DIY Vintage-Look NOEL Wall Art

‘Deck the halls with boughs of holly…fa-la-la-la-la-la”…well, I did that once. Holly is quite scratchy! Ouch! Guess what?! Hometalk.com and CountryLiving.com are hosting a Home for Christmas themed blog hop! Oh my Christmas! Time to belt out your favorite Christmas carols, top your cocoa with some marshmallows and to get inspired! Grab your slippers and get your pin-finger ready while you’re at it!

Home for Christmas

Once the Christmas tree was all decorated for the holidays,

birds and berries Christmas tree #michaelsmakers @diyshowoff Dream Tree Challenge  

I needed a little holiday cheer for above the mantel. The stormy beach portrait that’s there most of the rest of the year really wasn’t going to work.  So I decided on a “NOEL” idea for filling the empty space. Did you see the cute wooden circled monogram letters at Michaels? I knew I wanted to do something with them. This is the perfect project!

DIY NOEL Christmas wall art tutorial @diyshowoff

Materials I used: (I’ve included some affiliate links so you can find the supplies easily and to maybe add a little jingle to Santa’s wallet.Ty!)

  • extra large monogram wreath letters N – O – E – L 
  • craft paint and foam brushes (I chose berry red and forest moss)
  • paper towels
  • velcro picture hanging strips
  • TransTint dye (Note: a bit on the pricy side, but this dye is AWESOME! It’s water based so it’s not oily and makes for a gorgeous wood stain. Tip: Easiest clean up ever! Just let brush dry and hide styrofoam cup on a shelf in the basement/out of the way. Dye will evaporate. Simply add water and resume use on your next project!) That bottle is going to last YEARS! 
  • paint or chip brush

What I did: 

1. I gave each letter two coats of paint and let dry. Note: One coat/dry brushing would actually look fantastic too! I wish I was a little more carefree. One coat/dry brushing means step 4 is going to look WAY better…so adopt a technique as if you’d had an extra cup of eggnog. Tip: If hanging in a grid pattern and using two colors like I did, paint the N and L the same color and the O and E the same color to avoid one color on the left, one color on the right. Mix it up!  

DIY NOEL Christmas wall art tutorial @diyshowoff

2. Sand the edges, distress as desired. 

DIY NOEL Christmas wall art tutorial @diyshowoff

3. Next, add a drop or two of TransTint dye to water in a styrofoam cup, more TransTint dye for a darker tone if desired. TransTint dye WILL stain fingers and work surface. I recommend wearing gloves and protecting your work table with layers of newspaper or a tarp or old vinyl table cloth or if you live in a warmer climate (lucky you…make up the guest room for my impending arrival!), work outside.

DIY NOEL Christmas wall art tutorial @diyshowoff

4. Dip the brush into the TransTint dye, tapping excess from the brush. Randomly brush, fling, stipple, drip (get messy and creative – have fun!) the TransTint dye onto the painted wooden letters. Wipe away or dab with paper towels as needed. Sprinkle TransTint to create a  “dirty, worn, aged” finish. 

DIY NOEL Christmas wall art tutorial @diyshowoffDIY NOEL Christmas wall art tutorial @diyshowoff

5. Let dry TransTint dye dry overnight. 

6. Optional: Secure a small holiday wreath to the “O” with a ribbon for a touch of texture. 

DIY NOEL Christmas wall art tutorial @diyshowoff

7. Hang and display using velcro picture hangers. You might want to grab a level while you’re at it. 

DIY NOEL Christmas wall art tutorial @diyshowoff

I love the worn, aged finish. Vintage goodness! What do you think? 

DIY NOEL Christmas wall art tutorial @diyshowoff

See MORE holiday DIY and decorating inspiration from these sweet and talented HomeTalk friends:

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Falling for Vintage – Fall Home Tour

It may not feel like fall in your neck of the woods but the shorter days, chilly mornings, garden harvests, cooler evenings all point to autumn’s arrival here in western PA which means preparation for the countdown to my hibernation. I’m all set to warm things up with some fall decorating.  Fall is such a blessed time of year and I love being all cozy and comfy and more than any other time of year. Fall decorating helps me with the transition of summer fun to Christmas celebration. 

