of furniture, paint an old table or dresser, reset a piece of jewelry, reframe pictures... I think the person you got it from would be happy that you are using it instead of storing it away! So if you are holding onto something just because your Grandma gave it to you, but you wouldn't in a million years display it, think about if there is a way to change it up and make it useful. I guess I should point out that if it's a genuine priceless antique you might not want to alter it and risk decreasing its value - but Grandma's gnomes are only of sentimental value!

before his facelift - look at that creepy little smile!

I gently scrubbed off as much dirt and old paint as I could, he wasn't perfectly smooth though before I painted him - and it totally didn't matter. Using a foam brush, paint 3 coats of craft paint allowing each coat to dry before adding the next coat; after it's completely dry I sprayed it with clear sealant so he can go outside without the paint washing off - if you are leaving it inside then you can skip that step.

after - I think he's so much cuter like this.