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How to Decorate a Wooden Rocking Horse

A wooden rocking horse is a wonderful toy no matter how simple or complex its decorations may be. This children's classic never grows old and never wears out. Custom decorations can make it a one-of-a-kind gift for a special child. Even if you do not have an artistic bone in your body, you will be able to decorate this wooden rocking horse like a pro.

Things You'll Need

Paint
Styrofoam plates
Large, simple stencils (e.g., heart, star)
Alphabet decals
Sponge
Artificial flower garland
Paintbrush
Pencil
Art gum eraser
Hot glue gun

Instructions

- 1
  Sketch your designs lightly onto the wooden horse with the pencil. This will give you an idea of what the horse will look like when you are done. Design ideas include eyes, a bridle, and a saddle and stirrups. You may also wish to sketch out decorations (such as a heart or start) to be stenciled on the horse's haunches. Consider writing the recipient's name somewhere on the horse.
- 2
  Review your design sketch. If you include all of the possible design elements, you may find that your horse looks too "busy." Generally it is best to do only the face and one or two other details. If you do not like any part of your design sketch, just erase it with the art gum eraser.
- 3
  Paint in the non-stenciled portions of the design with the paintbrush and paint.
- 4
  Sponge on the stencils. Make hearts, stars or other simple shapes look more like part of the horse by sponging them on instead of painting them on in solid colors. Pour a little paint onto a styrofoam plate and dip the flat side of the sponge in the paint. Hold the stencil up to the part of the horse where you want to make the design, then dab the sponge over the stencil. When you remove the stencil, a sponge-painted shape will remain on the horse.
- 5
  Apply the letter decals to spell out the future owner's name. Immediately before applying each letter decal, erase the penciled-in letter so that the pencil does not show through the decal. Then apply the decal before you forget where the letter was. Depending on the type of decal, you may have to wet it before application or you may need to rub it onto the surface.
- 6
  Give your horse a garland of flowers. You can simply twine the flowers around the horse's neck or you can use hot glue to place them over the bridle that you painted so that the child riding the horse can hold a flowery bridle.
- 7
  Let everything dry for at least 24 hours. Keep the horse in a cool, dry place. Once the paint and glue have dried, you can give your beautiful horse to the child of your choice or keep it in your own house as a decoration.

Wooden Toys