Mini Sled Makeover

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

Ok, well not really frightful, just cold.

Which is perfectly normal for this time of year in my neck of the woods, so it's not surprising.

The chill in the air just took a lot longer to arrive this season.

But that's Murphy's Law...

Because, for the first time ever, this summer girl, was itching for cold. 

You see, when the temperature drops, my winter crafting brain heats up and I get to dive into my supplies and play. It's my consolation prize, once those lazy, hazy beach days disappear.

I mean you really can't whip a snowman in the middle of summer. It just doesn't feel right.

Of course, summer is the perfect time to shop for winter decor, especially at thrift stores.

Which is exactly where and when I found this decorative mini sled.


Isn't it adorable?

As soon as I saw it, I had to have it and even though it was in brand new condition...came with the tags on it...I knew it was going to get an Exquisitely Unremarkable makeover.

I just love decorating second hand sleds. I've done it three times before:

• Fabric Sled Makeover (my favorite!)
• Vintage Flexible Flyer Makeover
• Small Santa Sled

But I didn't have a painted snowman sled.

So, I started by removing the store tags and the thrift sticker.

Then I wiped the entire sled down with warm water, a little vinegar and a paper towel to remove any dust or debris.

Next, I untied the rope hanger so it wouldn't get paint all over it.

Then I grabbed my chalk mineral paint and gave the entire wooden body of the sled two coats.

I used a bristle brush and I didn't prime the surface.

Three coats would've covered the green paint completely.

I wanted a rustic, worn appearance, I went with two.


While the paint dried, I started working on my napkins, since yes, I was going to decoupage.

I'm a huge fan of it and I've decoupaged A LOT of things for Christmas, like soup spoons, old tiles, cookie sheets, seashells and more.

Besides, I had this ridiculously darling snowman napkin my friend Susan gifted me.

It was so similar to the vintage style Santa napkin I used to make my dollar store burner cover wreath last year, I knew they'd be great friends.

Since this napkin opened up to reveal four separate snowmen, I had to cut one of them away.

Then I had to peel away all the extra layers of paper, as I would only need the very top, printed one.

Getting that sneaky third layer isn't always easy, but I managed to gently pry it away without damaging the snowman's cute face.

At this point, I was ready for Mod Podge, but unfortunately my paint wasn't completely dry. So I used a hairdryer to speed up the process.

I have an extra that I use for crafts and it comes in very handy.


Now, I decoupage things all the time and I've always used the tried and true sticky method, working with wet decoupage and lots of coats of it - both under and over my napkin or paper.

However, recently, I've been playing with the iron on method so I decided to give it a try on wood...and I have to tell you I was blown away by the results.

There was not a wrinkle or bump in the paper and my hands were clean all the way through. No gloves or smoothing necessary.

Here's how I did it.

How To Decoupage With An Iron On Wood

Step 1: Preheat your iron

MINI IRON FOR CRAFTS

I used this small craft iron. It's so tiny, but works amazingly well. There's no temperature setting, it's either on or off.

If you use a regular iron, start with it on low and no steam

Step 2: Add decoupage

Using a brush, I gave my sled a very generous coating of Mod Podge and let it dry all the way. 

It seems counterintuitive, but that is the key to having no wrinkles. Step away from your project and let it dry.

Completely.

Step 3: Add your napkin

Next, I laid my snowman down on the sled in position.

Then I covered him with parchment paper.

Step 4: Iron

I moved the iron around on top of the parchment paper, very slowly paying close attention to the edges of the snowman napkin.

I kept moving it, covering all areas until I was convinced the napkin was stuck to the painted wood.

I did peek a few times and if I noticed that an edge wasn't sticking well, I just replaced the paper and ironed that spot again.

Step 5: Peel and seal

Lastly, I peeled the parchment paper away to reveal my snowman, who was seamlessly attached to the wood. It was crazy.

SPARKLE MOD PODGE

To keep him there, and to make sure he's always look that good, I applied one coat of sparkle Mod Podge, with a brush, because, well, snow glistens.


The last steps in this mini sled makeover involved replacing the original sled rope with a plain white ribbon.

And adding a festive bow, that I made with my fingers. 


It took me a while to get this process down, but now it's become an obsession.

A little glue secured the bow to the sled.


And I was done.

I turned that basic thrift find into a charming vintage style holiday sled.


And a super cute one at that

I mean look at that sweet smiling little guy.


Who was created with a throwback napkin design, a teeny, tiny iron.

And no sticky fingers.

Now that's my way to play in the snow.

😉

Would you iron a napkin?


Happy Crafting, Friends!