December 20, 2008

Photo Frame Stocking Holders {Christmas Ideas}

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 Etsythat 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! 🙂