Holiday Baubles and a Speedy DIY

The stockings are hung by the mantle with care..... I lie, we don't have stockings OR a mantle, but the holiday decorations are officially up!  Before I give you the full festive tour, I wanted to show you a quick and easy DIY that keeps putting a smile on my face. merry-bright-2

This adorable little "Merry and Bright" canvas was seriously simple guys- the most time-consuming part of this process was scouring pinterest for inspiration.

The lengthy list of supplies includes:

  • a sketch pad to practice lettering and plan out the design
  • a pencil
  • a 6x6" canvas
  • a black sharpie and (optional) a gold sharpie
  • an eraser

Since I already had all these supplies chillin' around my house, this project was essentially free.

First, I took to my sketch pad.  I traced the outline of the canvas and started playing around a bit.  I'm not a calligrapher or hand-letterer, so I needed a little practice and prep before hitting my canvas.

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Once I was set on the design and style of lettering, I took my pencil lightly to the canvas (so that erasing the pencil marks would be no problem later).  After a little trial and error, I was able to get the spacing just right and move on to my sharpie.

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The key here is to try and do everything in smooth strokes and not to think too much.  Who cares if that one line isn't bone straight, that's the beauty of hand lettering.  Once you've sharpie'd the whole design, go back and gently erase all of your pencil.

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Aside from my one wavy letter (I'm looking at you, Mr. T) I'm over the moon with how simple and chic it came out.  Just as I had pictured it- festive, graphic, and not too kitschy.

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It compliments the rest of my holiday decor nicely.

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Looked a little different last year without the bookshelf, no?

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And one more reminder of the cute and festive DIY.

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I hope your holiday season is "Merry and Bright"!!!

This project is linked up over at Newly Woodwards Dare to DIY link-up.  Go check it out!