DIY Christmas Card Tree {card display/holder}

Christmas cards have been arriving in the mail! It’s the best time of the year for checking the mail. Walking to the mailbox in cold temps, anticipating ‘good tidings’ and walking back into the house with a warm heart. Thoughtfulness and “Merry Christmas” delivered to our mail box. It’s just one more part of Christmas giving that makes my days merry and bright! We have two ways for displaying Christmas wishes. One is something I put together using scrap wood and trim pieces: 

DIY Christmas Card Tree

How I made it:

I gathered the scraps of moulding we had lying around, a 1×3.5 and a 4×4 scrap block. My 1×3.5 is about 21 inches long, the 4×4 is about 6 inches long. Adjust measurements for what fits your scrap wood.

DIY Christmas Card Holder

I placed pieces on my 1×3.5 to get an idea of where things would go. I often use FrogTape as a measuring tool and in this case, I used it to evenly space my trim pieces by using them as a guide between trim pieces. I used the 1.88 in. width. I also left a small space above the “top” trim piece to allow room for gluing on a star.

DIY Christmas Card Holder

I measured my trim to fit the 1×3.5 piece for the top of my “tree”.

DIY Christmas Card Holder

I cut my pieces at a 45 degree angle.

DIY Christmas Card Holder

And lined up each piece for cutting…

DIY Christmas Card Holder

and cut each piece at a 45 degree angle.

All pieces are glued using Gorilla Wood Glue and clamped as well as screwed into place.

DIY Christmas Card Holder

The 4×4 was glued and clamped  to the bottom {back} and serves to make the Christmas card display free standing.

DIY Christmas Card Holder

Everything got a coat of milk paint (General Finishes “basil”) and glaze with a dry brush with a spritz of Krylon Glitter Blast. {front and back} FrogTape was used to keep the 4×4 block of wood from being painted (I considered staining the wood block but see instructions below for my change in plans).

I spray painted small clothes pins and a wooden star.

Next I hot glued the clothes pins into place, staggering so cards won’t overlap by too much when displayed {FrogTape containers are great for storing glue sticks and keeping craft supplies organized}…

DIY Christmas Card Holder

and the star on top.

DIY Christmas Card Holder

My plan was to wrap the base using jute twine. But I’ve misplaced it, so I used a pretty wool yarn I had on hand, securing with hot glue.

DIY Christmas Card Holder

It’s such a cute way to display Christmas cards and pictures of my nieces and nephew:

DIY Christmas Card Display

a little Christmas card vignette display…

DIY Christmas Card Holder

Doubles as a candle holder: When I don’t have anything to display, I can flip it to the back side, add a votive holder and candle…

DIY Christmas Card Holder

Quick and Easy DIY Christmas card/photo display: Our other Christmas card/photo display is a tension rod. I simply sewed a sleeve, added curtain rings with clips. It’s been displayed in our window frame, on a small book case and in a (non working) fireplace opening. Here’s a picture from last year:

DIY Christmas Card Holder

I love this idea from Family Fun too – a tomato cage Christmas card holder…

tomato cage Christmas card holder

for more creative ideas, see my HomeTalk Christmas Card Display clipboard

HomeTalk christmas card photo display clipboard

Which do you prefer? How do you display your Christmas cards? If you have a do-it-yourself Christmas card holder, feel free to leave a link in the comments {and I’ll add you to my HomeTalk clipboard}. 🙂

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*This is a sponsored post brought to you by FrogTape. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience. Results may vary. 

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Christmas in the sitting room

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the DIY Show Off home! We have an odd room we often label the sitting room that sits right off of our dining room. It’s probably the room that gets rearranged most in our home, as I’ve shared in the past…

sitting room makeover

Now that I’ve shared some projects for a new sitting room look this week, I wanted to put it all in one post to show the entire area.

I’ve been snapping pictures every day for about two weeks, different times of the day, different manual settings, with a tripod…photography is hard work when the lighting is tricky and the French doors have been making it a challenge. But here goes the best I could do…

Be prepared, there are a LOT of pictures.

