Front Stoop Christmas Makeover

18 Materials
$60
1 Day
Easy
Since my kitchen was all decorated for Christmas, I needed to do something to our front stoop. I kept it simple and really didn't need to buy a whole lot of things, because I had most everything on hand. I already had the Santa bouncy ball ornaments hung (you can see the full tutorial here: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/decorate/christmas/giant-bouncy-ball-ornaments-24073606), so I added a few more touches, and our little stoop was complete! I ended up doing three mini projects, and I broke down each project with supplies and steps.
Mini Project 1: Rustic sign SUPPLIES: -common board (I had a 3' remnant from a 6' board I purchased for another project so I just used that.) -Danish oil (or any stain, paint, glaze, finishing oil, etc.) -rag -stencil (I made mine using my Silhouette Cameo machine and vinyl.) Not pictured: -Behr "Cozy Cottage" paint -small sponge or paint brush -fine grit sandpaper
STEP 1: Apply Danish oil to board First, I applied Danish oil to my board using a rag. I made sure to get the front and sides/edges, then I let it dry.
STEP 2: Apply stencil and paint Next, I laid down the huge stencil I made. Because it was a short word with simple type font, I didn't feel the need to use transfer paper to apply the stencil -- I just took my time and rolled the paper backing off of my vinyl, while adhering the stencil at the same time, little bit by little bit. After the stencil was applied, I took a small sponge and dabbed the paint on. I let that coat dry and applied a second coat. Then I took a piece of fine grit sandpaper and roughed up my sign a little, just so the words weren't so perfectly white (so sorry, I don't have a photo of me doing this!).
Mini project 2: Sled door wreath SUPPLIES: -unfinished wooden sled -Danish oil -rag -greenery and berries -twine -burlap stars -small metal initial (M for my last name :)) Not pictured: -wire cutters -sponge brush
STEP 1: Apply Danish oil to sled For this cute little sled wreath, I first used a sponge brush and a rag to apply and rub in Danish oil onto the unfinished sled. With this step, you can choose to paint the sled or leave it plain instead of using Danish oil, but I wanted a warm, cozy, old fashioned look.
STEP 2: Cut and add greenery & berries Once my sled was dry, I positioned my greenery stem and cut off the excess. I did the same with the berries and then I arranged them together.
STEP 3: Fasten greenery & berry arrangement Next, I took a roll of twine and began to wrap it around the entire sled, making sure to tuck the twine here and there so that the greenery and berries could still be seen. Throughout my wrapping, I began to incorporate these cute little burlap stars I purchased from Michaels last year while they were on clearance. They already had holes punched and everything!
STEP 4: Tie off twine After my wreath arrangements was all finished, I took the two ends of the twine that were left in the back, and twisted and tied them in a knot.
STEP 5: Add final touches Finally, I added a sweet little metal "M" I purchased from Michaels last year. I felt like this was the perfect final touch to our Christmas wreath this year and of course, I'm obsessed with all things monogram! ;)
Mini project 3: Stenciled galvanized buckets SUPPLIES: -galvanized buckets (mine are 2 qt. and 12 qt.) -stencils (Again, I made mine using my Silhouette Cameo machine and vinyl...you'll want transfer paper if you make your own stencils the way I did.) -spray paint Not pictured: -nail polish remover (acetone)
STEP 1: Apply stencil Because I made my own stencil, I used transfer paper to adhere to the stencil, then removed the paper backing of my vinyl stencil, and applied the stencil using the transfer paper.
STEP 2: Spray paint stencil (....or not!) I say "or not!" because, hindsight I would have just used paint and a brush to paint my stencil. I didn't think about the headache that spraying it would cause. But either way, you can still get a cool look if you decide to spray your stencil. ...AND DID I MENTION THE MESS ON MY HANDS?!
STEP 2: Remove stencil Since I made my own stencil out of vinyl, I simply pulled the vinyl off and then went back with my pick tool to get all of the tiny pieces off.
STEP 3: Remove excess spray paint (optional) Because I didn't like the way the spray paint came out, I took some nail polish remover I had on hand and cotton balls, and removed the excess. I decided to keep the excess spray paint around "MITTS TREE FARM" because I felt like it added some character.
So here it is--our traditional, country Christmas front stoop...with random, giant Santa belt ornaments -- haha! I still like the way it came out. I also added pre-lit garland on the railings. With the wreath, I simply tied a piece of twine lightly around the middle slat of the sled and hung it from a wreath hanger. Oh and before I forget, I had these old Pepsi crates on hand so I decided to use them to add dimension for the buckets and Rosemary plant I purchased. *Note: the front stoop makeover cost me about $60-70 but as I mentioned previously, I had a lot of supplies on hand.
Suggested materials:
  • Common board   (on hand (from HD))
  • Danish oil   (on hand (from HD))
  • Rag   (on hand (from HD))
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Frequently asked questions
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  2 questions
  • Jeb7552471 Jeb7552471 on Nov 27, 2016
    How did you make the large ball ornaments???? I love them!!!! J Brew
  • Glenda Glenda on Nov 27, 2016
    What kind of paint did you use for the joy lettering? I know acrylic isn't supposed to be applied over oil, so I wondered if your blue was oil-based?
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  • Joan Joan on Nov 27, 2016
    It's very cute, those big red balls remind me of Pokémon balls lol
  • La Habra Fence Company La Habra Fence Company on Dec 20, 2017

    It looks brilliant! Loved it. It’s is a nice way to decorate your front porch with gifts. It will be loved by children and they will thoroughly enjoy it. Use of Santa ball ornaments is a good idea. Thanks for sharing.

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