✨ Cold Moon Magic: Create a Moonlit Winter Scene Full of Sparkle ❄️🌙

Hi — Tammy from Cheers to Creativity walks us through a cozy moonlit winter scene inspired by the last Super Moon of 2025. This project is perfect for a 12×12 board, quick enough for a gift, and full of soft shimmer and starry detail.

Cold Moon: Moonlit Winter Scene

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Prep the board.

   Sand the edges and surface as needed so paint goes on smoothly. Tammy uses a 12×12 thin board — any smooth panel will work.

   
2. Base color: sponge in blue-green tones.

   Using a sponge, apply a blue-green (Mystic Teal / Jeweled Green) all over the board. Keep edges darker for a vignette effect and lighten toward the center.

   
3. Add depth with darker dabs.

   Mix a deeper green with Prussian blue and randomly dab/smear around the edges to create texture and depth. Tammy pounces and smears to build interest.

   
4. Soft highlights in the center.

   Lightly dab a tiny mix of white and yellow in the center to create a soft glow where the moon will sit. Keep these marks subtle — they’ll peek through the moon and add warmth.

   
5. Stencil the stars.

   Use different sizes from the Oh My Stars Mini Sign Stencils. Fill some with yellow and some with metallic gold for variety. Tammy uses a mini brush and taps off excess paint before stenciling.

   
6. Create the moon: first stencil layer (white).

   Use the moon element in the Spooky Tree with Harvest Moon Layering Stencil. Tape the stencil down, dry-brush white paint (offload excess first) starting from the center outward. Build in thin layers rather than one heavy pass.

   
7. Moon shading: second layer (bluish-gray).

   Align the second moon layer. Mix a tiny bit of dark blue + white + a touch of black to get a subtle bluish-gray. Add small touches to suggest craters and variation. Let dry completely before transfers.

   
8. Apply woodland rub-on transfers.

   Cut out the deer & birch tree elements from the Winter Woodland Friends transfer pack. Position and burnish firmly with the Essential Rub-On Transfer Tool. Tammy recommends rubbing carefully on skinny branches so small details release cleanly.

   
9. Add more trees with transfers.

   Use the three-pine-tree design from the Cozy Winter Cuddles transfers and burnish into place on the opposite side for balance.

   
10. Paint snowy ground and soft edges.

    Using a flat brush and white paint, create a snowy base under the deer and trees. Soften any hard edges with a dry brush if needed.

    
11. Light snowy splatter.

    Wet a stencil brush slightly, load with thinned white paint, remove most moisture on a towel, then gently flick or tap to create a subtle flurry of snow across the scene.

    
12. Optional shimmer and final dry.

    Add tiny touches of enchanted shimmer or a pearlescent metallic to the moon and snow for a subtle glow. Dry completely and check that transfers adhered well.

    

Project demo by Tammy Muto of Cheers to Creativity.

Ready to make your own moonlit scene? Grab the transfers and stencils used here: shop the transfer collection or start with the Winter Woodland Friends Rub-on Transfers.

Watch the Full Tutorial