Hang Stockings Without a Mantel

Hello, it’s Jessica here from Decor Adventures, back this month with a simple solution for holiday decorating. These days we see all kinds of lovely homes with Christmas stockings hung beautifully from the mantel or staircase. But what if you don’t have either in your home? I’ve come up with an easy way to display stockings that you can put together in less than an hour. Here is how to hang stockings without a mantel – frame them!

Materials:

Large empty picture frame
Foam board
Fabric
Chicken wire
Wire snips or sharp scissors
Gloves
Paint (optional)
S-hooks
Glazier’s points and tool (or a wide flat head screwdriver)
S hooks
Stockings

Instructions:

1. For this project you’ll use a large empty picture frame that doesn’t have glass. You can find them at thrift stores, craft stores, or just reuse one of your own. You can paint or stain the frame to your liking, but that is optional depending on your style.

2. Cut a piece of chicken wire one inch larger on all sides than the inside of your frame where the glass would rest. Make sure to wear gloves for this part as the wire can be sharp. Most chicken wire comes with natural lines where the wire is twisted. You can use those as your edges. If you want to spray paint the wire to blend in, that would create a nice look too.

3. Place the frame front side face down on a table and insert the wire into the back of the frame. Set that aside for the moment.

4. Prep your foam board. Cut a piece of fabric one inch larger than your foam board on each side. Lay the fabric face down. Lay the foam board on top of the fabric. Wrap the fabric over to the back of the foam board and hot glue the fabric to the back of the board.

5. Insert the fabric covered foam board face-down on top of the chicken wire in the frame. (If you look at the frame from the front, you should see the wire and then the fabric covered foam board behind it.

If you have chicken wire sticking out from the frame, you can use a wide flat head screwdriver or putty knife to bend the wire flat against the back of the board. This will also hold the board in place.

6. Secure the board to the frame, use glazier’s points. See how to insert glazier points here. They are little metal pieces that stick into the wood of the frame and easily secure your board in place.

7. Turn your frame around and hang your stockings. I used these S hooks we had on hand, but you can usually find them at hardware stores. You could also tie the stockings onto the wire with pretty ribbon.

The good part about using chicken wire is you can hang them at any height, and hang more stockings as needed. Feel free to add some decorative elements to your frame and stockings to give them a festive touch.