So, last weekend a friend of mine threw a housewarming party in her and her husband’s gorgeous new house. I always struggle when it comes to a housewarming gift: I mean, they’ve been married awhile so it’s not like they need a new blender or a set of silverware. I’m a crafty kind of gal, so I decided on a DIY housewarming gift. Of course I found a ton of cute ideas on Pinterest, but most of the tutorials required me to go out and buy stuff. I wanted to use what I already had, and I seriously just kind of made this up as I went. I will say this: I’m not very creative when it comes to coming up with my own ideas; but I can copy the heck out of something on Pinterest! So I was pretty happy with how this turned out.
Supplies
Here’s what you’ll need for your very own DIY housewarming gift: scrap wood, spray paint, wall decal, an old frame, sandpaper, and Velcro.
1.Scrap wood: Did you know that you can go to Lowe’s and they will give you scrap wood?? For freeeeee! They will even cut it for you if it’s not the size you want. They charge 25 cents per cut…but most of the time they just give it to you because they don’t want to ring up such a small amount.
So, I went to Lowe’s and asked for some scrap wood. When the guy asked me what size, I just kind of held my hands apart and said, “this size”. Ha! I really enjoying making things and doing crafty type stuff, but I’m terrible with the details. I don’t usually measure anything, because I just don’t want to. I just kind of eyeball it. Same thing when it comes to hanging things on the wall…I don’t have time to measure! I just start hammering and think “this looks about right.”
He found a long board for me about 6-8 inches wide, and I had him cut it about 18 inches long. I also got him to cut the rest of the board in about 8 inch increments….so I have more wood for other projects!
*When I made this gift last week, I didn’t actually take any pictures of how I did it. I’m trying to recreate what I did for picture purposes, but I don’t have the same size board. So, let’s just pretend that I do and that this isn’t two smaller pieces stuck together, ok?*
2. Wall decal: I am in love with these decals from *wait for it* Dollar Tree! Can you believe it? They have a lot of cute designs. These are few I picked up the other day. Here’s a word of advice: if you see something you like at Dollar Tree, buy all they have. Because when you go next time, they will be out!
3. Frame: One of my favorite ways to decorate is with cheap wooden frames. They sell them for $1 or less at a local resale shop, so I always have some on hand. I know you probably have at least one old frame lying around. This one was a 5×7.
4. Spray paint: I spray paint a lot, so I have I decent sized collection going on. Since the decal I was using was going to be dark, I went with a cream-colored spray paint. And that’s only because I had it on hand. If I didn’t, I would have chosen another color and made it work. In other words, I wasn’t going to buy spray paint. This is my “spray paint spot” outside…oops!
Directions
- You want to sand your boards so they’re smooth. You can do this by hand, or with a sander.
- Spray paint your boards your desired color. After it dries, you can leave it the way it is or you can use the sand paper to kind of distress it around the edges.
- Spray paint your frame a different color. I used yellow because the decal had the word “sunshine”, so I thought it was appropriate. Plus, it was a color I already had. You can also distress the frame with sandpaper.
- Peel the decal and stick in onto your board. I used a credit card to smooth it out, but I really didn’t need to.
- Use Velcro to attach the frame to the board, that way you can change the picture out whenever you want. (Be sure to break off the frame stand…I forgot to for the picture.)
And that’s it! It only cost me $1 (the decal) to make, and it took me less than an hour. Even if you didn’t have all these supplies on hand, I can’t see this costing more than $5 to make. That’s cheaper than most things you’ll find at Hobby Lobby or Home Goods. Plus, who doesn’t like a handmade gift? For another idea, check out these cute pineapple mason jar gifts.
What are your go-to housewarming gifts? Let me know in the comments!
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