Making Merry: Christmas Art

According to me, we are now officially in the Christmas season! For me it begins on black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. I eagerly wait for that magical day and pull out all of my Christmas things and start placing them around my house. I usually like to do things different every year and this year is no exception. I have been making things for about a month now and I can’t wait to share everything with you all!

When I begin my Christmas decorating, I don’t necessarily have a theme but more of a color scheme. The exception is this year I do have a bit more of a theme than I normally do. I wanted this Christmas to be natural, bringing the outdoors in. What that means to me is natural colors and textures. It feels very soothing and I love it. But, because it’s Christmas and it’s supposed to feel magical, I couldn’t resist adding a bit of bling to my natural decor :)

First up, I thought I would share the elements of my mantel. Our fireplace is located downstairs in our family room, which is all white. Here is a picture of the room normally:

rumpus

To decorate the mantel I wanted some sort of artwork that I didn’t have up for the rest of the year which meant that I needed to create one! I pulled out a white canvas sitting downstairs in the basement that wasn’t in use and got to work!

sign 1

First, I chose a verse (Isa 7:14) and drew up a mock version in photoshop to decide how I wanted the words placed. Then, because I have a Wishblade it was super easy to cut out the letters using woodgrain contact paper. You could also use vinyl letters or scrapbook letters if you don’t have a personal cutting machine. The last step, obviously, is to stick them in place. Done!! I think this project took me about an hour from start to finish. A bonus, because I used contact paper, the letters will easily peel off so if I want something different for next year it will be easy! Don’t you just love creating something from materials you already have?!

sign 2

Next up: this years stockings! Take a look at what decorating I did last year here and here.