This Nutcracker Pedestal Decor is a twist to the traditional pedestal pieces for the holidays that is sure to bring smiles to your guests.
I was inside Hobby Lobby the other day looking for some items I needed for a project. As I was browsing around in different aisles, an idea came to me.
Unfinished wood nutcrackers always grab my attention this time of year. There are so many things you can do with them. Last year, I made nutcracker ornaments with the small ones, and I also stained a large wood nutcracker to look like the Pottery Barn nutcracker which cost way too much. I knew I could get the look for a lot less. I shared that project live on my Facebook page.
This year, I thought of another idea that is so easy and very customizable to fit your style.
Let’s get to it!
{Affiliate links are used in this post. Click on any of the underlined links to find the products I am talking about. You can read my disclosure HERE.}
Supplies Needed To Make This Pedestal
Notes about supplies we used.
- You can use any size nutcracker you like. We used a 12″ nutcracker. I think it would be fun to do these at different heights – some bigger, some smaller.
- Paint them any color you like. You could also stain your nutcracker pedestal.
- You can use any size of wood rounds that make sense with the size of nutcracker you choose. For our 12″ nutcracker, it made sense to use 6″ on the top and 4″ on the bottom.
Steps To Creating This Nutcracker Pedestal
The first thing you need to do is sand all the wood pieces. A lot of these wood pieces aren’t sanded very well and you really want a smooth surface before you stain or paint your wood pieces. We used a very fine sandpaper and it worked well.
The next step is to use the miter saw and cut the nutcrackers head so it is flat. You may be able to skip this part if your nutcracker already has a flat head. We cut ours down to just above the tiny wood balls at the top of the crown.
Make sure to wipe the wood pieces down with a damp rag before applying paint or stain. You don’t want any sawdust or sanding dust on the pieces when you do that.
When they are dry from the wipe-down, it is time to paint or stain.
I chose a flat black spray paint for my nutcracker pedestal. It made the painting process easy and we had it on hand.
Once we had the first coat of paint on all the wood pieces, we decided to put the pedestal together before we applied the final coat of spray paint.
Use the smaller wood round on the bottom of your nutcracker.
Measure to find the center of the wood round where the nutcracker will stand.
Then, trace the base of the nutcracker with a pencil.
After you have found the center, then you want to know where the foot and leg of your nutcracker will line up. You want to secure the nutcracker with a screw in the base and going up into the foot and leg gives the screw more to hold onto.
Matt used a small drill bit to drill all the way through the base where the leg would be which was where he wanted that screw to go. (No worries – he did move the wood piece off the table as he was drilling through to the other side).
Then, Matt flipped over the wood piece and used a bigger bit (in that same hole he just made from the other side) to pre-drill an indent so the screw would sit inside the wood. This ensures the screw will not be sticking out which in return would mean the base wouldn’t sit flat. (This will make more sense in the photo below).
Now, it is time to screw the base to the nutcracker from the bottom of the base up through the foot and leg of the nutcracker.
The photo above shows you what I mean about the screw sitting “inside” the wood so the base will still sit flat.
Once everything was put together, I wipe it all down from the drill mess and spray-painted it all one more time.
And that is it!
Isn’t this a fun piece?!
I really want to make some more if I find some time.
I would like to make a couple of these Nutcracker Pedestal Decor pieces in different sizes and different shades of green.
Similar to the vibe I did on the Pottery Barn Advent calendar dupe we made this year.
What do you think of this Nutcracker Pedestal Decor project? Is it something you would try?
If you do, I would love to see it! Post a photo on Instagram and tag me @mycreativedays so I am sure to see it!
Also, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel where I am sharing new projects and DIY videos every week! Subscribe HERE.
PIN THIS POST!
If you liked this project, you will also like these easy Christmas projects:
Pottery Barn Advent Calendar Dupe
DIY Velvet Christmas Ornaments – SO EASY!
Felted Pom-Pom Christmas Pillow DIY