You might have a piece of wood left over from a remodeling job and if so, don't throw it away. If it is a thin piece of wood, such as pastel board, you can cut it into various shapes like lighthouses or birdhouses. Glue 3 layers together, then primer, paint and dry. Add one more layer of paint. Screw a small "C" hook into the wood, at the middle bottom of the project for holding a set of keys. Attach hardware to the back for hanging the craft on the wall. Another idea for pastel board is to cut diamond shapes and adhere them to your cabinet doors. Paint with several coats of paint and use a reputable wood glue for attaching. You can also cut small puppy or kitten shapes to affix on walls and dresser drawers in a child's room.
If the holidays are close by, take a chunk of 6"X6" post, or a smaller, 1"X1" chunk of wood to make a snowman. The wood does not have to be new and looks even better if somewhat marked. These can be cut at any length, but obviously the shorter the length, the squatter the snowman will be. Primer the wood, then paint with white enamel paint, leaving a couple of inches unpainted around the top. Two coats is perfect and when dry, use a foam paintbrush to spread a thin layer of white sparkle paint all over. Cut a piece of flannel to make a winter cap. Measure all four sides of the wood and add 2" to determine the length of the flannel. Cut flannel width by determining how long you would like the cap to hang down. Hot glue the cap around the unpainted portion at the top of the wood, wrapping it around the "head" as you go along. When you reach the end of the length of flannel, tuck under and hot glue. Fold the hat to resemble a sleeping cap, allowing some of the fabric to hang over and down one side of the wood. Attach a bell or a pom-pom at the end of the cap. Next, cut a strip of the flannel to tie around the snowman's neck. Using a pencil eraser or another round object, dip into black enamel paint and place a dot for each eye. A small foam carrot can be glued on for a nose, or you can just draw one on with orange tempera paint. Pull the scarf up to cover the snowman's mouth, or paint a mouth with a small brush. Choose several black buttons to hot glue down the front of the snowman. Large snowmen can be set out on the front porch and small ones can sit on mantels.
A single two-by-four can make several novelty guns. Draw and cut the shape of a short rifle out of the two-by-four. Cut a small notch across the gun barrel. Using wood glue, glue a clothespin onto the top of the gun. You can paint it if you want, but don't get paint into the clothespin spring. Now, it's ready to shoot. Load with a rubber band by sliding the rubber band into the grooved notch at the barrel. Then, holding rubber band tight, open the clothespin and catch the rubber band in the mouth of the clothespin. When ready to shoot, just thumb-cock the clothespin and pow! Always remind the user to shoot at targets, not people.
A leftover shelving board or an old bookshelf makes a perfect coat rack. Stain it or etch it with a wood burning tool. Next, attach screw dowels or other hardware on which to hang your garments. For a brighter look, paint it a pastel color and attach rub-ons. Better yet, cut small hearts or other shapes from wood scraps, then glue them to the wood plank. These can be painted a different color than the plank. Now, you can either screw the wood directly onto the wall or you can attach hardware on the back for hanging on the wall. If you'll be attaching hardware, attach one hanger in each corner of the back part of the wood. If you only use one hanger in the middle back, your rack will tilt when someone hangs only one item. An old wooden plank also makes a great sign craft. You can stencil on "Mom's Kitchen" or "Welcome". Then decorate by decoupaging the front portion of soup, coffee and veggie labels onto the wood. Attach hanging hardware on back. Another kitchen wood craft can be made from a wide piece of molding. Cut the ends off evenly, then screw in several "C" hooks for hanging cups.
There are a variety of other crafts which you can make from wood scraps, or purchased wood. Look online for additional ideas or check with your local craft shop or home improvement store for free project sheets.
