Festive Crafting: Reindeer

Hello Everybody!

I hope you are enjoying the festive season. I sure am! I just got back from some German Christmas markets. I have also been indulging in some seasonal crafting - reindeer wall-hangings, they are so easy to make, let me show you!

First find some appropriate card, I found these present boxes in the 99p shop and then took them apart.

Next find a template you like the look of, I got this one off the internet by typing 'reindeer template' into Google. I know you can do that!

Now take your template and draw round it onto your card, making the most of all the space available - remember you can even tessellate the reindeer.

Pick your weapon of choice and cut out your reindeer!

Get some blue-tac. We're gonna put some holes in our reindeer. I'm using cotton threads but you could easily use ribbon. Place the blue-tac on your surface. Place the reindeer over the blu-tac and make your hole(s). I used scissors but you could easily use a craft knife, braddle etc. I found two holes give extra support.

Now thread your reindeer onto your thread. If you are doing the two hole method can I recommend threading such that they cross over behind each reindeer? This stops the reindeer from bulging all out front.

It is time to position your herd, on the fireplace or wherever feels right. At this point I hit a roadblock. Some of my reindeer were flipping upside down and showing their rather unsightly behinds!

 I tried a number of solutions with little success so stretched out to the wise souls of the internet who did not disappoint! As it transpires, that same blu-tac you used earlier weighs the reindeer hooves down just so! Thank you good people of the internet!

And there you have it, a herd of seasonal reindeer; you could adapt this any number of ways. Name your reindeer, draw on each one, change the material (work in glass perhaps?!), move the holes such that the reindeer don't topple over? Either way enjoy!