It’s been 2 years since I’ve decorated for Christmas, so I went all out this year! With the help of my amazing father, we scooped these 6 foot porch nutcrackers for $150. Aren’t they magnificent?!
I scoured the internet for affordable-yet-majestic nutcrackers and sourced that list here. Follow me on LTK to get the latest finds like this before they are sold out for the season.
This project all started because I fell in love with a pair of nutcrackers from Frontgate (the top left one in the above image), but they are a whopping $4800 each! 😲 I’m not ready to sell a kidney for Christmas décor, so I thought that I could do a little experiment with these nutcrackers to create something similar. Spoiler alert: it worked!!
Mike thought I was crazy when I instantly decided they needed a paint upgrade. I don’t know about you, but I grew up watching my mom, grandma, and great-grandma decorate in gorgeous blush and soft gold tones. This color scheme is quite opposite from the traditional red and green that Mike grew up with in New Jersey. Comment below and tell me what colors you love most at Christmas!
Colorway Selection
Of course, the logical color scheme for this paint upgrade was tonal blush, white, and a warm gold. These nutcrackers will greet our guests on the front porch, so it was important that I choose the colors carefully. I used the same white as the interior walls, same gold as the engraved details on our coffee tables, and very similar pink as my dressing room.
Prime the Nutcrackers
Look at those handsome chocolate men! Lol, at least that is what my pregnant brain thinks when I see them covered in primer.
First, I used painter’s tape to cover the eyes and all lights.
Now, take it from me, do not buy regular white primer! I blew through 2 cans of white primer from Hobby Lobby and barely covered one nutcracker’s face 😂. As it turns out, you want the professional spray primer. With 2 cans of this Rust-oleum primer, we were completely covered in 15 minutes with some to spare.
Working with plastic that has already been painted can be tricky, so I was advised to avoid paint-on primers and use spray primer. I did not sand or use alcohol on the nutcrackers before painting.
Painting the Nutcrackers
After waiting 24 hours for the spray primer to dry on my porch nutcrackers, I started the fun part. Warning: because the primer is brown/red, it will take 3+ coats to achieve full paint coverage if you are using light colors. Rust-oleum also has a gray primer that may suit your needs better.
This part was by FAR the most time consuming. All I could hear in the back of my mind was Mike saying “They looked so nice to begin with” lol! Thank goodness I did this on a weekend where he was working out of town.
I found it easiest to separate the nutcracker parts for painting, but do as you please.
For the jacket, I used Light Pink Outdoor Paint. For the pants and shirt, Cotton Candy Acrylic Paint. The beard and hair was Sherwin Williams High Reflective White with a final coat of Pearl to give him a more mature look. For this project, the Americana brand was much easier to work with than Color Smart.
After the paint was dry, I sprayed the nutcrackers with 2 cans of Pearlescent sealer for that extra oomph.
That’s all folks! Best of luck on your DIY nutcrackers. DM me on Instagram or comment below with any questions.
xoxo,
Chelsea
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