Today, I'm delighted to be a part of a group of 30 incredible bloggers who are sharing ideas for creating a hand made holiday in your home. Yesterday I finally decided to finish decorating our mantel for the holidays.
Yes, I realize that Christmas is only two and a half weeks away...but my sons don't get home from college for another week so if you don't say anything, I won't.
Things were going really well until it came time to hang the stockings. I realized, after two trips to the attic, that I had no idea where the stocking holders ended up when we moved in August. I'll admit that I wasn't paying real close attention to things like Christmas decorations back then. It was 98 degrees and I was more worried about whether or not the air conditioning was going to work.
Now, however, things like Christmas stocking holders (and snow shovels) are the focus of my life. So I made some stocking holders....out of 2x4's. Yep, it's true and if you've got a few basic supplies hanging around your basement and craft room, you can make four of these wooden Christmas stocking holders in under an hour. No kidding!
Supplies:
5 1/2" pieces of standard pine 2 x 4 (2 per holder)
Wood Glue
Screw in hooks
2" wood screws
Craft paint and Chalkboard paint for finishing (
Tools:
Screw driver
Drill with a bit to drill pilot holes for the screw and the hook
Sanding block or hand sander
Directions:
Cut (or have the nice guy at the home improvement center cut) a 2 x 4 into 5 1/2 inch long pieces.
Sand the cut edges and round over the corners on both ends of one piece per stocking holder. On the other piece, sand and round over only one end. This will allow the upright piece to sit flat on the base piece as shown in the photo above.
Apply wood glue to the bottom of the upright piece, place it in the center of the base piece. Allow it to dry for a few minutes.
Turn the piece over and drill a pilot hole through the base piece and into the upright piece. Screw the two pieces together with a wood screw. Make sure that the screw is slightly below the surface of the base piece.
At this point, you're ready to apply the finish to your stocking holders. I painted the base pieces with acrylic craft paint and used chalkboard paint on the upright pieces. Anything will work for the finish: stain, paint, glitter, even scrap book paper could be glued to the flat parts of these blocks.
I wanted a rustic look so, after the paint was dry, I lightly sanded the pieces along the edges to distress them.
This made them appear slightly worn.
After sanding, I lightly dusted the pieces with a soft cloth but decided not to wax them. Then, I drilled a pilot hole in the center of the front of the base piece and installed the hooks.
To create the initials on the front of the holder, I used a combination of rubber stamps and chalk paint markers. In hindsight, stencils or simply printing the names in chalk would also have worked.
All this DIY holiday project takes is few pieces of scrap wood, a little glue, a little paint, and about an hour. I think that the results are adorable. Simple wood Christmas stocking holders with a chalkboard surface for a monogram...
and a secret message....which you can see if you stop by the blog on Wednesday.
In the mean time, If you'd like to see more fabulous ideas for creating a handmade holiday in your home, simply click on any of the links below.
Enjoy!
Friday December 6
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Bliss Ranch
From My Front Porch to Yours
