We’ve been living in our current house for about seven years now. The one thing that I always miss during the holidays is that we don’t really have a good place to hang Christmas stockings without a mantle in the house.
Typically, we would hang them on our rod iron railing for the staircase, which worked okay when we were a family of four, but now that there are six of us it just doesn’t have the space to hang them all. I needed a new solution to hang Christmas stockings without a mantle.
Since I can be pretty crafty at times, I decided I would take matters into my own hands and create a fun place to hang the stockings that we can use year after year.
DIY Stocking Holder – Hang Christmas Stockings Without a Mantle
Since we have four kids I decided I would make something that could hold their stockings. If you want to make something similar and simply put your own spin on it, it is very easy to do with just a few simple supplies.
What You Need
- DIY Slat Sign (I got mine from Oriental Trading)
- Cricut Explore Air Cutting Machine to cut your designs
- Acrylic Paint (or your favorite type)
- Adhesive Foil or Vinyl
- Cabinet pulls, cup hooks, or Command Hooks in a brushed nickel finish
What to Do
The first thing you will want to do is paint your slat board. The boards from Oriental Trading come with sawtooth hangers already attached on the back, so I choose to use mine vertically so I could use those hooks to hang it on the wall. You can flip horizontally as well but the hooks won’t like up (feel free to add your own, though!).
I put on two coats just to be sure I got good coverage. I chose red since this was a Christmas design. Pick a color that suits you. Depending on how much paint and the color, the natural grain of the wood may still show through as mine did.
While the paint is drying you can cut out your design with your Cricut Explore Air. I picked a simple Santa sleigh design from Design Space and added my own text to fit what I wanted my board to say. The board I used is 10 3/4” x 15” so I made sure my design fit within that space and then cut. If you use your own boards, be sure to measure so you know how large to make your design!
I chose to use adhesive foil because I really liked how shiny it was and thought it would add a nice touch to this holiday piece. I had black so I used that for the Santa silhouette and chose silver for the wording as it seemed to pop well against the red. I thought about using gold, but after comparing, the silver popped better.
After cutting our your design, you will need to weed out any unwanted areas. The Cricut tools work great for getting those little pieces out easily.
Once the paint is dry, place your hooks where you think you might like them to go. I moved them around several times before I decided on the final spots, then I measured, marked, and drilled. Simply setting the hooks on the board can give you a good idea of the finished project before you actually drill any holes.
I chose cabinet pulls because I liked the way they looked against my silver lettering, and they provide a fun way to hang the stockings. If you use Command adhesive or cup hooks you won’t have to drill any holes.
Next, use a sealant to lock in the color and give your foil a little extra something to adhere to. Mod Podge is a bit tacky so it works well, but I did end up using the clear spray sealant instead of the bottle version and it worked out well.
When the sealant is just about dry, go ahead and transfer your design to the board. Take care to do this slowly, the foil tends to bubble up quite a lot if you are not careful.
After you have cut your design, use Cricut transfer paper to peel it from the backing and get it ready to go on your board. The foil was a bit harder to work with than I anticipated so vinyl might be a better option if this is your first design. In my opinion, vinyl is a bit more forgiving.
When placing the design start from the middle and press down, then slowly work out toward each edge smoothing out any air bubbles as you go. Starting in the middle makes it easier to get your design to transfer more cleanly and bubble free.
Once your design is placed, screw in your hooks, hang on the wall, hang the stockings, and stand back to admire how you were able to hang Christmas stockings without a mantle!
More Easy Cricut Projects
If you found this Cricut Tutorial for Beginners too complex, jump over to my Getting Started With A Cricut Explore Air – First Project Ideas post and get a very easy project under your belt, then come back and give this a try!
Find all of my Cricut Tutorials here: Cricut Tutorials
Cardstock
One of the easiest things to use is cardstock. Grab your favorite designs and get cutting with these simple ideas. Any of the designs linked below are just some of the example projects, to search for an easy project for yourself, simply head over to Design Space and see what is available!
Cards
I love making my own cards. Adding a personal touch just makes it mean that much more for the recipient, and with a bit of cardstock, your Cricut, and some of the pre-made designs in Design Space, you can have your own custom cards simply and easily!
This Thanksgiving Card is super easy to make, and the pattern is already made for you so you simply need to follow the instructions right in Design Space and cut!
Invitations
Give your invites a personal touch by designing them yourself! With the Cricut Explore Air you can not only cut out the design, but you can write on the invitations in your preferred font right from the machine as well! This easy Teepee Design birthday invitation comes with simple to follow instructions right in Design Space.
Coloring Pages
Want to make your own fun coloring pages? It is so easy with the Cricut pens and Explore Air!
Iron On
Start with something simple, like these one color flourishes that take bland winter gloves and turns them into a fashion accessory! After you’ve mastered these, move on to more colors and layers.
Party Games, Decor, and More!
Want your wedding and/or party to stand out? Try making some fun games and decor with the easy to follow instructions in Design Space. This Hopeless Romantic Tic Tac Toe game is really easy to make and so much fun to play at a party!
These are just a few ideas to help get you started, but there is so much more to be made. You can see a full list of fun ready to make projects right in Design Space or start designing your own project. The possibilities are endless!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
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