Today I am sharing how to make antique brass nutcracker Christmas decorations. They are so easy to make and the antique brass finish looks so amazing. These beautiful nutcrackers feel and look like an expensive, high end Christmas decoration…without the high price tag! I love how they turned out…and now you can make some for your home too!
HOW DID NUTCRACKERS BEGIN TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH CHRISTMAS?
According to what research I could find, around 1865, the German woodworker Wilhelm Fuchtner became the first to commercially produce and sell nutcrackers. His original nutcracker model was based on a character from Heinrich Hoffmann’s popular children’s book King Nutcracker and Poor Reinhold. Then, in 1892, Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, The Nutcracker, debuted. Because the ballet is set on Christmas Eve (and the hero is a nutcracker come to life), the products quickly became associated with our modern day holiday decor.
DIY ANTIQUE BRASS NUTCRACKER CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
The possibilities are endless for different ways to decorate your home using nutcrackers. I personally haven’t done a lot of decorating with nutcrackers in my home until I saw this beautiful antique brass nutcracker dupe over at The Navage Patch last year! I knew I had to make some too.
Nutcrackers are usually a little too whimsical and colorful for my personal taste and Christmas color scheme, so I never really decorated with them. Seeing the antique brass finish of these beautiful nutcrackers I knew I had to create some DIY nutcrackers for my own home this year.
HOW TO DECORATE WITH NUTCRACKERS
There are so many places you could use nutcracker Christmas decorations. I love the idea of displaying them on my Christmas mantle and so that is where I used them. But they would also look great in these other areas of the home.
- base of fireplace
- on a shelf
- on a bookcase
- on a nightstand
- entryway side tables
- coffee table
- make a nutcracker Christmas tree with nutcracker ornaments
- in a windowsill
- in a table centerpiece
- on an outdoor porch
- attached to a wreath
SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR THESE NUTCRACKER CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
To make these Christmas nutcrackers for decorations you will need the following supplies.
- nutcracker figurines to paint (I found a couple at Walmart here and here, Homegoods, and Target, but lots of places sell them)
- clear acrylic spray (sealer) or from Amazon
- antique brass spray paint or this one
- cardboard or painting tarp
- sandpaper (optional)
- damp rag or paper towel
- additional embellishments you want to add later like ribbon or glitter, etc.
SHOP THIS POST
I am sharing some of the items found in this post and in the photos that are part of my holiday decor if you want to recreate a similar look or use them in your own homes.
- pine garland (mine) or similar in stock
- garland
- glass trees
- fairy lights
- christmas stockings
- christmas stocking hangers
- photo ornaments
- brass hanging bells hung with command hook
HOW TO MAKE THESE NUTCRACKER CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
PREPARE YOUR NUTCRACKERS
- Take your nutcrackers and prepare them to be painted. If there are any rough areas, you can smooth them up with a little sandpaper. Be sure to wipe off the dust before painting and let them dry if they got wet.
- If there are any embellishments on the nutcracker that you don’t want on there you can pull it off and remove it. You may need to sand off any excess glue, etc. I specifically looked for wooden nutcrackers that didn’t have any extra embellishments on them (like a jewel, ribbons, so they would paint easily. But there are some with trim etc that would look nice painted. You will want to remove any white fur if the nutcracker has it.
SEAL AND PAINT YOUR NUTCRACKERS
- Set out your cardboard or painter’s tarp outside in a well ventilated area to spray them.
- There will be some grains on the wood that might not soak up the paint the same way as other areas so it won’t look as “metallic” as a real metal brass nutcracker would…this is why we will be using the sealer.
- Use the sealer FIRST, and then immediately spray your nutcracker with your antique brass spray paint. I used this tip from the original tutorial and loved how they turned out. Adding the sealer first and not waiting for it to dry before adding the paint creates a “swirly” interaction and gives the brass nutcracker a more antique or mottled finish. It’s really pretty.
- Just paint a thin coat over the entire nutcracker. Paint in smooth strokes so that you don’t get runs in your paint or splotchy application.
LET DRY AND DECORATE
- Let the nutcracker dry completely. Should be a couple hours depending on the weather outside.
- Come back and do a second coat of spray paint. Let it dry.
- Check and see if there are any areas that may need to have some sealer added them them again. If there are areas that don’t look like the paint is covering well or is soaking into the wood, simply spray them with the sealer and then paint with the spray paint again.
- You may need three coats of spray paint depending on the bright colors you are trying to cover over.
- Let dry and style as you wish!
BRASS NUTCRACKER CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
Don’t you love how they turned out? I love them this antique brass color so much more than the more traditional red color or multicolors they can be found in normally. I really want to add some more around my house now! These brass decorative nutcrackers add some beautiful timeless appeal to my Christmas mantel and fit in nicely with my traditional decorations!
I think they would be so fun to make some smaller ones to attach to a wrapped gift tied up with some beautiful plaid ribbon!
OTHER CHRISTMAS DECORATING IDEAS
Here are some other fun ideas to create for your holiday and Christmas decor this year!
- Mini Wreaths
- Santa’s Key
- Peppermint Sugar Scrub
- Whipped Peppermint Sugar Scrub
- DIY Christmas Farmhouse wreath
- Cute Santa Gift Tags from the North Pole
- North Pole Produce
- Gifts of Christmas Gift
- Cinnamon Vanilla Sugar Scrub
- Christmas Crate
- Nativity Finger Puppets
- DIY Gingerbread House
- Cinnamon Salt Dough Ornaments in Snow Jars
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