I had great plans of repainting my rag tag collection of thrifted Nutcrackers in bright colors last Christmas-reminiscent of Alexander Girard's wooden dolls-but time got away from me. I set them out on my dining room table hoping to do something with them this year and enjoyed watching Ruby line them up and act out silly stories. A few lost their precious arms, one lost a nose, and two had their hair pieces rip off. I finally salvaged what I could one day from the sad lot of them and came up with something pretty.
1. Gather yourself a few nutcrackers. I always look for them at thrift stores around Christmas and I bet you can find some majorly discounted the day after at retail stores. You'll also need tacky glue, scissors, light grade sandpaper, and spray paint. I used Valspar Metallic because it's the best metallic on the market. 2. Remove the hair pieces and possibly clothing from your nutcrackers and lightly sand their faces or other large, round surfaces. Wipe clean and then apply two-three thin coats of spray paint. Let dry. 3. Reattach original hair and beard pieces with tacky glue. You may want to use felt instead if their hair is in bad shape. 4. Let dry and either leave as is or continue to paint and decorate your nutcrackers.
I wanted mine to look a bit anonymous but these would also be fun to personalize according to your own characteristics or those of a friend. Let little ones decorate their own for their room.
Smaller nutcrackers may be less expensive and easier to finish. Nutcracker ornaments are another way to customize this craft.
I was originally thinking about a high gloss white similar to the ones sold at Target but had this gold on hand so this project cost me nothing (at least this year). It's another way to add some charm to our long, dark mantle without breaking the bank.
I told you I couldn't stop with the gold, didn't I.
-Rachel
I'm Rachel Denbow, an author, e-course writer, maker, craft stylist, and general DIY enthusiast. 
