Decking the Halls – Week 4 – My Inspired Farmhouse

It’s the last week of my decking the halls series. Actually it’s a day or two early that I’m writing this but it’s like -40 windchill outside and all the kids are actually staying busy so I thought it was a good time to squeeze a post in. I’ve had fun sharing my projects with you and I hope you’ve enjoyed them as well and maybe have drawn some inspiration from them.

For this last post I’m focusing on family and friends. Folks, I have to tell you it wasn’t the best week for us. The flu and some colds have been lingering around, two broken down cars and a few other snafus had me wishing I could just go to bed and push fast forward and skip this week. But family and friends made all the difference. They helped us out of some big pickles and lifted our spirits – whether going out of their way to lend a helping hand or just talking on the phone and letting me vent – friends and family are truly one of life’s greatest gifts.

With that in mind I have to say I love getting everyone’s Christmas cards. I love seeing all your family’s and how they have grown throughout the year. I love seeing all the smiling faces. That’s why this year I decided I wanted a way to display the cards instead of just setting them in a pile on the counter.

My plan was to make a simple frame out of 1×4’s and attach some chicken wire I was given to the back of the frame. It seemed like super easy project and it was – for the most part. I did end up bleeding all over like a scene from a scary movie when I nicked up my hand working with the chicken wire – note to self : wear gloves when handling and cutting chicken wire. Also I used my pneumatic staple gun to attach my chicken wire to the back of the frame and underestimated the power of it. It wasn’t until after I had it all attached and flipped it over that I realized that quite a few of my staples had gone through the board. I refrained from swearing like the dad from A Christmas Story and tried pounding them back in, I then tried giving the rest of the frame a weathered look by kind of “beating it up”with the hammer too. In the end I didn’t like it and decided to make another frame to put on the back which would be my new front. It turned out to be a happy accident because it kind of sandwiched the chicken wire and instead of the wire resting directly on the wall I now had room to clip on the miniature clothes pins which would hold the cards.

See:

The frames were secured with kreg screws on the back. I then used those little L brackets to not only secure my little “chicken wire sandwich” together, but after I painted them black with spray paint they became an accent to the whole piece as well.

I hung it above an old dresser that I had chalk painted and distressed earlier this fall. I love pairing woods and whites together. Side note. I used a new chalk paint spray paint thinking it would be cheaper and easier and it was not – I’m sticking with the paintbrush next time.

One other item I made to pair with my little card display was a message that I think says it all. It’s an exact replica of the note that Clarence the angel wrote to George in the holiday classic, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ . I printed off an image of it I found online and used the carbon paper technique I talked about in my last post to transfer it to a board.

Here it is all set up in my dining room so I can see all those smiling faces anytime I want.

Also a little confession: operation Christmas card from my family has been a fail so far. I haven’t not given up hope about getting them out but the outlook is looking a little bleak. So if you are in the same boat and the cards have eluded you this year, I throw no judgement your way. Just know if I do get one I truly appreciate it and it will be proudly displayed :).

AND in case you are not instagram – here a few photos of the rest of the house I have recently shared.