I have been working on a video for diamond painting for beginners and think it’s almost ready.  I’m so far behind on Christmas projects that I might just turn them into gift ideas instead of Christmas gift ideas.  I don’t know how time gets away from me the way it does, but there you go…I always think I have a lot more time than I do to create for Christmas, and should be starting in August or September to really be done in time.

I finally got my hot glue gun review up and have had it sitting around since the beginning of November, when I shared cards I received for my birthday (in November), but I’m pretty sure, people will think my birthday is now in December since it took so long to upload the video….Geez….

I will tell you this about diamond paintings.  When you shop for them, you’ll probably get frustrated because many of them remind me of paint-by-numbers and I wouldn’t want to own one or gift one, as they aren’t really my style.  But when I read that I could turn a photo into one, the ideas started percolating.  Since my nephew’s wedding, I have been obsessed with this photo Rich took the day after the wedding that included their small white dog (almost lost in the skirt of the dress.)  I decided that when it’s finished, if my nephew and his bride don’t want it (because they think it’s odd or cheesy,) I’m sure my sister would love it….so no matter what, I have someone who should want to have it.

I’m not sure if I’ve talked much about diamond paintings yet, but I am amazed at how relaxing this is to do.  I really enjoy it and if you put your supplies really close to where you are working, the repetitive motion isn’t as bad as you would think.  Although I will say, you definitely need to rest often, stretch, and stop before you are sitting too long in the same position, as you’ll get really stiff.  I also try to limit the amount of time I diamond paint, as once I start the process, I lose track of time and overdo it, but that’s the nature of being me.

I have done needlepoint (when I was in college) and counted cross stitch (in the 1980’s when it was a huge fad), but both of those crafts are too labor intensive for me now, and the needle is hard to hold.  Diamond painting has so many tool options, that you should be able to find (or make) a tool that works for you.  You can even take the ballpoint out of a pen, and use the pen with the wax they give you, if you have a pen that feels comfortable in your hand.  I know it sounds like I’m trying to sell something here, but honestly, I’m just so relaxed when I make a diamond painting, that I hope others find the craft.  One last note, when you buy a kit, you get everything you need inside, unless you decide you want a light pad, you can find them on Amazon for under $10.  The only thing I don’t like about the light pad I bought, is the plug only plugs into a computer or a computer outlet, not an electric outlet.  I guess they think it makes it more portable, but I find it to be a little bit cumbersome if I try to work on a project anywhere but on a desk…but, since the photo of my nephew and his bride is so large, I can only work on it at a table.  It’s huge…I’m not sure how many years it will take me to finish it, but since it’s primarily a few colors, so far it’s really going fast.

Here’s a photo of a light pad and you’ll want one that has three levels of lighting for different light settings in the room you’ll be working in, and a larger one.. I think mine is an A4 which is 12 x 9 1/4″ lit.  I paid $11 for it on Amazon..Here’s a link to one.  https://tinyurl.com/tbzzf7k         The only issue I have with using the light pad is you also need to have a light directed at the diamonds you are going to use, as it’s hard to see if they are upside down or right side up if you don’t have good lighting on them.

There are a lot of facebook groups devoted to Diamond Paintings and my friend Sherri has one…it’s called Diamond Painting for All Ages.  I joined it, but because my facebook page is linked to Rich’s, it looked like Rich joined instead of me…Sherri said she figured somehow it had to be me, so accepted me as a member.  If you like diamond painting, or want to learn more about it, you might want to learn from these wonderful talented women….

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