Arty Mum Creates Jaw-Dropping Christmas Windows For Just £10
- Sarah Ratcliffe, 42, wanted to create a beautiful window display
- She bought white acrylic paint and paintbrushes for £10
- Her display soon went viral on social media
Christmas can be an eye-wateringly expensive time of year, but one artistic mum has proven you don’t need to spend a fortune to get your home looking festive.
Sarah Ratcliffe, 42, a mum of two from Sheffield, spent just £10 on white acrylic paint and paintbrushes, and created a beautiful Christmas window display from scratch.
Without a plan before she started, Sarah developed her artwork as she went along, even adding in a cute Highland cow inspired by a picture she’d seen on Google Images.
Sarah told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "A few years ago, I started collecting those chintzy little Christmas scenes… you know the little pottery houses.
"I think you can get away with chintz at Christmas!
"I displayed 'the village' on our big bay window but it always looked a bit bleak, especially at night when the window turns black.
"So then I started to do snow spray art as a background to the village. I did that for a couple of years.
"This year, though, I just couldn't find spray of the right consistency - I need snow spray of a drier, more powdery consistency but all I could find was a bit like shaving foam.
"I'd been all over the place, sneakily spraying the snow to check its consistency, but none were right.
“So, fed up I thought I'd give acrylic a go.
"I started on the far right and worked left, finishing with the Highland cow.
"Each panel took me about one and a half to two hours and I did it over a couple of days.
"I mostly paint at night because it's easier to see what the paint is doing against the black background.
"Each year, I never really have a plan. It just kind of develops as I go along.
"The only thing I had a notion of wanting to definitely include was my Highland cow, and he seems to be very popular.
"I've never attempted one before, so I Googled an image to work from. I think he's cute!
“I put my creation on social media and I can't believe all the love my windows have received! Loads of people asking me, in all seriousness, if I'll do theirs.
"I never expected a response like this. Art is something I've mainly done for myself and for pleasure, with the odd gift for my favourite people.
"So it's giving me plenty of food for thought as I lost my job whilst shielding in the first lockdown. I've just been selling skincare since as that works for me, time-wise, and allows me to be around and responsive to my boys who both have special needs.
“In terms of materials, I just used white acrylic paint. I treated myself to a couple of new brushes. I reckon it's cost me about a tenner.
"My tips would be to keep the ideas simple: my favourite bits are pretty uncomplicated: the cow, the trees, particularly in the latter two panels.
"Having an awareness of light and shadows helps, too.
"Other than that, just see where it takes you. I never know what I'm going to paint until I start!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Sarah’s beautiful artwork is proof that you really don’t need to spend hundreds to get your home looking festive.
“Her artwork is absolutely stunning and it’s hard to believe this artwork only cost £10.
“Not all of us are naturally gifted when it comes to art, but luckily, there are lots of free tools to help us on our way.
“YouTube has countless tutorials to help you channel your inner artist - so practice on a piece of paper before you take to the window!"
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