Saturday, December 20, 2008

Photo Frame Stocking Holders

I have been looking for stocking holders for our stockings since we are now in a house with a huge beautiful stone fireplace! I came across some on Etsy that were adorable, but super expensive. I wasn't ready to spend $250 for 4 stocking holders. I showed them to my best friend, Kristi and she confirmed that I could easily tackle the project myself. First stop, Michael's for the frames (a whopping $1.00 each) & paint. Second stop, Home Depot where I picked up a piece of wood for $3.00, and had it cut into 8 pieces (enough for 8 bases). My mom threw in her two cents on the project, and suggested that I use an L bracket to attach the frame to the base, rather than nails as I had planned (genius!). I found the black hooks at Target for about $1/each.

I started by sanding the bases and frames, then painted the base coats and let dry. Next, I painted the circles freehand. Afterthought....if you're a perfectionist like me, you should use a round lotion bottle to draw circles before painting. After everything dried, I sanded the edges to give it that "distressed" look, and used brown ink to "age" the edges as well. I let the ink dry, put on a clear top coat and then attached the frames to the bases, and the screwed in the hooks! Voila!

This is my favorite one....with me and Tommy kissing! :)



1 comment:

MixMingleGlow said...

First of all, your fireplace/mantle is dreamy. And I do so love your stocking holders! My issue with finding practical stocking hooks/holders is that they look great when the stockings are empty, but as soon as Santa fills them up, the holders aren't sturdy enough to hold them without tipping forward! After trying for years (and several cute, albiet cracked/chipped/broken holders), I have resorted to using the 3M removable hooks, adhered flat on their backs to the top of the mantle. Ours is white so they blend right in, but of course I'd love to have the smooching photo frames like you instead!