I just love projects like this that use up things that you already have on hand and create something really beautiful out of basically nothing. These wood scrap stars that we made are so eye-catching and could be such a focal point in anyone’s Christmas decor and they cost us literally nothing. If you didn’t have everything on hand already and had to buy a few things, well then they would cost you almost nothing. 🙂
We created this little video to help you see the process in action, but you can also read on below for step-by-step instructions. If you like this video, please consider checking out my YouTube channel where we’ll be sharing more fun DIY videos like this! (There are only 2 videos so far, but we’re working on it! :))
I saw some nice large-scale stars displayed in an entryway in a Christmas decor catalog a couple of months ago and I loved the friendly, welcoming, rustic vibe that they brought to the space. Of course, they were like $200 which would totally be worth it for the impact that they made on the room, but if you can build something similar yourself, why not? We came up with this design that’s pretty quick and simple to put together but that also has a nice, chunky look. I did see this star at a local garden center/home decor store a few days after we completed these and I took a picture. This star was similar in size to ours and was only $20, but the wood it was made from was paper thin and it just didn’t have the same presence that our stars have. Plus, free is still better than $20! 🙂
To make each star, we started out by cutting down a 3/4″ board into 10 strips that were about 2″ wide and 16″ long.
Next, we created longer pieces by overlapping 2 of the 16″ pieces by about 2″ and gluing and nailing them. It’s necessary to have these staggered pieces in order for the whole thing to fit together into one big flat star. If you want to use paper thin wood, then you can just have 5 long pieces, but it just doesn’t look quite as neat. Plus it’s so fun to see how these fit together as you’re creating the final start shape!
So we attached all 10 pieces this way, creating longer, staggered pieces.
Then we fitted them all together into a star shape. Check the video out (above, near the beginning of the post) to see how that all comes together a little more clearly.
The last thing we needed to do was paint the stars out in a nice Christmassy red, which I luckily had on hand as well. We made 4 of these big stars and a little sample size jar of paint was more than enough to do all 4.
We found a few places around the house that needed a fun “pop” of Christmassy-ness and we were done! I was glad the whole thing came full-circle and we were able to have some of these stars in our mud room just like in the inspiration photo!
If you feel like you need something with a little “wow” factor for your Christmas decor, but don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars, try these stars! One of these would look really great on a mantel, or you could have a few grouped together on an empty wall… or on a shelf, or just leaning against a wall somewhere. So many options!
Have you made any DIY Christmas decorations yet this year?
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.