Kmart and Sears are on a mission to find out how people from across the US decorate for the holidays. They recently launched the Best Dressed Home sweepstakes where one grand prize winner can enter to win one million Shop Your Way points, valued at $1,000. The first prize winner will receive five hundred thousand Shop Your Way points, valued at $500 and one second prize winner will receive one hundred thousand Shop Your Way points, valued at $100. Plus you can gain extra entries into the sweepstakes by playing the Best Dressed Home Instant Win Game!

Best Dress Home Sweepstakes

Kmart and Sears recently conducted a survey and found that 41% of Americans defined their signature holiday design as “classic,” followed by “colorful” (37%) and “vintage” (12%). More than half (58%) of participants felt the most essential decoration for the holidays was the Christmas tree.

I would definitely consider my decorating style classic and colorful. My husband tends to like the simple white lights and clean decorations. And even though I like that style, I would rather have old handmade decorations that have sentimental meaning to me and my family.

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I decided to repurpose a 12 x 36 canvas that I picked up at the thrift store for $1 into an illuminated Christmas canvas for my mantel. The canvas was a vineyard print that had a clear coat brushed over the top. I used a silver aluminum spray paint that’s been sitting in my garage for months to cover the print.

BEFORE _ Canvas

Looking back, I probably would’ve chosen a different color, one newer and not so shiny, but I’m still happy with the result. It looked just like aluminum foil after it was spray painted. I used my Silhouette CAMEO to cut the “Baby, it’s cold outside” saying out of white vinyl. The vinyl didn’t want to stick to the shiny aluminum paint very well but it worked out.

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After the vinyl lettering was complete, my husband drilled small holes in the center of each snowflake for my lights. Kmart sells Battery-Operated Micro LED Light Sets in multicolor and cool white for just a few dollars. I like the battery powered lights on the canvas since I don’t have to worry about plugs and annoying wires. We drilled the holes from the front, pushed the lights through from the back, and we held everything in place with tape.

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I originally planned to keep the lettering white, but I decided to cover the white vinyl with red glitter so it would stand out better. If I could do it over (and I considered it), I would’ve used glitter vinyl and saved myself the trouble of applying the glitter. However, if you don’t own a cutting machine, you could easily do your lettering by hand with a pen or marker and then cover it with glitter like I did.

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I decided to cover the large flower painting with wrapping paper and a bow I pulled off a box that I had saved from last Christmas. Clearly I don’t throw anything away.

DIY Vinyl Christmas Canvas

I also made a simple 16 x 20 vinyl canvas without lights. I cut each word out separately with my machine and transferred it to the canvas with clear contact paper. It still needs a clear coat to keep the vinyl in place.

DIY Christmas Mantel Canvas

I’m happy with the way it turned out considering I spent almost nothing on new decor. The blinking stockings and deer stocking holders were new last year and the rest of the decorations came from family and have been used for years and years.

Click to enter the Best Dressed Home sweepstakes from now until December 26th! To enter, answer a few poll questions and upload an image of your holiday home decor.

Do you make homemade decorations for Christmas?

This post is part of a compensated campaign with Kmart and Sears.