Another day, another hobby…

I will be the first to admit that I love picking up a new hobby. I’ve always been a crafty and creative person, but over the last month, I’ve become obsessed with another new hobby…diamond painting. I use the word “diamond” loosely. These are basically plastic beads (or drills as avid diamond painters call them) and you place them onto a design with its corresponding number/symbol. The setup to start a diamond painting project takes some time and actually sitting down to complete the project can take days, weeks or months – depending on how much time you have on your hands. Sizes can range from a picture frame to the size of your average kitchen table (sometimes even bigger than that). I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been diamond painting, that it’s best to section off the project because once the adhesive is exposed, all kinds of dirt and dust can gather and make the diamonds harder to stick.

I’ve completed two diamond paintings so far…the first being a massive horror-themed project. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m obsessed with horror movies so I was super excited to do this one. This took MONTHS for me to complete since it was so large. With the recent winter weather we’ve had in South Carolina, I was able to complete it last weekend when we were all holed up in our homes.

The second project I completed was also finished during the snow we had over the weekend. This was a piece I was looking forward to because I love all things Wizard of Oz (and Wicked). I had high hopes for it, but the rendering of the picture was less than great and the faces looked wonky once I put the diamonds on. It was much smaller than the horror project so I was able to fly through it in about a week. I guess they can’t all be winners, right? I contemplated not finishing it, but decided to keep pushing through since I’d already put so much time into it.

So now you might be wondering, what do you do with them once you’re finished? Well, most people will seal them so none of the diamonds fall off and they’ll either put them in a picture frame or a large photo album to preserve it. I’m leaning more towards a picture frame so I can display them in my house. Can you blame me though? I spent a lot of time on these!

I’ve found that in doing this new activity, I’ve been scrolling less on my phone and once you get into a good rhythm it becomes very relaxing. But if you’re someone who doesn’t have the patience to sit and do this, maybe it’s not the activity for you…and that’s okay! It’s tedious and time-consuming, but the end result is the best!

I’m currently on my third project now, a girly cowgirl canvas that I found at Hobby Lobby. Unlike the others I’ve completed, once I’ve sealed this project, I’ll be able to hang it on the wall right away! If you think this is for you, give it a try! And stay tuned! You might see some of them hanging on the wall in our office!