The Santa Display project was conceived while I was at work one sunny August day thinking, naturally, about Christmas decorations for the branch. One of my employees has a desk off to the side with a serious gap in decorations come holiday time. Above and behind his desk are some cabinets, the top of which, I decided, would make a fantastic rooftop.
What says Christmas better than Santa’s sleigh and reindeer?
I started my project by scouring the web for some cool clipart of a sleigh and reindeer. From there I came up with the final image, used some simple cross-multiplication to find the percentage I needed to increase the image, and enlarged it using the photocopier. From there it was quick work to trace the pattern onto a pine plank and cut it out using my scroll saw.
I wanted the sleigh to be 3-D so I made two of the sides and created a front, back and bottom. I used some gold bolts to attach everything together. Wait until you see the paint job.
The first step is the red. Obviously I wanted the brightest Christmas red I could find.
After taping off the red, painting the yellow, and giving it some black borders with a big sharpie, I love the way it turned out.
In the middle of the project I added to the concept and created Santa’s bag, complete with gold ties.
I also found enough scraps and paint to build this chimney quick. I think this will really give the cabinet tops a rooftop feel.
The reindeer were tricky but turned out amazing. There are four reindeer, two different patterns, and they all are prancing at a different angle. Once “harnessed” to the sleigh I will alternate one toward the front, one back, one front, one back giving it a 3-D feel. And yes, those are red, green, and gold harnesses with gold D-rings for the reins.
Of course, it is not Santa’s sleigh without Rudolph. Like any Retail Operations Banker would, I dismantled and rewired an LCD flashlight using a red sharpie on the light bulb. What do you think?
The moment of truth. Of course, the picture doesn’t do it justice, but I have snow on the roof, light surrounding the “rooftop”, and presents in the back of the sleigh. How am I going to top this next year?
Plans are already in the works…
by Trevor
no comments