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Black & Brass: Reindeer Art

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I am officially in Christmas mode! I always look forward to this time of year and I have been planning what my Christmas decor would look like for months!

Every year I like to pick somewhat of a theme. That way, when it comes to picking what projects I might do, I can see if it falls into my theme and it makes it easier for me to decide what I should realistically try and tackle. This year my theme is Black & Brass (basically black and gold but brass sounded better!). This does not mean that all of my decor is either black or brass, it just means that I keep that in mind when I’m making things. I will also be using decor that I have from previous years and so some it will not fall into that category. But most of the projects I tackled this year do fit within my theme.

Another thing I think about while creating Christmas items is budget. I give myself a pretty strict budget, $20-$30. The reason? First of all, I like to challenge myself, it forces me to get creative. Secondly, if I end up spending a whole bunch on stuff then I would feel guilty next year if I don’t use it. This way, I can get rid of it if I don’t like it next year and start over with a completely new concept.

So, are you ready to see what this season’s decor holds for us at the Dykast household? Since I still have a few things to put into place before the house is completely ready, I will start with a simple project I have hanging in my entryway.

I got this idea from Gifted Magazine. In the gift guide section under stocking stuffers there was a piece similar to this and I thought it would be super cute to use it for Christmas.

To make this project I found a picture of a reindeer online and printed it out. Then, using transfer paper, I traced the image onto contact paper and cut it out. Now I have a stencil. I stuck the stencil to the fabric and using regular gold craft paint, I dabbed the paint on. Then, while the paint was still wet, I took off my contact paper stencil. After it dried, I used an embroidery hoop to frame it and trimmed any excess material off. Then I hung it up.

The cost of this project was free for me since I already had everything on hand. Yay for free projects!

I think it turned out super cute and it’s one of the first things you see when you walk through our front door.

More Christmas ideas to come on Monday. I will be trying my best to share something with you every weekday so keep coming back!!