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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DIY Thanks Sign Tutorial

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Hosting Thanksgiving dinner? It’s a bit late for this tutorial but there’s always filing it away for next year. Make up this easy sign to add the finishing touches on your Thanksgiving decor. 

easy Thanksgiving sign tutorial @diyshowoff

What I used: 

  • 12 x 24 piece of plywood
  • FrogTape®
  • paint and foam paint brush
  • wooden letters
  • hot glue (or wood glue and clamps or screws)

easy Thanksgiving sign tutorial @diyshowoff

What I did:

1. Paint wooden letters if needed and let dry. Mine came from the craft store dollar section pre-finished. 

 2. I taped off stripes using FrogTape Multi-Surface. I made a larger stripe in the middle to create a darker background since my letters are lighter in color. 

easy Thanksgiving sign tutorial @diyshowoff

3. Using a plastic card, I burnished the edges of the tape to ensure crisp clean lines. 

easy Thanksgiving sign tutorial @diyshowoff

4. Next I applied a coat of paint. 

easy Thanksgiving sign tutorial @diyshowoff

5. While paint was still wet, I carefully removed the FrogTape. Then let the paint dry. 

easy Thanksgiving sign tutorial @diyshowoff

6. I secured my letters using hot glue. 

easy Thanksgiving sign tutorial @diyshowoff

I love this quick and easy piece to add to my Thanksgiving vignette: 

easy Thanksgiving sign tutorial @diyshowoff

easy Thanksgiving sign tutorial @diyshowoff

*I received compensation to complete this project for using FrogTape® products. All opinions, projects and ideas are based on my own experience.

  FrogTape Blog Squad

DIY Halloween Vignette

Decorating for Halloween? I’m not much of a Halloween decorator but I do have friends with October birthdays and these make a great gifts! 

DIY Halloween decor @diyshowoff

EASY Halloween Wall Art 

DIY Halloween decor @diyshowoffYou’ll need these items from the craft store:

  • stretched burlap
  • felt placemat
  • felt decor
  • glue dots (or recommended: hot glue)

Using lots and lots of glue dots or hot glue, layer and secure the felt placemat onto the stretched burlap canvas (glue dots = temporary and using stretched burlap for another project in the future, hot glue = more permanent). Then secure the felt decoration on top of the felt placemat. It doesn’t get much easier than that! 

DIY Halloween decor @diyshowoff

Halloween BOO Blocks tutorial

DIY Halloween decor @diyshowoff

Check out my DIY wooden BOO blocks tutorial on the FrogTape® blog squad site HERE!

Do you decorate for Halloween? Just a little or do you go all out?

I received compensation to complete this project for using FrogTape® products. All opinions, projects and ideas are based on my own experience.