How To Make Your Own Vintage-Inspired Hanging Poster

I'm a huge fan of Christmas wall art. One reason I'm such a fan is that you can make it yourself very inexpensively. Just look at what I did last Christmas with my Dollar Store Gift Bag Wall Art. Similarly, today's DIY Christmas project is such a simple one, but I think it makes a big impact.

I recently picked up what I thought were two vintage-inspired Christmas posters at a very popular local shop. At less than $4.00 each I thought I got a good deal. What I didn't know until after the fact (and a bit of researching on my part) is that they are actually sold as sheets of vintage-inspired wrapping paper. They had four different pictures to choose from, and they were all nicely rolled up, ready for the taking. 

I loved their vintage style, but what really sold me on them was the way they were displayed. There was a simple strip of wood glued to the top and bottom of each of them so that they looked an awful lot like vintage old-school classroom posters. When I saw this I said to myself (as any self-respecting DIY blogger would do) "I can make that!" And make it I did.

All you need is a sheet of gift wrap (or actual poster), two wooden dowels, some glue and some twine for hanging. You want the paper to be on the thicker side if possible, as regular wrapping paper might be too flimsy. Wooden dowels can be purchased at your local craft store, or you can use any type of wood remnants you might have lying around. It's all about the look you're going for. I wanted a simple, natural look, so I used unpainted dowels that were left over from my How To Give Hollow Core Doors A More Custom Look post. Mr. CBD was kind enough to saw them down for me. I left three inches of dowel sticking out on either side of the poster. (The posters are approximately 20 inches wide.) 

Flat-backed dowels would be easiest by far, but the ones I had were actually flat on the back and rounded on the front. To remedy this I just turned them around and faced the rounded part toward the back.

I used regular Elmer's glue to attach the dowels to the top and bottom of the poster, making sure to leave equal amounts of the dowel sticking out on either side (three inches in this case). Once the glue dries you can tie some jute to the top dowel for hanging. I used some fun red jute I had on hand since they are, after all, Christmas wall art. 

I like how it looks hanging above my vintage Skotch cooler that I filled with Christmas greens from the yard and vintage Christmas lights.

I have to mention that it was not until after the fact that I realized I should have glued the dowels onto the FRONT of the poster, not the back of the poster. Sigh. I was pretty bummed that I failed to notice that, but what was done was done so I'm living with it. Although I do believe that gluing them onto the front of the poster would have given it more of the authentic vintage vibe I was going for. I guess I can always go back and add two more dowels onto the fronts of the ones I already used if it really ends up bothering me. Live and learn. 

Despite my faux pas I still think it looks close enough to the old school classroom posters, which is the look I was going for. 

What do you think?

I've yet to transform the Santa poster since I still have to pick up two more dowels from the craft store first. But rest assured that one is getting the "old school" treatment as well. I mean, how could I not? The project is 1. inexpensive and 2. easy. Two of the most sought-after words in my DIY world. How about you?

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       Kathleen