Last night some friends hosted an incredible Christmas party. This is the first of many for me this season, and I realized yesterday that I didn’t have my trusty “ugly” Christmas sweater on hand -I had let my mom borrow it last year and who knows where it is now. So, quick thinking, I decided to make my own before the festivities (my last one was homemade as well). I’ve always assumed many people make their own, but I only saw 2 other people last night with homemade outfits, and one girl said she paid $30 for hers at a thrift store! They must all know this is the season they can jack up the prices.. Ugliest sweater gets the biggest ticket!
Anyway, I thought id show you mine in case you want a cute (and cheap!) alternative for sporting your holiday cheer.

So all I did was go to hobby lobby and buy a large long-sleeved shirt ($4.99). I used a dark brown, tan, and red acrylic paint, and then 4 google-y eyes (one I painted for the nose). I already had these colors and the glitter, so really I just spent $5 for the entire shirt.
Lay the shirt out on a flat surface (I used my bathroom floor), and use either a piece of cardboard or a flattened trash bag to stick inside the shirt – otherwise the paint can I through to the back side, make the shirt stick together, and even to the floor. I used a trash bag and it worked fine.
Using a foam brush, I painted one foot and pressed it in the middle of the shirt for the head. After cleaning the paint off my foot, I did the same with my 2 hands for the antlers. I used another brush to kind of “fill in” the imprints of my hands/foot because things like the arch of your foot tend to go missing.
I added lots of glitter to the antlers while the paint was still wet so it would stick. Let the paint dry.. Probably 30min -1 hour depending on how much paint you used. While you’re waiting, take one googly eye (do this on a paper plate or something) and paint it red. Glitter away – Rudolph’s nose was shiny!
Once your reindeer face is completely dry, use tacky craft glue to glue the eyes and nose on to the shirt. I wouldn’t recommend using a hot glue gun… I tried and it seems to peel right off the cloth/paint surface.
Once everything is finished drying, glam up your sweater as much as you’d like! I painted snowflakes and “ho ho ho” on the back, but it was so cold that I wore my jacket all night anyway. I also used gift ribbon and glued a chevron design at the bottom and wore the oversized shirt as a dress with leggings and boots.

Have fun with it!