DIY Christmas Card Holder

I know I’m not the only one who loves getting stuff in the mail. Even with all the technology of today I still love snail mail. And I absolutely love all the Holiday cards that are about to come my way and this year I’m going to have room to display ALL of them on this DIY Christmas Card Holder that I made. Some reasons I love it? It was easy to make, didn’t cost a fortune, is simple in style, and big enough for a bunch of  Christmas cards.

I can’t wait to use this Christmas Card Holder to display the photo cards headed my way. I have a lot of friends that live far away and I don’t get to see them often enough. And although they are wonderful, it is their adorable kiddos that I love to see on the photo cards.

 The style of my home is traditional mixed with modern and the clean lines and simplicity of this Christmas card holder are perfect for that.

So, here is the super simple tutorial…

My finished Christmas Tree Card Holder measures 3 feet wide at the bottom and 4 feet tall. You can change up the size of the boards to make it any size you want, but my supply list reflects my finished project.

You will need:

• Three 1 1/2 inch wide by 1/4 inch thick pieces of wood (I found mine in the trim section of Home Depot.) 1 cut to 36 inches long and 2 cut to 54 inches long.
• Paint and a brush (I used left over white baseboard paint)
• Three screws
• 16 guage steel galvanized wire (found in Home Depot in the same isle as the picture hanging supplies)
• Some small clothes pins that I found at a craft store
• Tools: pliers, a drill, and a staple gun.

Now for the how-to…

First you will need to cut your wood. Did you know you can cut it right at Home Depot? It saves a ton of time and clean up. There is a saw station right there in the trim aisle. You can do it yourself or get an employee to do it for you. They are happy to help. After you cut them you will have one 54 inch piece and two 36 inch pieces.

Take them home and paint them. I painted mine with some white baseboard paint that I had on hand. I watered it down just a tid bit so that the grain of the wood would barely show through. I loved the way this looked in the end. Just a hint of a natural element which is perfect.

Once they are dry, lay them out in a large triangle (tree) shape having one board on top of the other. Predrill a hole for your screw and then attach with a screw that is long enough to go through the first board, and into the second board without going all the way through it.

To make the star at the top of the tree, I first drew a star the size I wanted it to be on a piece of paper. Then I used it as a guide to bend my wire into the outline of that star. Be sure to leave a long piece at the bottom where the star will start and end. You will use this to attach it to the tree later. The best way to bend the wire is to hold it where you want your point to be with some pliers and bend it over the pliers.

Once your tree is together, flip it over to attach the wire “garland” (this is what you will hang your cards from.)  Starting at the top, lay the end of the wire flat onto the board and attach with your staple gun. Then swoop it over the the opposite side of  the tree and bend it to go in the other direction. Staple it in place and then swoop it the other way. You are zig-zagging back and forth but leave a little bit of droop to give the “garland” effect. Keep in mind the size of a Christmas card when you are deciding the placement of the wire. I don’t know why, but doing this made me want to sing the song “Shoop” by Sal N’ Pepa!

To attach the star at the top, take the long pieces that you left at the beginning and end of the star and twist them for a few inches and then pull apart in a Y shape. Place these down the sides of the tree and staple into place. I also added a few paper circles to add color while I’m waiting to fill it up with colorful Christmas Cards.

And there you have it! A perfect place to display all of those cute little faces that are about to arrive in the mail! I can’t wait to start getting them, and I’m sure my mailman can’t wait for me to start getting something I actually want in the mail so that I’ll check it more than once a week! (ok. that is a lie, I really only check it about every 10 days…he hates me.)