  •  table is made from a small cushioned stool and an old window

  • candle ring with chalkboard message makes for a nice festive door knob

  • Christmas vignette:

DIY tomato cage Christmas tree tutorial

Every time I decorate this little area, it’s my favorite space. I can’t decide what my favorite part is:  painted chairs, His & Hers pillows, barrel side table, window coffee table, eclectic vignette…the entire room is comfortable and cozy. What do you think? Do you have a small area for quiet conversations or reading?

I’m sharing a bit of my Christmas home tour over at Unskinny Boppy today kicking off her Home for the Holidays series.

Don’t forget to Show Off your Christmas tree!

Christmas Tree Contest
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DIY Holiday Highlights Party #5

{just typing that #5 made me hum Mambo Number 5…not very Christmas-y. lol!} Welcome! It’s a busy time of year, that’s for sure! You’re all ready for the holidays, right? If so – you’re on the ball, an amazing planner and I’m envious! I’m done with decorating and started on my shopping but not I’m not finished and I haven’t wrapped anything yet. I mostly wait until I have it all in one big pile then I have a wrapping party. for 1. by myself. not singing Mambo #5, but Christmas tunes. And that’d be why it’s a party for one. But I do love wrapping pretty presents!

 

Let’s move on to some highlights from last week’s DIY Holiday Highlights party, shall we?

DIY Christmas Highlights

I love.love.LOVE this hostess gift idea from Denise at Painted Home Designs…a cheery bucket of DIY kindling packs: newspaper wrapped pinecone, rosemary or cinnamon sticks and dried twigs tied with twine.  So original and a gift that will get used (if the hostess has a fireplace or woodburner of course)…

 Painted Home DIY Kindling Gift

There are so many unique and beautiful DIY projects went into the Christmas mantel at Down to Earth style. My favorite is the window with candles…placed in the shape of a tree but loving the twig Christmas tree bases on either side as well. I also know what a challenge decorating a mantel when a tv above is the focal point. Holly did a beautiful job!

Christmas mantel @Down to Earth Style

Rebecca from The Crafted Sparrow’s nutcracker mantel is filled with awesome DIY accents as well including the awesome nutcracker silhouette canvases, sweet felt trees and a holiday sled makeover. Simple. Beautiful.

 Crafted Sparrow Nutcracker mantel

I’m a fan of reindeer and silhouettes and sparkle. Okay, so everything Christmas. Did you see the cutest simple sparkle reindeer art tutorial at OPC’s The Better Half? It’s a darling decorative accent for a Christmas-cheerful mantel…

OPC The Better Half sparkle reindeer art

Last week, I also shared my tutorial for a lighted starburst mirror tree topper

DIY lighted sunburst mirror tree topper

Do have some holiday posts to share? You’re invited to link up! I can’t wait to browse through the links, listen to some Christmas music, warm up some cocoa and visit.  Nothing to share? Join me by taking a look at the links for some inspiration!

And in case you didn’t know: There’s a Christmas tree party & contest going on right now! Link up here, there and everywhere.  It’s a holiday party time of year.

Make sure to visit a few of the links to make some new friends for the holidays.Comments, pinning and sharing links this time of year are one of the best blog gifts!

 

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  • Link YOUR NEW Holiday DIY projects only please! If linking an old project, please reintroduce in a 2012 post to share.
  • Please link back to this party in some way {permalink or the grab the button html from the side bar}.
  • By linking up you give permission to be a favorite holiday feature {with a link back your site}.
  • I will share links to your post on Facebook, Twitter, G+ and Pinterest. Feel free to do the same! Thanks!



On wrapping presents: Gift wrap is going to be a DIY project for me this year. Empty nest = extra time. I do love wrapping gifts and consider myself a professional giftwrapper (lol!) but I’ve always bought pretty coordinating paper. I’m buying this {affiliate link} which should last me a while {and work for other DIY projects too!}…

Reader submitted Christmas Trees for the Christmas tree contest:

Wendy’s blue and silver beauty: