Weekend Project

Create a Wooden Stocking for Your Mantle

Looking for a twist on a traditional holiday decoration? Roll up your sleeves and brighten your mantle with a homemade wooden stocking.

Materials:

Yard stick
Pencil
Plywood
1-by-4-inch Lumber
Jigsaw
Paint
Saw-tooth hanger
Hammer
Nails

Step 1: Sketch Your Design

Begin by using your yardstick and creating a six inch by six inch grid on the plywood. This will help you get proportions right as you draw the stocking outline onto the wood.

Step 2: Carefully Cut the Stocking

Use a jigsaw to cut the plywood along the outline sketched in step one. Make sure to slide the board off of the table or surface you're working on so that you don't damage it.

Step 3: Make the Box

Cut your 1-by-4-inch piece of lumber into four different pieces. Put them together in a "U" shape to form the box that will go on the front of the stocking. Carefully afix the pieces together with a hammer and nails.

Step 4: Paint Everything

Using festive paint colors, paint your stocking and box in whatever holiday-themed motif you like. Consider whether you're hanging these stockings inside or outside when choosing your paint type. If you want to add names to the stockings or boxes later on, you may want to use chalkboard paint as well.

Step 5: Attach the Box

Once the paint is dry, position the box on the front of the stocking wherever you like and then flip both pieces over and join the stocking and box with nails.