Jennifer Roberts - The Diamond Painting Guide and Logbook: Tips and Tricks for Creating, Personalizing, and Displaying Your Vibrant Works of Art

Guide AND Logbook

Tips and Tricks for Creating, Personalizing,
and Displaying Your Vibrant Works of Art

JENNIFER ROBERTS

The Diamond Painting Guide and Logbook:

Tips and Tricks for Creating, Personalizing, and Displaying Your Vibrant Works of Art

Jennifer Roberts

Editor: Kelly Reed

Project manager: Lisa Brazieal

Marketing coordinator: Mercedes Murray

Copyeditor: Michelle Drown

Proofreader: Patricia J. Pane

Interior design and composition: Kim Scott/Bumpy Design

Cover production: Aren Straiger

Cover photograph: Daria Nipot, Shutterstock

ISBN: 978-1-68198-590-9

1st Edition (1st printing, October 2020)

2020 Jennifer Roberts

All photographs Crowned Creative Studio unless otherwise noted

Rocky Nook Inc.

1010 B Street, Suite 350

San Rafael, CA 94901

USA

www.rockynook.com

Distributed in the UK and Europe by Publishers Group UK

Distributed in the U.S. and all other territories by Ingram Publisher Services

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019951963

All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. Where those designations appear in this book, and Rocky Nook was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. All product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. They are not intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Printed in China

When someone has an addiction, they dive in, changing their life to accommodate it. While addictions can be harmful, they can also be very positive. And this is where my story begins.

I am a trauma therapist who has worked with human-trafficking survivors and refugees from around the world. My heart goes out to those who have lost their voice, journeyed to reclaim it, found freedom, and endeavored to be all they were born to be. My work takes immense amounts of emotional energy. And although I love every minute of supporting my clients, I also need to renew my own emotional tank. This is true for everyone, which is why we seek out ways to relax, unwind, and enjoy life. We desperately need positive distractions to recoup from our demanding daily existence.

At times Ive acted like Im a superhero and ignored self-care. But when one neglects ones self, one becomes susceptible to addictionmine became diamond painting.

There was a period in my life when I did not follow my own self-care advice and found myself ill for the umpteenth time. Lying in bed for the third day in a row and miserable, I started scrolling Facebook. Between my best friends post about something cute her child said, and the neighborhood-watch page about another lost dog, was an advertisement. In my cold-medicated state, I clicked on the video. It entranced me with amazing colors and sparkles, the words crafting, do it yourself, and 50 percent off. I was instantly hooked.

The ad was for a new craft called diamond painting. I am an avid crocheter, scrapbooker, and photographer and could not resist the allure of a new art discipline. I scrolled through the companys catalog until an image caught my eye. I couldnt find my wallet fast enough. Little did Ior my husbandknow that one advertisement was going to forever change our lives. I entered my debit card number, clicked the purchase button, and waited for the confirmation page to load. Smiling, I laid back in bed and drifted off into a blissful sleep.

A few weeks later, I received a package. I remember it like it was yesterday. The Winter Olympics were on TV, it was pizza night, and I was about to try and figure out how to do this craft with directions that were only in Chinese. In the box was a canvas on which were symbols, numbers, and glue. There was a cover atop the glue for protection. There was also a stack of little plastic circles.

With instructions in a foreign language, no YouTube channels to refer to, and no hype from the crafting world, I was lost. Seriously, what had I gotten myself into?

My husband still laughs today when he remembers watching me awkwardly holding the pen-like, hollow plastic, pink object that had a metal tip on the end. I assumed it must be the tool for putting the plastic circles on the canvas, but how were they going to stick to the pen, I wondered? Ten minutes later, fully frustrated, I looked down to the floor and saw a little pink square of something squishy and soft. To this day I dont know why, but I poked the metal tip into the doughy substance and the pink goo went into the pen.

Another 10 minutes of experimenting and I figured out that the pen was the applicator and the pink item was wax that allowed me to pick up the plastic circles and then place them on the canvas, based on the color-coding key (insert deep breath here). Although Id missed half of the Olympic luge competition, I had earned my own gold medaldiscovering diamond painting and the endless joy it was about to bring to my life.

Working on my first diamond painting, I was amazed how my stress levels began to drop. Joy began to filter back into my life. Who would have guessed that thousands of little plastic pieces and glue could change the trajectory of my life? Once the painting was complete, I asked my husband his thoughts on me purchasing one painting a month. Our budget could handle $10$20 a month if it brought me peace, he said.

My first diamond painting, Teal Tree from Paint with Diamonds.

Now, as I look back, one painting a month is laughable. I went head first down the diamond painting rabbit hole and there is no coming back. I know the diamond painting vocabulary as if it were my second language. Ive accumulated enough diamond paintings to request a special insurance policy (wink). I started a YouTube channel and Instagram page, and now you are holding my first book.

The moral of my journeyand this bookis that balance is essential. All work and no play, or all play and no work, is not the best recipe for success. I urge you to find something you love and share it with the world. You are important, valued, and worth the time and energy it takes to rejuvenate your soul.