*NUO* Paintbrush Santas

How adorable are these Paintbrush Santas from Suzy? Seriously! –Erin

For this project, I used:

• One 2 1/2" paintbrush 
• Acrylic Paints 
• Cardstock in white, red, and green 
• Quilling tool 
• Ribbon 
• Clear acrylic spray 
• White glue

Begin by dipping your 2 1/2" paintbrush into the white paint, coating both sides of the bristles thickly. Lay it on wax paper to dry. You will probably have to turn it over once one side is dry so that the other side can have equal opportunity. It took mine about 12 hours to dry completely.

Now, using peach colored acrylic paint, paint the metal part of the front of your ornament. (One side with have 2 1/2" transcribed into the metal- make this your backside). It may take a couple coats of paint to get the coverage you desire.

Add two touches of red paint to the wet peach paint and blend in for color in his cheeks. Paint the backside of the metal part white. Paint the handle red. This will most likely take several coats, and you will need to do both sides.

Once all the base coats were dry, I added a plaid pattern to his hat using overlapping cross-hatching and several other colors. This pattern is totally up to you. In all actuality, the hat can just be red. But I'm a plaid kinda girl, so that is the way I roll.

Next, I painted in the eyes.

Once all the paint is dry, it is time to add the quilled paper. Cut strips of 1/4" white card stock. I started by making tight coils for the hat trim. Use your quilling tool to coil a strip of paper tightly. Add a dab of white glue to the end and hold for a moment to allow the coil to stay. Then glue along the rim of the hat, creating the trim.

To create his eyebrows, cut the 14" strip of paper in half and then coil it with the quilling tool. Allow the coil to loosen, then tack it with white glue. Pinch each end of your coil and shape in a U shape. Glue down over his eyes.

His nose is made with a small length of 1/4" wide red cardstock. Coil tightly, and then glue down.

Create his mustache by creating loose coils and pinching on one end. Glue down.

The ivy leaves are created with loose coils of green, pinched on each end, and then pinched again in the middle. The berries are tight coils of red 1/8" thick cardstock.

His hair is created by cutting a 1 1/2" thick strip of white paper. Using scissors, cut a fringe, stopping the cut at about 1/8" from the top. Glue this fringe at the top of the metal piece on the paintbrush, starting with one side of his face and working your way around the back to the other side of the face.

Once the glue has dried, you can use your quilling tool to curl the hair's individual strips.

Spray the entire ornament with clear acrylic spray and when it is dry, add a contrasting bow to the hole in his hat.

A vintage craft with a new twist. And that is what crafting is all about.

I'm Suzy Myers, an artist, designer, crafter, and humor writer out of Atlanta, GA. I am the author of Suzys Artsy Craftsy Sitcom, and I sell kits and patterns from my online store. After all, life is a sitcom covered in glitter, hot glue strings, and dog hair...isn't it?