For our next scrap wood project, we’re going to make a super easy and FAST chalkboard greeting card holder. Again, because this project is customizable to what you have on hand, the supply list is fluid, but for us, it included
a length of 2″ x 4″, 180 grit sandpaper & orbital sander (optional), primer, chalkboard paint, and a table saw.
First we started with the 2″ x 4″. Ours was about 10 feet long (don’t ask why we had a 10′ chunk of pine in the ‘scrap’ pile—long story), so we decided to cut it down to a manageable 4 feet. We chose 4 feet because our console table is 4 1/2 long and out fireplace mantle is 6 feet long, so that way we could use the holder in each place.
NOTE: We could have easily used a 4″ x 4″, just didn’t have one long enough in the stash.
Next, we trimmed down all the sides of the board. This isn’t especially necessary, but our board was quite rough.
Including the face(s).
Then we set the saw blade at 1″.
We marked the center of a long skinny side of our board,
and plowed a channel at that mark the entire length of the board. HINT: to ensure a channel like this is in the exact center of your board, rotate the piece 180 degrees and feed it through the blade one more time.
Then we sanded all sides of the board, taking down the corners a bit just so they weren’t so sharp.
Finally, a coat of primer and 2 coats of blackboard paint.
And there you have it. A great way to keep greeting cards in upright and orderly position. The channel is wide enough to accommodate the overlap of cards, so this four feet of board could hold a lot. It goes without saying that the chalkboard paint means we can change the sentiment at will. Birthdays, Christmas, Groundhog Day. Whatevs.
If you do choose to make one out of a 2″ x 4″, keep in mind it’s quite shallow (less than 1 1/2″), so you could put it just about anywhere, including wide window moldings and even on the kitchen counter along the back splash. If you’re worried that it might be ‘tippy’, ours isn’t, but for added insurance—especially if you anything rambunctious in the house—you could attach a cleat or two on the back for stability reasons.
Check back next week for a NEW fast and easy project made of scrap wood!
