Repurposed 2 X 4 Reindeers

5 Materials
$5
4 Hours
Medium

This is a ultimate upcycled project. Every single thing either came from my yard or from the construction project of our sunroom this year. Starting with some leftover 2 x 4s, I made these adorable reindeers for the holidays.


Earlier this year, a friend of mine shared the details of a fun project she had seen either on Facebook or Pinterest of a reindeer created from a cut 2 x 4 board.


This conversation sparked the idea to remake reindeers of our own since I already had the supplies on hand, especially the 2 x 4s from the sunroom construction on my home earlier this year.



For this project you will need:

  • Cut 2 x 4s about 10-11 inches long
  • Wood slices
  • Small twigs
  • Wood stain in color of your choice
  • Acrylic craft paints
  • Decorative ribbons
  • Hot glue


Once I dug through the pile of leftover 2 x 4s from our construction project, I found that I had plenty of cut boards that were already a great size. Each are around 10-11 inches (or slightly more) in length.


If you don't have a surplus a 2 x 4s like I do you can purchase them at Home Depot or Lowes and will have to add in time to cut them for your own project.

A quick sanding to remove just the rough cut edges of the boards was all it really needed. This is a rustic project so the rough details of the boards just add to the charm of the project.

In my craft room I have several cans of stain to use so I chose a rich Antique Walnut color for the body of the reindeer.


After applying the stain I allowed the stain to dry for at least 24 hours.

Once the stain was dry, I pulled out my acrylic craft paints and started creating the decorative little details of the face of the reindeers like the eyes and the eyelashes.

While the layers of paint dried for the eyes, I pulled out some already baked and cured wood slices from my stash to make the red noses of the reindeer.


My husband had cut up 100s of wood slices from our own yard for our daughter’s wedding last year so I have plenty to chose from.


Each wood slice was painted red for the nose.

Also collected from my own very wooded yard, were small twigs to use for the antlers. I attached the twigs and the wood slices to the face of the reindeer with hot glue.

The final touch was to add a decorative ribbon at the base of the twig antlers to help secure them in place and add some charm to the reindeer as well.

As I mentioned, this project didn’t cost me a thing because I already had the supplies on hand. You can recreate a similar project for very little money as well.


I ended up taking several of these to my vendor booth to sell and they have all sold out. I guess I will need to make more before Christmas.


Merry Christmas!


Suggested materials:
  • 2 x 4 blocks   (Leftover from construction project but available at Home Depot)
  • Wood slices   (My yard but available on Amazon)
  • Acrylic Paints   (Michaels)
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Donna Powell
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  1 question
  • Corinne Corinne on Dec 12, 2021

    How do they stand up? With out falling down

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