How to make a Reindeer Door Hanger or Sign

Rudolph the Door Hanger

I started off with some 1/4" plywood.

I cut the shape out after I freehanded a 

deer face with huge, cartoony antlers and ears.

I did a base coat primer.  Let it dry completely.

Even though it is so hard to not just jump right in and start

on the colors, you have to go ahead with the primer step.

This will ensure the longevity of your items. 

Then I started the base coat of light brown.

Next, I finally got to start with the fun parts.

The eyes, nose and mouths are always my favorite.

I prefer to make them whimsical for the festival season.

Just keep it simpe.

 Don't overthink when painting a face.

I also go back and do the wide brush strokes on 

all kinds of the corners.  Just to add a light color 

contrast on top of the dark.

Then a small line of dark to bring the eye in.

This is the ear up close.

It is not that much too it when you break it 

down line for line.

I chose to do stripes like a candy cane on the antlers

to keep them fun.

I had inspiration from browsing on pinterest

for varying ideas and just kinda

combined them all in my mind to

what I wanted.

I added the hat brim of a Santa hat also

to make it appear the antlers are a

Santas hat.

 

PRIMITIVE SNOWMEN JINGLE BELLS | Various Styles Over the Years

It's that time of year again! The time that I really start to begin painting more Christmas decorations for my Booth#555 at the Peddlers Mall. I got the Christmas spirit in September, lol.

And today I am starting on a new batch of Snowmen Jingle Bells. I got inspiration for these from the Oriental Trading Catalog. Theirs sale for $16.00 per dozen.

To buy them at $16.00 per dozen to resell wasn't really leaving me any room for profit in my craft booth. So I decided to find the plain jingle bells, same size and paint them. I found a package of 6 at the Dollar General Store for a $1.50. And then after the Christmas sale, I bought all the rest of them for half off! Totally amazing deal! So here's what I have started with:

I seriously buy every box of these I find, especially at the after Christmas sales! I will get around to using them, believe me!

I've came a long way through the years with these. I started making them back in November of 2010. You simply paint a base coat. I hang the hangers on a strip of wire and spray paint a bunch at once. And then just sit and paint on the snowmen in sections. Bodies, heads, arms, clothes, then snowflakes, etc. I do them in sections like that to not have to be changing my paint color much. And a hint is to lay them in egg carton tops, lined with paper towels, to help keep from rolling around. Here's what my first batch ever, looked like:

2010 Batch of Bells

$1.59 each

 

2011 Batch of Bells

Sold for $1.00 each to move faster, it seemed

 

2012 Batch of Bells 

Raised back to $1.59 each since I finished them in wax & began to package them.

These I experimented with dipping them in hot, butter colored wax, after painting. It made a great finish. 

Can't really see it in the pics, but looks pretty good. And the middle one is an old, black crow wearing a santa hat. 

 

Being as I did the extra wax dipping, is why I raised these back to $1.59 each.

2013 Batch of Bells

PHOTO COMING SOON!

Keep in mind, these are great crafts to make and sell. Especially if you find them in boxes of 6 marked down to half price to only $.75cents. That makes you only have like 12cents each in them. Sometimes even less if the sale is bigger. Then just your time to paint with paint you already have, probably. 

They are steady sellers for my craft booth. And with changing the theme a little each year, it makes a great item for people to look for. Sometimes I even put the date on the back of them. When I remember to, that is.

Hope this gives you some ideas to do with those plain ole' jingle bells!

Happy Crafting ya'll,

-Lisa

PRIMITIVE SNOWMAN SHELF SITTER

I love primitive looking snowmen, so I decided to make me a cute little shelf sitter.

It stands up perfectly and is a great item to tuck back on a shelf to add a touch of the season.

Price: $3.99 SOLD in my Booth#555.
THANK YOU!


While I had my paints out, I painted up a few different shelf sitters too.
Here they are: