How to Make a Landscape Timber Reindeer

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Things You'll Need

  • Landscape timber scraps

  • Measuring tape

  • Miter saw or jigsaw

  • Sandpaper

  • Brown acrylic paint

  • Paintbrush

  • 1-inch wooden bead

  • Red acrylic paint

  • Pencil

  • 1 1/2-inch wood screw

  • Drill, screwdriver bit and 1/4-inch bit

  • Pink acrylic paint

  • Paper plate

  • Kitchen sponge

  • Lightweight cardboard

  • Scissors

  • Black acrylic paint

  • White acrylic

  • Black paint pen

  • Brown felt

  • Staple gun

  • Stick branches

  • Pruning shears

  • Paring knives (optional)

  • Craft glue

  • Brown yarn

Rescue those scraps of landscape timbers left over from spring yard projects by crafting landscape timber reindeer for Christmas decorations or holiday gifts. One short piece of timber is stood on end to form the shape of the reindeer decoration. With paint and a few basic craft supplies, the timber will be transformed into a reindeer head that can be placed on a table, fireplace mantle or by your front door to greet holiday guests.

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Step 1

Cut a 12-inch length of scrap landscape timber using a miter saw or a jigsaw. Sand the cut edges with sandpaper to remove splinters.

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Step 2

Stand the timber on your work surface. Paint the sides and top of the timber using brown acrylic paint. Allow the paint to dry, and apply a second coat for complete coverage.

Step 3

Paint a 1-inch wooden bead using red acrylic paint. Choose the smoothest side of the timber for the face. On the face side, measure down 5 inches from the top center edge and mark with a pencil. Center the red bead over the mark. Insert a 1 1/2-inch wood screw in the hole of the bead and attach to the timber using a drill with a screwdriver bit. Touch up the head of the screw with red paint.

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Step 4

Pour a penny-size dollop of pink acrylic paint on a paper plate. Tear off the corner of a kitchen sponge. Dip the sponge in the paint. Lightly sponge the paint into circles approximately 3 inches in diameter on both sides of the nose. These are the reindeer's cheeks.

Step 5

Trace a 1-inch-wide-by-2-inch-long rectangle on lightweight cardboard. Round the corners to form an oval. Cut out the oval. This is the your pattern for the reindeer's eyes. With the length of the pattern running vertically, trace two eyes 1/4 inch apart and 1 inch above the nose. Paint the inside of the eyes using black acrylic paint. Allow the paint to dry. Dip the eraser end of a pencil into white acrylic paint. Dot the paint in the bottom center of each eye for highlights.

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Step 6

Draw the mouth using a black paint pen. Starting in the center of one cheek and ending in the center of the other cheek, draw a long U-shaped mouth. Position the bottom center of the mouth 2 inches above the bottom edge of the timber.

Step 7

Cut two 2-inch-wide-by-3-inch-long rectangles from brown felt. Trim off the corners, making the ends into points. The felt shapes will resemble leaves. These are the reindeer's ears. Hold the ears end-to-end and place them with their length centered on top of the timber. Using a staple gun, staple the points of the ears to the center top of the timber.

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Step 8

Flip the ears up and out of the way. Measure 1 inch to the right and left of the timber's center, and mark with a pencil. Drill a 1-inch-deep hole on each of the marks using a 1/4-inch drill bit.

Step 9

Cut slim branches (no leaves) approximately 10 inches long from your yard using pruning shears. These are the antlers. If the base of the branches is larger than 1/4 inch in diameter, use a paring knife to shave off the excess. Fill the drilled holes with craft glue. Insert a branch in each hole. Allow the ears to flip to the front of the antlers.

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Step 10

Hold the fingers on one of your hands together. Wrap brown yarn around the fingers 20 times. Slide the wrapped yarn off your fingers. Cut a 6-inch length of brown yarn. Pinch the center of the wrapped yarn together. Wrap the 6-inch length around the pinched center and tie into a knot. Shake the tied yarn to create a messy tassel. Apply craft glue to the staples on the attached ears. Place the tassel over the staples.

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