Hello, friends! I have decided to write a blog post all about our big South Dakota blizzard of 2022 to help put it into perspective for those of you unfamiliar with our area. Although the blizzard shut the entire state down for days, there was also some amazing beauty that came from it. They have nicknamed this storm “Elliott”.
I have gathered several pictures from throughout the western and central areas of the state. Snowfall totals ranged anywhere from 6-36 inches along the plains into the central part of the state.
No words needed!This picture was taken at a local truck stop during the storm.This was one of the many cars buried during the blizzard. It took several days for everyone to get dug out.South Dakota beauty!Best little helper around!This was outside my parents downstairs door.Winds blew up to 60 mph and the windchill got down to -40 to -60 below. Frigid and dangerous for all!The toll it took on the livestock was absolutely heartbreaking. Many herds were driven miles away from their homes due to the wind and drifting snow. After the storm finally ended, days later, local farmers and ranchers helped one another locate their livestock. My hometown’s water tower!Bridge underpass.And of course we can’t leave out a picture of our newest member of the family, Oakes!South Dakota State Capital…beautiful!
You all know I love me some scrap wood projects so I thought why not make a snowman now that we are approaching that time of year! I just happened to have the perfect pieces laying around for this. If you don’t, there are tons of different things you could use to make one similar to this such as, 2×4 boards, bricks, or even a sock! Use those creative minds! My dad has access to all kinds of scrap wood where he works so of course I take full advantage of that! HaHa!
The brim of the snowman’s hat was actually from an old little tree fence that i tore apart. I have had them sitting around for over a year and finally found a use for them!
First off, I painted the body of my snowman white and the pieces for the hat black. Once that dried I then hot glued my pieces together.
Next, I used a small spouncer to add the eyes and the blush for the cheeks. I didn’t push all the way down when I did the eyes as I wanted a bit of the white to show through. I painted the nose on myself using my “harvest orange” paint and a small paint brush. For the mouth I cheated and just used a black sharpie marker! So much easier then trying to freehand it with paint in my opinion! I also added some eyebrows with my sharpie!
I decided the hat needed spruced up a bit so I used 1 inch burlap tape and made him a hat band.
Next I added a couple black buttons and made him a burlap scarf! If you don’t have black buttons you could just use your spouncer and make black dots like we did for the eyes! Of course I had to add a little raffia bow to the hat too!
