When I chose the Wood Shovel to paint, it just reminded me of a snow shovel (because we get SO much snow here in Vancouver—NOT!) I decided a winter scene would be perfect!  I chose a pattern from Laurie Speltz’s Simple Sampler book, the surface she used for this adorable snowman was a frame with insert and the size looked easily adaptable to the Wood Shovel.  

I basecoated the shovel than used a toothbrush to spatter the blue portion white and the white surface blue. 

Next I centered the snowman on the surface, transferred it, and found Laurie’s pattern easy and fun to work with (particularly for a painter who’s been busy costuming her kids’ high school plays for the past several years).  There is lots of shading to add dimension to him, and the scarf is just super cute with its detail of squiggly stripes.  I used Laurie’s Snowflake stencil for the snow detail underneath the snowman as well as on the handle.  Much easier than painting 50 individual snowflakes and it turns out beautifully in seconds!  A spritz of Americana Sealer and its ready for display from after Thanksgiving through the end of snow season!