Homemade Christmas Outdoor Decorations
One of the best aspects of Christmas is bundling up the family, loading them into the car and driving through town to look at the decorations. These decorations can be purchased at home improvement stores but are not cheap. Instead of shelling out a lot of money for seasonal outdoor decorations, build a festive piece of lawn decor in your home. Friends and family will also appreciate a hand-crafted outdoor decoration as a holiday gift. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Wheelbarrow
- Several evergreen branches
- Several terracotta pots of different sizes
- Red paint
- Green paint
- Paint brushes
- Holly berries
- Pine cones
- Popcorn
- Sticks
- Plastic birds
- Large iron star
- Large sheet of plywood
- Skill saw
- Pencil
- Wooden post
- Screws
- Screwdriver
- Rubber mallet
- Spotlight
Instructions
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Christmas Wheelbarrow
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1
Purchase an antique, weathered wheelbarrow. A wheelbarrow to fit the bill can generally be found at a thrift or antique shop.
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2
Fill the bottom of the wheelbarrow with large evergreen branches. These branches can be cut from a tree or purchased at a craft store. The branches should be placed so that a few appear to be flowing from the front of the wheelbarrow.
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3
Paint several terracotta pots of different sizes red and green. Allow the paint to dry completely before using them in the design.
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4
Fill the pots with holly berries, pine cones and popcorn.
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5
Place the pots inside the evergreen-filled wheelbarrow.
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6
Nestle other elements of nature into the evergreen branches, such as pine cones, sticks and plastic birds.
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7
Place a piece of Christmas in the wheelbarrow by nestling a large iron star in the center.
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8
Place the wheelbarrow decoration in your front yard or the corner of your porch.
Outdoor Silhouette
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9
Cut out a Santa Claus shape from a large piece of plywood. To make the outcome look more precise, draw the shape with a pencil before cutting it out with a hand saw or an electrical saw.
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10
Using wood screws, attach the plywood shape to a small post that will anchor it to the ground. Keep the bottom half of the post bare. That's the part that will go into the ground If the Santa Claus shape is especially large, you may need two posts.
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11
Pound the post into the ground with a rubber mallet approximately 5 feet away from a bare exterior wall.
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12
Place a spotlight a few inches in front of the shape.
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13
Turn the spotlight so that it shines on the shape and casts a shadow of the Santa Claus shape on the wall.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Cut out other Christmas shapes, such as reindeer and a snowman to form other silhouettes for the front of your home.
References
- Photo Credit merry christmas - christmas tree - aged paper image by samantha grandy from Fotolia.com