7-Vintage-Fall-House-Tours

Ready for a little touch of vintage in my fall home tour? Let’s take a look around! It is early in the season so I have to tell you things will definitely be tweaked and moved around before I’m completely satisfied with it just in time to pack it all away. 

Vintage Fall Home Tour at DIYShowOff

Last week, I kicked off the fall decorating season by adding some new accents atop my vintage chicken coop. 

Fall vignette

and a faux wheat stack with my old globe vignette…

autumn vignette

The kitchen is all ready for fall on the top shelf of our open pantry. This pumpkin weighs in at a little over 16 lbs. according to the vintage scale. And a faux fall bouquet in a vintage tin adds more balance.  

vintage fall pantry

Our kitchen island consists of an old vintage dresser and the centerpiece is a basket filled with mums, purple cabbages, heather and squash. I added a vintage vice for a rustic touch. 

Vintage Fall Decorating/Fall Home Tour at DIYShowOff 

On our dining room table, vintage bottles display dried cotton sticks and feathers. The table runner is simply wrapping paper. 

vintage rustic fall centerpiece

More vintage bottles and a cloche update with decoupaged botanical birds. {Decoupage on Glass Tutorial.}

Vintage Fall Home Tour at DIYShowOff

The mantel in our family room is a bit of a challenge with the colorful curtains but gold, red and aqua including a vintage tea tin and blue mason jar paired with coordinating vases create a fun autumn theme. 

colorful fall mantel

 

“Fall in Love” chevron DIY tutorial

Even the guest room whispers “welcome fall”…

fall guest room vignette

And because the days are still nice enough to enjoy fresh fall air, I spruced up the patio daybed with new pillows and some pretty mums…displayed in a vintage something or other I confiscated from the barn.

fall patio at diyshowoff

Not only do I love the warmth that accompanies fall decorating, it’s fall scents that set the scene for a warm and cozy home, isn’t it? Pumpkins, cinnamon, wood burning, home cooking.

Fall Home Tour at DIYShowOff

Sharing at the Fall Nesting Party.

Have the desire to see more inspiring fall home tours? Visit each of these Falling for Vintage blog friends:

2IMG_3410 At Home on the Bay - Falling for Vintage
Fall-Vintage-Mantel-GraphicsFairy-250 Vintage-Fall-Home-at-Eclectically-Vintage
Vintage-Inspired-Display Vintage Fall Home Tour at DIYShowOff
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Christmas ~ Dining Room

Gifts are wrapped. Shopping is done.  The last of my Christmas decorating is complete.

The dining room lighting and arrangement has made pictures a challenge, but here it is. As you can see, some pictures are a little different. I’ve been snapping pictures almost every day for a weeks to try to get it right and during that time, a little rearranging happened. Does that happen to you too?

View from the kitchen…

Christmas dining room

I love this view.

Christmas dining room

What do you think of the new area rug? I love adding in a modern element. But hey, hounds-tooth is classic.  Someone loves it…

houndstooth area rug

A little shabby. A little rustic. A little country. A little natural. A touch of vintage…our cozy farmhouse.

DIYShowOff Christmas dining room

Clean dishes within easy reach for entertaining…

Christmas dish display

Christmas chalkboard…

Christmas dining room vignette

farmhouse Christmas dining room

A big coincidence with other blog friends, but I added vinyl lettering to my big mirror too, along with a thrift store sunburst mirror.

Christmas mirror

The tree is decorated with burlap ribbon, thrift store finds including a sweet bird cage, eating utensils with wooden handles, pine cones, gold and brown ornaments and topped with a grapevine star…

vintage natural Christmas

nestled in an old crate, atop an old steamer trunk to give it some height.

rustic Christmas tree

Christmas centerpiece this year is a winter wonderland terrarium. A little Christmas-y greenhouse…

Christmas winter wonderland terrarium

{photographing glass is not easy!}

Christmas terrarium centerpiece

Right off of the dining room is the sitting room

Christmas dining room

I love the flow from the dining room into the sitting room…all neutral, warm, full of charm. More seating for entertaining too. 🙂

Merry Christmas