Christmas Tree Card Holder

It's that time of year!  .... The Christmas cards are rollin' in!
Don't you just LOVE getting the mail this time of year!?!
This is the only time of year I actually get my mail more often than once a week! - Haha!

I have a wire card holder from Pottery Barn in my kitchen (the long, skinny one - not the Christmas tree shaped one), which stays up all year and holds all of our important mail, coupons, favorite photos, etc.  But I wanted something separate for all of the Christmas cards this year.

So .... I saw this picture on Pinterest:

And I had an idea!

I went to Home Depot and got two 1"x 2" pieces of rough-cut boards ... the ones that are warped and cheap!  (I think they were about a dollar each.)
I had the handy hubby cut the boards into seven pieces .... measuring 3 1/2 feet, 3 feet, 2 1/2 feet, 2 feet, 1 1/2 feet, 1 foot, and 6 inches.
Then, using my little Martha Stewart sample paints (which I talked about on my Advent Calendar post), I gave them all a coat of paint.

Of course I couldn't let things be easy .... so I also wiped on a bit of antiquing glaze (by Valspar) with a t-shirt rag.
....This darkened the colors and added just the right amount of texture and antique-ness (yep, I'm making up words!) to the boards, I think!

Next I spread them out and nailed them to a five foot long, 1"x 1" board we had out in the shop.  (I painted that board a dark wine-red color I had in my paint stash.)
Then I got out some itty-bitty clothespins I found at the craft store a while back in the dollar section....

And you guessed it!  I hot glued them onto the boards.

Finished product:

Super cute.  Same color scheme as the rest of my house.  And totally functional!

I "stuck" this to the wall in my dining room with my favorite Command hanging strips:

.... and here's PART of a picture.  This is the impossible room.  

Or rather, to clarify .... it's impossible to take a decent photo in.  

At least for me.  

I digress ....

But regardless of the fact that I can't take a proper picture of it in it's actual home, I love it!

You could make one, too .... I just know it! :-)

Totally simple.  And for less than $5.  (I already had the paint!)  

That's hard to beat, don't you think!?

Can't wait to get it all filled up with beautiful Christmas cards .... added six more just tonight! :-)

**If you haven't entered to win the Shabby Apple dress ..... you have three more days!