A Christmas Tree Made from Cabinet Knobs?

I think most people would be surprised that I have a little rebellious side. I know, I know…shocking!

Oh sure, most of the time I fall into the ‘play-it-safe’ category but sometimes I just want to try something new. Break free a bit.

Breaking free looks different for everyone doesn’t it? It could be as wild and crazy as jumping off cliffs into huge pools of water when you were in high school and young and stupid (sorry mom!).

Or it could be as simple changing your hairstyle or the color of your lipstick. Or maybe admitting that if I’m signed up to bring you a meal you’re going to be getting a pizza.

Or maybe it’s attempting a project that’s a little out-of-the-box and definitely not your usual style!

I always see cabinet knobs at thrift stores and wonder how they could be used as something other than…well…cabinet knobs.  I tend to play it safe when it comes to decorating and I’m just a traditionalist at heart.

But, like I said above, every once in awhile you’ve just got to try something new!

When I was contacted about being apart of the 3MDIY.com Program I was so excited to try out some of their fabulous products. And after one particular trip to the thrift store I knew exactly what I wanted to make!

HOW TO MAKE A CABINET KNOBS CHRISTMAS TREE

Start with a piece of plywood.

Measure and using a jigsaw cut to the size you prefer. I kept mine long and narrow. If you aren’t comfortable cutting the wood yourself, take your measurements to the hardware store where they will cut it for you.

Make sure you protect your ears from the noise of the saw! I got to try out these awesome 3M Tekk Worktunes headphones which are part of the line of 3M™ Safety Products.

Nothing like listening to a little bit of Christmas music while you work! And, bonus….they also do a great job of blocking out the sound coming from whiny children…just sayin. 😉

Once you’ve cut the wood down to size, use sandpaper to smooth out any rough edges.

I used the 3M Advanced Abrasives Sandblaster paper and it worked like a charm!

I also decided to paint the wood white and used the sand paper again to distress the paint just slightly.

Next, gather together an assortment of old cabinet knobs. I found mine at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

You can leave them all mis-matching or…

…you can spray paint them all one color. In this case I used some bronze spray paint I already had on hand.

Once you’ve painted them (or not!), lay them onto your board creating the tree pattern you want. I tried to create interest by being sure to mix up the plain knobs and the ones with more detail.

Using a pencil, trace around each knob and then remove them, being sure to keep them in the order of placement to make things easier when you go to attach them.

Drill a hole into the center of each traced circle.

Because the wood is so thin you might notice it splitting just slightly in some spots. Simply take your sandpaper and smooth out any rough spots.

Next, you’re going to need to attach the knobs to the board using shorter screws than what comes with them. This is due to the fact that the board is so thin compared to the thickness of a cabinet door. I scrounged around in our collection until I found ones that would work.

Now all that’s left is simply putting a screw through each hole in the wood and attaching the knob.

Of course, no tree would be complete without a ‘star’ at the top. This crystal knob does the trick!

And that’s all there is to it!

Now you have a unique, one-of-a-kind Christmas tree that will definitely be a conversation starter!

Isn’t it so cute and fun?

I loved getting to take something intended for one purpose and transform it into something entirely different! Isn’t that what re-purposing is all about after all?

Now, just for kicks, I made a video tutorial for you! I will let you watch it while I cringe at the sound of my voice! 😉

It’s fun to try something different now and then, isn’t it?

Even if your kids come home from school and say, “um, hey mom, why are there knobs stuck to that piece of wood?”

Thanks so much for joining me today At the Picket Fence!

If you liked this project you might also enjoy these unique Christmas Trees:

Fabric Scrap Christmas Trees

Pine Cone Christmas Trees

 

 

This post is a collaboration with 3M DIY. To keep up-to-date on projects, products and sampling visit 3MDIY.com. I was compensated and received product but all opinions are 100% my own.