DIY NOEL

I have Pottery Barn taste without the PB budget! Pottery Barn rocks the cozy, classy, comfortable style that I love. From furniture to chandeliers and wall art to the needless knick knacks.* The holiday season is definitely no different. There's been one item that they've featured in holiday catalogs the past couple of years. 

NOEL. Something fun for the fireplace mantle for the Christmas season. Made of iron with a hand pounded bronze finish. With a PB price tag to boot!**

I'm all for a hand pounded bronze finished piece of metal like the next lady, but seriously? Let me have a hammer, soda cans and some paint and I got this one.

When it comes to some things decor around our house, if I want it bad enough I have to use my play money. It usually has to be something totally wonderful for me to spend it on stuff other than what it's really meant for.***

I started googling images of the wall art. I came across some crafting blogs that have their own versions of the NOEL piece. One was so close to the PB version that I had to read up on it.

I went to my favorite craft store and found wooden letters. The size of the letters isn't quite as big as the PB version, but it's close enough.

So. Let me think about this for just a moment. The PB version is $149. I went to my favorite craft store and spent about $8. Then I went to the local hardware store to get paint. That was around $10 because I couldn't choose between two different colors, so of course I bought both!

Once I chose the color I wanted to go with I spray painted both sides.**** Then I used craft sticks (popsicle sticks) to hold the entire piece together on the back side.

 I let the glue set overnight. And voila!

 I used a metallic spray paint for a look similar to the PB version. It's sort of hard to tell in this picture.

Now I can chalk up under my DIY belt:
-2011 girls Halloween costumes. They wanted to be the Statue of Liberty. I  made the torches out of yellow, orange and red tissue paper and craft foam. I also made their crowns.
-refinished our kitchen table
-NOEL wall art

There's a certain amount of pride that goes along with completing projects. And for just about the same results as spending too much money at the store of my inspirations. I won't hold it against the store! How could I?



*makes you think of the song that includes knick knack paddywhack doesn't it?
**$149
***haircuts, pedicures, clothes etc can add up
****Yes. Both sides. Because I know people who would turn it over and look. Then they would say, "You didn't paint the back side?" Isn't a properly finished piece of art better, anyway?