With the cold weather outside, my focus turns to working on crafts and small projects that I can complete inside. Between the months of November and April, the weather outside limits my ability to work on furniture. Refurbishing furniture requires removing existing finishes with a paint stripper, sanding down worn surfaces and making repairs. All of these activities generally need to be done outside or in a well ventilated area. Normally, I work in our garage or in the driveway but with the temperatures in the 20s and with 6 inches of snow on the ground – working outside just isn’t possible.

So, I use these winter months to work on crafts or other small projects. Winters in upstate New York can be long, dark and cold so I always try to find something to look forward to. I like trying to find a reason to celebrate something every month. Then soon enough, the snow will melt, the ground will thaw, the birds will return and I will be back in the garage again.

In that spirit, here is a round up of crafts and small DIY projects shared in the last several months.

Easy Valentines Day Craft 1

One of the best things about being a blogger is the freedom to play and create. If you have a blog, there is always a need for content and it gives me a license to pursue all sorts of creative activities. In this case, I had some stacks of antique paper that I wanted to use. So after some tinkering around and after developing some prototypes – I shared this easy to create Heart Garland for Valentine’s Day.

If you prefer, you can skip to the “how-to video” at the end of the post.

It’s a perfect project for kids.

Easy Valentines Day Craft 2

I still had some antique paper remaining in my stash, so I decided to create this second easy Valentine’s Day craft which consists of 3-D hearts that can be hung up by twine. This was a fun project and I ended up making quite a few of these paper heart ornaments.

If step by step instructions aren’t your cup of tea – you can skip to the ” how to video” at the end of the post.

Garden Tool Rack

You don’t need a piece of old wood to make this garden rack. Any long and wide piece of wood would work.

In this post, I walk you through how to create a chippy patina with milk paint. You can also use this technique on other pieces that are painted with milk paint.

Easy Tissue Paper Flowers

This was such a fun project to make. After staring out the window at the snow on the ground for several days, I decided that I would make my own flowers out of tissue paper.

These tissue paper flowers can be created with minimal supplies and they instantly brighten up a room. They are also great for displays – so those of you who have your own shops or antique booths may want to consider making these flowers.

Again, if reading step by step instructions just isn’t your thing, there is a “how to video” at the end of the post that shows you how to make the flowers.

Moss Wreath

This is another easy and fun project to make for spring. I don’t know about you, but anything with flowers, foliage or greenery always seems to brighten my day. I have spent many hours wandering around the Terrain Shop in Connecticut and that’s where I got the idea for making this wreath.

Presently, this wreath is hanging on a mirror in my front entryway. It’s a great reminder that spring is just around the corner.

Gold Leaf Candle Holders

These DIY gold leaf candle holders were the perfect project for a Sunday afternoon. Initially these sconces/ candle holders had “sorta” been painted with some white chalk paint. To be precise, someone had applied – maybe- 1 coat of paint and then for whatever reason decided to stop.

In the space of a few hours, I applied gold leaf and some metallic gold paint to restore them to their original gilded finish. In this post I share with you some tips on how to create a layered gold leaf effect that looks authentic.

Summary

Thank you for stopping by the blog today. I hope you found something that inspired you. A new craft you want to make, perhaps with your kids. If you do make any of these crafts, please send me a photo and let me know how the process went! I always love to hear from you.