Before we get to the Barn Door ‘Mantel’, I want to say that I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are having a fun ‘Black Friday’. Whether you enjoy getting out with all the crowds of shoppers, or if you prefer to sleep in and have a lazy day – ENJOY it! Most years I pull out the Christmas decor on Friday after Thanksgiving. This year I’m enjoying some time away – we have spent this week in Kansas with my sister and her family and my brother. We had a wonderful day together and I listed the food we fixed in my Thanksgiving post.
It is hard for me to believe it’s almost been a year since I joined up with a group of amazing bloggers to create a monthly challenge of some kind of DIY using a different medium each month! Today, the last Friday of November, we bring you Project Challenge #11. Item to be used in our projects – beadboard.
Last week as I was working away, 15+ hours a day trying to get everything done that had to be done if I wanted to take a week off, I remembered this Project Challenge and that the category was beadboard. The first thing that popped into my mind was a piece of beadboard, purchased at Lowes or Home Depot, and something created with it, involving the table saw and all kinds of hubby’s tools. And my head swam a bit and as I looked at the piles and piles of pillows I had to get shipped out before we left I sadly resigned myself that I wasn’t going to be able to make this project.
And then mid-week I picked up this old barn door. And the day before we left on vaca it hit me that this was old beaded board and just might work perfectly for a quick but really fun project!
Thus, the Barn Door ‘Mantel’ was born!
And since the sun was shining and I could get some pretty good photos it all came together quite nicely. I even put together the vintage white Christmas tree I just found this year and you get a sneak peek of it! It’s not decorated yet but you better believe that will be happening very soon after I arrive back home!
I hauled the door inside, set it on an antique European grain sack to protect the floor, and found some nails and a hammer.
The nails are small tacks used for upholstery. The hammer is my own and not my husbands – you can tell which tools are mine – they all have paint on them 😀
I put 5 nails along the back of the top of the barn door. I didn’t measure, just eye-balled it to space them out. 
Some drop cloth and plaid stockings were hung on the nails and Voila! Instant Christmas ‘mantel’.
If you don’t have a fireplace you can create a mantel somewhere else. I saw a photo this year where someone hung their stockings on the piano. I’ve seen them hung from a shelf. I usually hang ours on our stairway. 
If you don’t have a fireplace, don’t let that stop you from creating a ‘mantel’ from something else. You could use and old door, hang a ladder, use a piece of wood, a shelf, a piano, a bookcase, china hutch, stairway, anything you DO have to create a place to hang stockings or to decorate for the season.
See the peeks of my tree?! I can’t wait to decorate it and the rest of my house – Christmas is my favorite season to decorate for!
The stocings are actually for sale – I’m doing a craft sale with my sister here in Kansas before we head home. If they don’t all sell I may just have to keep these 5 and use them this year. I rather love the way the plaid looks against the old barn door.
The gifts will go under the tree and the basket will be used for transporting small gifts to family get-togehters.
The pom-pom wreath is from Jo-Anns. I’ve thought of making one but when this one went 60% off I knew I couldn’t buy the yard I wanted for the price of this finished one, and I didn’t have the time anyway. So I brought it home and I love it. It had one of the pom-poms coming off so they took another 10% off making it even cheaper. 😀
So what do you think? Would you use this barn door to create a Christmas ‘mantel’ if you didn’t have a fireplace? Or is it maybe a bit to rustic and chippy for your taste? Do you have a fireplace to hang your stockings on?
Jill
And now go see what my very talented friends have created with beadboard! I know you are going to want to start creating immediately!
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Some more Christmas projects I’ve done that you might like –
Grain Sack Ornaments Wooden Ski Ornament
I LOVE the idea of using an old barn door for the stockings. I will be using one in my shop now since it doesn’t have a mantel. We have always had a fireplace in our homes and have 2 now, which is nice. But not in my space, so I’m excited for this idea. Thank you Jill, the barn door is WONDERFUL!! 😉
This barn door is the perfect solution for a mantel! I love how the stockings look on it and am excited to use this idea myself. LOVE how yours looks with your darling stockings. 😉
Thanks so much Michele and thanks for being flexible on the bead board! It was fun to use this and be part of this challenge! I was so determined to do all 12 this year and then I thought I wasn’t going to make this one. So glad I did!
