Last year, I crafted a unique DIY Life-Size Nutcracker that added a touch of magic to my Christmas porch. While I didn’t share the how-to then, with the holiday season approaching, I’m excited to share my step-by-step guide this year. I’ll show you how I infused my personal style into this festive classic. Ready to make something truly special? Let’s get started!
Inspiration
This idea came to me when ran across these hanging Nutcracker banners, but they mostly showed hung over the side lights of the front door.
I loved the look but didn’t want to cover the windows and since my house has a brick exterior I didn’t think they would hang well on the house. My solution was to try to make my own that would be freestanding. I also happened to have two long 12″ wide plywood strips left from my cornice board project and some butcher block slabs left from my kitchen makeover so I didn’t even need to buy materials.
Using the dimensions of the lumber I already had and a printout of something similar to what I wanted to create I broke down the proportions of each element of the nutcracker and got to work.
Materials
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- 1/4″ Plywood cut into (2) 12″ x 75″
- (2) 1″ x 2″ x 8′ boards
- 10.5″ x 12″ Thick base material I used some scraps of 2″ butcher block but you could also laminate two scraps of 2″ x 12″ lumber together
- Primer
- Painters Tape – multiple sizes
- Assorted paint I used leftover latex and acrylic paints but whatever you have will do.
- Gold Paint Pen
- Polycrylic I prefer Polycrylic over polyurethane as a top coat because it doesn’t yellow over time.
Construction
To build the Nutcracker structure begin by framing the long sides of the plywood with your 1″ x 2″, the narrow edge of the lumber should be against the plywood, You will want the 1″ x 2″ to extend past the bottom of the plywood the depth of your base (in my case 2″ or the depth of the butcher block.) I used wood glue and my nail gun to attach them. Once you have the long sides framed you will attatch a smaller cut along the top and bottom edge of the plywood in the same way.
Now attach your framed plywood to your base using a screw on either side and one through the top of the bottom framing piece making sure your two sections are at a 90-degree angle. Rather than attaching the upright to the base at the very back, leave a few inches on the back side to add more stability to keep it from falling over if there is any wind.
Paint
With the structure complete it is time to turn your slabs of wood into a Life-Size Nutcracker. For this part, remove the bases and give all the components a coat of primer.
Once the primer dries you can block out the larger color blocks with painter’s tape and begin filling them in one at with paint. I used latex paint I had leftover from other projects but acrylic paint would work as well since we are going to be adding a clear top coat before the nutcracker is complete.
Depending on your design you may have to let some sections dry before blocking off other sections so be patient. There were a few sections you will end up painting freehand like the hands. For other details like the snowflake on the hat, I suggest using a stencil or even a sticker.
Below is what the Nutcrackers looked like at this point.
Details
For the detail work, I suggest paint pens and acrylic craft paint. A trick for transferring the face is to print a large copy of the face and trace it onto the surface using transfer paper (affiliate). Once the design is in place you can paint the features in by hand.
If you have a vinyl cutting tool like a Cricut or a Siser (affiliate) the features could also be cut in vinyl and then applied.
For smaller details like buttons and cording, use a gold paint pen against a crisp edge like a ruler or in the case of the swags on the hat a salad plate. Get creative with shapes you can easily trace.
Once all the paint is dry give everything 2 coats of Polycrylic (affiliate) for added durability. Once dry these DIY Life-Size Nutcrakers are ready to stand guard!
Completed
Once outside these, my DIY Life Size Nutcrackers stand as the perfect sentry on the Porch. Because they are free-standing they don’t block the side light windows. Bonus, because I designed them myself they perfectly match the color of my front door and my other Christmas decor.
In years to come if I change up my decor I can change up my DIY Life Size Nutcrackers too. Every year can be a new look if I like. That level of personalization is hard to find with store-bought items. So, If you want a custom look give this DIY a try.
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