This Christmas, I was inspired to create a white and woodsy theme to our decorations.  And since I’ve put a lot of time into new projects for the season, I wanted to make some that would work all winter, and not just for the holidays.

I’ve been eyeing the paper mache animal heads at West Elm, Anthropologie, and other favorite stores, and I almost took the leap, but I ended up creating this project on my own, and I am so happy with how it turned out.  It feels extra satisfying to know I created this piece of art from things around the house!

The base for this painting is some thin sheets of plywood that were actually leftover packing material from some chairs I bought.  The wood seemed too good to just throw out, and I knew I would find a great project for it!  I had thought of making some beachy signs for my dad’s place, but that will have to wait.

To draw the antlers, I looked at images for inspiration and then sketched it out.  I didn’t want to have it look too neat, and I decided to do just the antlers, though I love a lot of the reindeer head silhouettes, too.  I used those to make some reindeer pillow covers for the season.  I painted in the gray with a finer brush and filled in the white background.  Both colors were leftover house paints.  I painted thin enough layers that you can make out some of the wood grain below, and I think the finished art strikes a nice balance of rustic and sleek, whimsical and elegant.

Here’s a close-up of the antler silhouette painting:

And here’s how it looks over the fireplace in our family room.  I think it adds a cozy modern lodge feel for the chilly winter nights.

Last night was our annual holiday party, and I had put the finishing touches on this painting just that morning.  Seeing our guests sitting around the fire definitely captured the cozy feeling I was hoping for!

I’m looking forward to enjoying this painting through Christmas and into the new year!

“Jewels”