I'll take a dozen or so of Frosty, please

WIN an epic book prize that includes a copy of Spirited, and debut novels by three of the most talented writers I know - Jessica Bell,  Judith Graves, and Donna Milward.  PLUS, Judith is throwing in a copy of her beautiful CD. Merry Christmas, indeed!

Follow this blog and comment on each post throughout my holiday countdown. The more times you comment, the greater your chances are to win. The winner will be announced Boxing Day - another gift just when you thought it was all over.

                              *   *   *

My house is overrun with snowmen.

I love them. Snowmen figurines. Stuffed snowmen. Plates in the shape of a snowman. They're everywhere in my home this year, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

I'm not one to coordinate my Christmas decor, and over the years, I've collected a mish-mash of kitchy holiday stuff that doesn't quite go together. But since we moved out to the country, I've fallen in love with my home and am inspired to go all out in holiday decor.

But I admit, every time I walk through the door with a new snowman item, my stepdaughter asks, "Don't we have enough snowmen?"

The answer is no. Because honestly, one can never have enough snowmen.

Imagine my delight, then, when I discovered a buffet of delicious snowmen crafts on Pinterest. Yes, you know, that website that pretty much consumed me before Halloween?

I decided to try something simple first.

The snowman pictured above is made with a block of 2x4 - but you could use whatever scrap wood you can find.

Here's what you need:

• A piece of wood suitable for painting. (Such as a chunk of 2x4)
• Red, orange and black paint.
• An old sock, or material.
• An old scarf, or material.
• A hot glue gun.

Here's what you do:

1. Paint the wood white. I used an acrylic white, but have seen it done with pearl for a shimmery effect.

2. Paint the snowman's face. I used cotton balls to dab on the snowman's cheeks.

3. Accessorize!

• Tie an old scarf around his neck. (Cut to desired length)
• Cut the top off an old sock and tie a knot at the top. Slip over the snowman's head for a toque. You can also wrap material around his head, hot glue into place, tie a piece of yarn around the top to create a "bobble" and cut into strips. 

Easy right?

Have fun painting different faces on your snowman, and look for creative ways to accessorize. How about earmuffs? A Santa hat? Try gluing twigs to the wood for snowman hands....the possibilities are endless!

Got a picture of your 2x4 snowman? Send it to me at dawnmdalton@gmail.com and I'll throw in an extra entry for the contest. Happy snowman building!

- Dawn

PS - 23 sleeps until Santa slides down my non-existant chimney...