The Stockings Were Hung. . .

I shared this tutorial over at Seamingly Smitten last week, but wanted to share it again just in case you missed it. After my post about my trip to Cline’s Junkyard, I had a lot of questions about what I would do with these. . .



I had a handful of old rusty door knobs that I picked up along with some other rusty hardware. I didn’t really have a clue what I was going to do with them, but I knew I could use them for something. And I was right! So I started wit a piece of scrap wood from the garage {I have a huge pile of scrap wood in my garage. you name it, I got it!} and my four rusty old door knobs. 



This first step was fun. The wood was too perfect, so I took a hammer to it. What a great stress reliever! I just banged it up a bit to round the corners and rough up the surface. 

Next I used a dark stain in these crevices and around the edges. This is because I plan on distressing the paint I’m about to apply and the dark stain looks better than the light wood.

A light coat of primer spray paint and one heavy coat of white latex paint. 



While the paint dried I pulled out my brand spankin’ new Silhouette Cameo to use for the very first time. Sigh, it’s amazing! You gotta get one of these! I used red vinyl for this project.



If you are not familiar with the Silhouette or any other digital cutting tool, you create an image on your computer and then let the machine do the rest. 

The best way to transfer vinyl is to use contact paper. Once the image is cut, place the sticky side of the contact paper on top of the vinyl while it is still on the mat. Peel the contact paper away from the sheet of vinyl and only your cut letters should stick to the contact paper. (Unfortunately the insides of the letters also stuck. I removed them with a tweezers after I adhered it to the wood.)

When the paint was dry I used some low grit sandpaper to give it a distressed finish.

My sweet hubby drilled holes in the wood to just large enough to fit the knobs.
And then he squeezed them in. I thought we would have to use wood glue to hold them, but they stayed just fine without it.
And because I can’t leave anything alone, I used my distress ink to make it look more worn. To do this you just take the ink pad and brush it across the edges and corners and in small spots along the surface.

Now back to the vinyl. Place the contact paper gently on the board. Once it’s in place, where you want it, you can press down on it to keep it in place. Use a scraper or other flat edge to smooth over the vinyl, eliminating any wrinkles or bubbles. Then peel back the contact paper slowly.
The contact paper removed some of the paint, but was okay with me! I love a distressed look!

I wrapped and tied a fat grosgrain ribbon on one side and then hung our stockings. I’m thinking about either adding an initial to the knobs or writing our names in black just above the knobs. But that will be another day. Like I said, I can’t leave anything alone!

But for now it’s perfect! You know I love to brag about how little I spend on my projects so. . .
This one cost about two bucks! Actually, it was free for me to make that day since everything I used, I already had lying around. But if you want to count the purchase of the knobs, this project cost me only $2! Even if you don’t have a digital cutting machine, you can use a stencil to paint the letters. Inexpensive hooks can be purchased in place of the door knobs if rusty junk isn’t your style.

How can Christmas be in just ten days? The stockings may be hung, but I’m not sure Santa has what is supposed to go in them!

Todays Creative Blog

21 thoughts on “The Stockings Were Hung. . .”

  6. Now everything falls in place. Can't wait to see what you will do with the other "junk" you got 🙂
    I have to show it to Sherri. She has been asking 🙂

    Reply

  7. I love it! And I love seeing your how-to, especially since I am the proud owner of a Cameo too and have yet to use it!

    Reply

  11. YES! Hands down this is THE BEST DIY stocking holder I have seen…and i am totally going to copy you:)I would love if you stopped over to link up at Get Schooled Saturday a Too Much Time on my Hands!

    http://kim-toomuchtimeonmyhands.blogspot.com/2011/12/get-schooled-saturday-3.html

    Reply

  12. It is fabulous!! I am trying to get used to my NEW Silhouette…..I hear wax paper and press and seal paper work good as transfer paper too:-)

    Can't wait to see more….

    Reply

  14. Noticed you on "Too Much Time on My Hands" FB link! Love those knobs, too! I'm your newest follower and would love for you to come for a visit and return the "love" sometime soon!

    XO, Aimee from ItsOverflowing.com

    Reply

  15. I am loving this. It came out great. You are so talented to be able to put this all together. I am a new follower visiting from The Girl Creative. Vicky from Mess For Less

    Reply

  16. That does look fantastic! I ment to make some stocking holders as well this year but wasn't sure how I wanted them to look… I do like the knobs you used.. hmmm..

    Reply

  18. Very cute!!! Love this – it's got such a cool touch to it. I love DIY stuff, because you can make it the way YOU want it to look!

    Reply

  19. What a lovely idea! Wish I'd seen this before I attempted something so technical it's turned out rubbish lol.
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  21. Love, love, love it! I seen this made also for coat racks, & i thought about doing it for kitchen towel rack, pot holders, the sky’s the limit..lol.
    I’m going to leave a link on my blog too for others to see! Come check it out http://tialavoria.wordpress.com/

    Leslie La Gringa

    Reply

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