This is so cute and perfectly chippy. And I think these stockings are divine–I might have to copy them.
The stockings are so easy Becky – I used drop cloth scraps for the sock and then just cut strips of plaid and gathered it up and sewed it on the top! Added a baker’s twine loop for the hanger. Have at it!
Hi Jill, I am so glad you got to join, it’s hard to get anything done this time of year. I love the idea of using this piece as such a wonderful Christmas display. I wish I knew how to use tools like all if the rest of you girls. Super cool project!!!
Christine, I barely know how to use tools and it’s not been that long that I actually have some of my own! It took my hubby awhile but he finally started getting me some of my own and I love it. If you want to use them start small – get your own hammer and nails so you can pop something together or hang a picture! Then get a cordless drill – those things make life so much easier! I totally use tools like a girl but if I want it done badly enough I can usually get it done!(providing it doesn’t need the table saw – I haven’t progressed near that far yet!)
I don’t have a fireplace in my new home and I miss it, we had two in the last home. My children are grown and on their own but I still hang their stockings. Instead of a fireplace I hung them on a bookcase this year. Have a restful visit with your sister.
I don’t really think about missing a fireplace till I see people decking theirs out for the holidays and then I wish I had one! There is just something so awesome about the architecture of a fireplace and mantel instead of just a shelf. But I’m thankful I have a shelf to decorate!
Hi Jill, I just typed away my comment and it all disappeared….so not sure if you will get the first one or not!!!! Anywise, I am so glad you did not miss out on this challenge. I do love anything old and chippy and it was meant for you to find it!!! Super idea to use it for such a wonderful display! I love this!
Both comments came through Christine – sometimes my blog likes to ‘steal’ those comments and hold onto them for a bit and then toss them back out there. I have not figured out why. I’m hoping to get moved to a now host soon and maybe that will take care of the problem.
Oh Jill, that barn door is patina perfection and a great place to hang stocking off of. Love the old grain sack under it and the stockings on it. Hope you do well at the craft show! ;o)
It does have an amazing patina Lucy! And my hubby is now so used to old stuff being dragged in he never even blinked! The fact that I put it on the greain sack and not directly on the hardwood he installed himself may have had a bit to do with that too 🙂
Loooove the perfect chippy beadboard! What a great piece! The stockings look so wonderful against it! I am always so in love with your photos!
Thanks Lisa, isn’t it a great chippy piece?! I wasn’t sure I would find a spot inside it would work and had thought I might use it on the porch. But it ended up working great here and I’m loving it there!
Hope your sale goes well in Kansas, how fun to be with your family over holiday and weekend. I love your stockings, so darned cute and fairly simple to make? I just happen to have a nice hunk of paint cloth to use and know can find a pattern for stockings, – somewhere. Need to go find some plaids tho, love all bright colors of plaids. Think 40% off coupon will help out at Hobby Lobby.
We don’t have mantel either in our mfg. home but do have my infamous shutter shelf which is so handy for any decorating craziness that might come across my old brain. Have box full of holiday decorating goodies in hallway waiting to be emptied so will work on that this weekend. Monday I go for pre-surgery appointment and Tuesday for badly needed haircut.
Time to go Black Friday shopping, have great weekend dear friend
Hi JaneEllen! I had a really fun time with my sister last week! It ended up icy and yucky out for the craft sale but we set up anyway and I did sell 8 pillows and quite a few Christmas ornaments even though there were very few people who came out in the bad weather. My sister kept some of my stuff to take to another craft sale she is setting up at this weekend. It was fun and I loved the way my setup turned out. Hope your shopping and decorating went well and that your dr appointment went smoothly! God bless you through your surgery.
Great job Jill… it looks gorgeous and your photos are fantastic!
Thank you Susan! It was fun to be able to pull this together and I’m really loving the look of that old barn door there! I have another old barn door I ended up using on my living room ‘mantel’ shelf and I love the way they go together!
I love the look of the plaid stockings on that door!
I like those tacks too. They look handy! I wouldn’t mind getting some IN my stocking this year. How do I tag my mother on here?! 😉 Social media influences…so used to tagging!! Haha!
🙂 I’ll have to see if I can find some spare tacks! I find an assortment of nails/tacks and a hammer of my own to be very handy to have!