Snowmen Embellishments

For my family, winter isn't complete unless we've constructed an army of snowmen in our yard. Since we're Canadian, there's plenty of snow to put to good use!

It's become such a family tradition that I find myself scrapping a pretty similar picture, year after year, but the scrapbook wouldn't be complete without it. So I've decided to challenge myself to find new ways to embellish my pages. I'm going to share three easy embellishments with you today to make your pages pop.

Picture in a Snowman:

This is one of the easiest ways to scrapbook fun winter pictures. On this page, I didn't actually use snowman pictures; instead I opted to use pictures of my son playing outside while visiting his grandparents. Simply cut two circles from cardstock of varying sizes (I used my Spellbinders circle dies) and then cut a photo with the largest circle die. Allowing them to overlap slightly, attach to your page. Then, embellish the top two circles. I used mini brads for buttons, the snowman's eyes, and his smile to make it look like coal. Finally, I cut a tiny "carrot" nose from cardstock and used an orange Copic Spica marker to give a little pop to it. It's an easy way to add an extra couple of pictures to your page.  You could use photos for the middle snowman layer as well quite easily.

Snowman's Face:

This is another easy embellishment. Cut a circle from white cardstock. (I again used my Spellbinders circle dies.) Add two crystals for eyes and mini brads for the mouth. Cut a "carrot" nose out of cardstock. I ran a Copic Spica clear marker over the snowman's face and then spritzed it with some Glimmer Mist in Silver and Diamonds so it would really shimmer.

To kick it up a notch, grab some scraps of paper with a winter theme or any that will go with your page. A lightweight paper will work best.  I used Doodlebug paper. Cut the scraps into rectangles and roll them carefully into a cone shape with the pattern facing outward. Use the adhesive of your choice to secure the edges so they don't unravel. Repeat and make enough to arrange around your snowman's face in a complete circle. The easiest way to attach all of them is to use a brad. Overlap the points of the cones, allowing the ends to fan out to form your circle, and use a sharp point to go through all of them. Slip the brad through and secure. Then, use a foam dot to attach your snowman's face over the entire arrangement. You might decide to jazz it up further by attaching it to your page above a ribbon.

Cotton Snowman

Again, cut three circles of increasing sizes with white cardstock. Cover them with the adhesive of your choice. (I used my ATG.) Grab some cotton balls and pull them apart. Carefully attach on top of your adhesive to give your embellishment some puffy snow. Don't worry if it's slightly larger than your circles!

Use mini brads to create buttons on the snowman's body, eyes and a smile.  They'll help hold down the cotton further. Cut a "carrot" nose out of cardstock and attach.  I just used some Zig glue and it held great.

For arms, I dug out my Tim Holtz Autumn Gathering's strip die, because the branches on the die make perfect arms for your snowmen. After I cut the arms, I inked them with Walnut Stain Distress Ink for some added depth.

Finally, I spritzed the entire thing with Diamond Glimmer Mist. While the snowman is wet, you can manipulate the cotton ball if some of it isn't staying to the shape you want it. Allow it to dry, and then add some twine (I used Doodle Twine) as a scarf, simply by knotting it around the neck. It's super easy but really looks amazing!