I saw a Christmas card last year that had an AT-AT with reindeer antlers that said “Merry Force Be With You.” I thought that would be awesome in my yard… and then thought about adding the sleigh and tauntaun reindeer from there.
Here’s how we made all of this ourselves…
I borrowed an overhead projector from our local library and used pixlr.com and the internet to find pictures that I wanted and printed them on overhead transparencies. I don’t have a garage or a shed, so I took over the living room. We bought some 3/8″ plywood because it was cheap. It wasn’t that sturdy, and I think if I was to do it over I would get some thicker boards.
I turned the lights off and traced the outlines of the patterns on the boards. While I traced, my husband, Mike, cut the boards with a jigsaw in the kitchen. (We really, really need a garage!)
To make the “Merry Sithmas” sign, I painted it out and then we drilled holes in it and pushed red lights through.
We tried a few ways to put them in the ground before settling on one that seems to be working pretty well. We took landscaping markers and drove them into the ground and THEN screwed the tauntauns on. With Vader and the AT-AT we used metal conduit piping. Mike drove them into the ground and then we attached the wooden pieces with some brackets.
I used nylon clamps to put rope light “reins” on — I wanted something lightweight to hold the rope lights because I didn’t want any extra stress on the boards if it got windy. It was windy and rainy the first day they were out and they are holding nicely.
I added spotlights and a Santa hat and voila!
I am extremely pleased with how it turned out and I can’t wait to add more next year!
Those are amazing! I wish I was your neighbor!
I’m pretty sure at this point they just roll their eyes :p I live in a neighborhood where there aren’t many younger couples with kids – they are mostly retired.
Merry Sithmas to you too!
I love this the most. I hope we have a yard next Christmas!
Thanks 🙂
THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING!!!
Thanks!!!!
I absolutely love Darth in the sleigh. That is hilarious. Also the Sithmas sign is amazing! Very creative and fun.
Thank you 🙂
it was my favorite to do too! the AT-AT took way too long :p
This is awesome! My husband and I are apartment dwellers currently, but this gives us ideas for the future. Sithmas and Yulethulhu together – heh heh heh. I am also left pondering how a Star Trek version of this would look, for my family with a yard!
We were torn, I wanted to do a TARDIS with a wreath, but Star Wars won out with cleverness 🙂
You win the internet today. Freaking brilliant.
THANKS 🙂
I love this, so clever! I totally have a buying-plywood rage right now, argh!
DO IT! DO IT! DO IT~! I’m eating box macaroni and cheese until Christmas though :p
I love this! Awesome! (Is there any way you would be willing to email me the black and white – your computer outline of this? ) Way cool!
sure! email me at sarabookworm at gmail!
A little late – but for those of you without a yard – here’s a super awesome indoor alternative for this year! A little fiddly but oh so worth it. I filled my work pod with these last Christmas, along with an Ewok nativity scene – it was my best work all year 😉 http://www.anthonyherreradesigns.com/index.php/8-ahd-blog/8-star-wars-snowflakes-2013
Best lawn ornaments EVER.
So amazing! I too am filing this for possible future use. I wish I could drive by your yard every day.
I forgot to show you that we updated it – https://twitter.com/jmgl/status/547910360175759362/photo/1 we added Ewoks building a Wampa snowman, R2 and C3PO caroling and a very huge Death Star ornament on our roof (that was so hard to do!)
Hi! I just find this (two years later…) and it’s amazing! Could you email me the computer silhouettes, please?
Are you still online?
I exist!
Making the at-ats today how big of a board is it. Making two one crashed and another walking so when it snows I’ll have the battle of hoth.
That is amazing. Our Christmas cards this year include a photo of my daughter on the front, in her Darth Vader Halloween costume. I glued on some snowflake sequins, and it looks as if she is using the force to call them to her. The inside reads “May your days be merry and bright, and may the force be with you”. ‘Force’ is written with glitter letters, because why not? They are probably my favourite nerdy Christmas cards ever.
I am in LOVE! I would love to make this for my yard also, would you please share the original artwork so I can make one of my own?
Love this! I have a Santa Yoda in my yard that I did in plywood to go along with the two inflatable droid decorations I have. I wasn’t going to do much this year, but a new family moved into the neighborhood and they have two little boys that are always going past my house in their land-speeder power wheels thing (I’m jealous). Anyhow they told me on Thanksgiving that ever since last Christmas, their boys always ask to go past the Star Wars house just in case we’ve put Star Wars stuff out. So I’m going to have to do more this year, and this gave me some great inspiration!