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December 6, 2015 by Bre

DIY Reindeer Specimen Art and My Christmas Mantel

If you are sick of Christmas posts around here, I am so sorry.  But I cannot help myself.  This time of year is just SO fun and I have too many projects to share – like this tutorial for the adorable DIY Reindeer Specimen Art that graces my Christmas mantel this year.  Average But Inspired's holiday mantel is filled with thrift store finds and DIY art. Get the tutorial for the fun reindeer specimen art right here!

Plus, I am so excited to be sharing it as part of the Home for Christmas Blog Hop, which is being sponsored by Hometalk.com and CountryLiving.com, and which features some of the most creative bloggers around!  You’ll find links to their posts at the bottom of this post, and I hope you’ll visit some that inspire you!12239913_10153000922871887_8397836905807372844_n

So this year, I knew I wanted to have a kitschy and whimsical look for my holiday mantel.  Life has been too serious the past year, so my house needed some fun.  I started with a plain stretched linen canvas and the rest just fell into place.

First, I used my Silhouette machine to cut nine reindeer head silhouettes on different pieces of Christmas pattern cardstock.  If you don’t have a Silhouette machine, Google “reindeer silhouette,” print an image you like, and trace it onto your cardstock to cut.Average But Inspired's holiday mantel is filled with thrift store finds and DIY art. Get the tutorial for the fun reindeer specimen art right here!
Next, I put a thin layer of Mod Podge onto the backs of each of the reindeer. Average But Inspired's holiday mantel is filled with thrift store finds and DIY art. Get the tutorial for the fun reindeer specimen art right here!
I pressed them onto the canvas and tried to keep them equidistant from one another. It wasn’t perfect but it was close enough! Average But Inspired's holiday mantel is filled with thrift store finds and DIY art. Get the tutorial for the fun reindeer specimen art right here!
Once they were all in place and had dried, I added a thin layer of Mod Podge to the top of each reindeer to seal them into place. Average But Inspired's holiday mantel is filled with thrift store finds and DIY art. Get the tutorial for the fun reindeer specimen art right here!
After that, I glued a red pom pom onto the last reindeer’s face, because obviously Rudolph needs a red nose!  Then I used a green Sharpie to write each of the reindeers’ names, just in case anyone was confused about who was who.  (And yes, I had to Google the song lyrics so I would be sure to spell their names correctly.  Who knew it was “Donner” and not “Donder?”)Average But Inspired's holiday mantel is filled with thrift store finds and DIY art. Get the tutorial for the fun reindeer specimen art right here!

And I love my little reindeer art!  Average But Inspired's holiday mantel is filled with thrift store finds and DIY art. Get the tutorial for the fun reindeer specimen art right here!
It adds such a fun look to my Christmas mantel that’s filled with other DIY art and thrift shop finds. Average But Inspired's holiday mantel is filled with thrift store finds and DIY art. Get the tutorial for the fun reindeer specimen art right here!

Average But Inspired's holiday mantel is filled with thrift store finds and DIY art. Get the tutorial for the fun reindeer specimen art right here!

Average But Inspired's holiday mantel is filled with thrift store finds and DIY art. Get the tutorial for the fun reindeer specimen art right here!
I’m happy every time I look at it.  (My husband – not so much.  He says it’s too cluttered.  But what does he know?)

I’m also happy looking at these other amazing Christmas-inspired posts. I know you will be, too, so go check them out!

An InLinkz Link-up

-Bre

I Bet You'll Like These Posts, Too!

  • Cozy Winter Mantel Decorating IdeasCozy Winter Mantel Decorating Ideas
  • Spring Mantel Decorating Ideas {Decorate Your Mantel Blog Hop}Spring Mantel Decorating Ideas {Decorate Your Mantel Blog Hop}
  • A Classic Christmas MantelA Classic Christmas Mantel

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Roxanne

This is so cute I’ve decided I officially need a silhouette machine! And you can never have too many Christmas posts! Pinning!

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3 years ago
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Lindsay Eidahl

Great mantel! So festive!!

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3 years ago
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April R - Uncookie Cutter

Love, love, love this, Bre! So cute, thanks for sharing and pinning now.

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3 years ago
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Jenny @ Refresh Living

Those reindeer are adorable! I love the names underneath as labels, and your whole fireplace and mantel look gorgeous!!

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3 years ago
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Vanessa

I love your reindeer sign. Just beautiful and your mantle is awesome. Lovely Believe sign too!

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3 years ago
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Brooke Riley~Re-Fabbed

Love your mantle, and REALLY love the reindeer canvas! What a simple but SO CUTE idea. I will have to do that next year!

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3 years ago
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Tammy

Your reindeer sign is so cute and looks so cute along with all your other decor on your mantel

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3 years ago
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Keri

I love this reindeer canvas art!! It looks fantastic on the mantel, next to the believe sign! And I agree with Roxanne, you can never have too many Christmas posts. 😉 Nice job!!

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3 years ago
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[email protected]

This is so cute! I love your idea and your Christmas mantel looks so so nice and festive!

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3 years ago
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Seana Turner

That is adorable, Bre. Makes me want to crawl into the photo and live at your house for a little while… get me in the Christmas spirit!

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3 years ago
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susan

This is such a cute project!! Love it!

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3 years ago
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Marie from The Interior Frugalista

Adorable reindeer art! Pinned to share 🙂

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3 years ago
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Kim

Super cute! I love the different patterns…and never get sick of Christmas posts!

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3 years ago
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Kimm at Reinvented

So stinkin’ cute! I LOVE that you used fun patterns for the silhouettes. So cool.

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3 years ago
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Katie @ Little House of Four

This is just too cute! I’m loving all the fun patterns you chose and what a great idea to label each one.

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3 years ago
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Amy | Canary Street Crafts

This is adorable, Bre! I saw it in pics on another post of yours and didn’t know it was DIY. I remember thinking how cute it was and wondering where you got it. I think your mantel is gorgeous too and definitely not cluttered!

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3 years ago
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Stephanie @ Casa Watkins

Bre, I love your reindeer specimen art! Its so creative and festive! I’m featuring your art in a roundup I have on DIY Christmas wall art tomorrow. Pinning!

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3 years ago
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T'onna | USS Crafty

I just love your reindeer art and that wagon, too!

Navy Wifey Peters @ The Submarine Sunday Link Party

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3 years ago
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Bre of Average But Inspired

Hi, I'm Bre! Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you'll find ideas to inspire your creativity and beautify your home. If this is your first visit, check out the Popular Posts tab at the top of the page to see some of the best of Average But Inspired!

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