DIY Dala Horse With Sharpies

It’s the season of giving and I’m sharing how I created this easy diy Dala horse with Sharpies!

It’s Day 7 of A Very Global Christmas series with Casa Watkins Living and Up To Date Interiors! Kathy and I are sharing 12 days of festive, globally inspired Christmas and holiday ideas. If you have missed any of the posts so far you can see them all on the Very Global Christmas page. Yesterday, we shared gift wrapping ideas (check out my diy yarn hanging gift topper idea) so it only makes sense to share a diy gift idea today. When you see how easily I transformed a store bought carved wood animal, you will be running to stores to replicate it. Okay, maybe just swinging by the home decor aisle while you happen to be shopping for Christmas gifts. 🙂

How to Make a DIY Dala Horse

I really enjoyed making this diy dala horse with sharpies. It was so much easier than painting and it still looks like an artisanal gift. The beauty of this idea is that you can duplicate it on any carved wood decorative item. I prefer the wooden horses since it reminds me of Swedish Dala horses. If you’re not familiar with them, they are wood carved horses that are painted and used as kids’ toys. However, I have seen them used in home decor more recently.

This diy dala horse makes a beautiful gift for the holidays or you can use a hostess gift. I found several of these wood carved horses for $9.99 in the clearance section at Target. You could order a few online if your Target store is out of stock. Amazon has a good set of two unfinished Dala horses you could also use.

To start your Swedish Dala horse makeover, you’ll need to draw on the horse’s saddle. Feel free to Google Dala horses for pattern inspiration. Use colorful Sharpie markers to create your designs. I found a fabulous, big pack of 24 Sharpie markers at Micheal’s craft store (You can order a set of 24 Sharpies here). There are so many different shades in the pack! My mind is already thinking up another idea using all these pretty Sharpie Markers.

Add additional details to the saddle and then the horse’s reins. Have fun mixing and matching colors. Don’t limit yourself to just one color. I used shades of blue, green, yellow, orange, and red…….shocking right?! What can I say, these are my favorite colors to work with.

I didn’t seal my diy Dala horse since the Sharpies are permanent and the horse is not expected to get wet. You may want to seal your horse with two coats of clear sealer if you do expect it to be in a sunny area or encounter any moisture. Place your new diy Dala horse in a decorative bohemian wrapped box and you are ready to give it away! Check out these sweet boho gift tags to use for your Christmas presents.

Head over to Up To Date Interiors to see a simple DIY gift idea with a mini colorful boho Christmas tree! I would love receiving this beautiful ornament as a gift.