Vintage Modern Christmas Mudroom 2022

A vintage modern mudroom decorated for Christmas with simple neutrals and classic vintage decor! 

I got a late start decorating for Christmas this year, but I took advantage of a couple lazy days after Thanksgiving to empty a few more Christmas bins. 

Last week, I unpacked my favorite Christmas bin and shared ways to decorate and style vintage Santa mugs.  Today, I'm sharing a peek into my vintage-modern Christmas mudroom.  

I primarily stuck to decorating with neutrals with the exception of a little pop of red from my "new" vintage Santa head blow mold.  He was a recent Facebook Marketplace find and I could not wait to hang him in the mudroom for Christmas. 

I have to admit, as I started decorating the mudroom for Christmas I gravitated towards using the same decor as last year.  I thought about changing it up a bit, but the truth is, I love what I love and I it just didn't feel right to make changes simply for the sake of sharing something new and different. 

So, here is my very neutral, very minimal, very ME holiday-decorated mudroom!

I used a lot of what I already had then incorporated a few of my favorite holiday and non-holiday vintage finds.

These adorable vintage MCM brass deer were another Facebook Marketplace find that I absolutely adore.  Aren't they so cute?

I placed them on top of the mudroom lockers along with a thrifted sterling dish filled with ornaments and a few pieces of my favorite winter greenery.  

I kept my dated calendar turned vintage hymn board on the wall, swapped out the pillows for ones that were a bit more wintery and hung my favorite full strand of antique sleigh bells from the mudroom hooks.

I also decided to keep the vintage time cardboard instead of swapping it out for a Christmas sign.  It's not a Christmas decoration, but it works well with my vintage skis and hanging bells.  

Can we talk about those incredible brass deer?  I got them for a steal at an auction and leave them out all year long.  They are way too good to be put away in storage and only brought out during Christmastime.  

The huge vintage Santa blow mold head found a home where I had a large mirror.  It was the perfect place to hang him and I love walking by him multiple times a day.  

And just for fun, here's a quick dark iPhone shot of Santa all lit up at night! 

Most of my holiday decor is vintage and has been collected over time, but you can get the look with these vintage-inspired holiday alternatives. 

     

    

FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER 

      

Thrift Store Upcycle: DIY Church Hymn Board

Learn how to turn a dated wood wall calendar into a cool antique hymn board!

Yup, you read that right?  We're going to turn a dated wood wall calendar into an antique hymn board. 

A couple years ago, I was incredibly lucky to score an antique hymn board from a local auction.  In the many years that I've been thrifting and picking, I have never come across another antique Hymn board.  It quickly became one of my favorite treasured finds that I don't ever plan on selling. 

Antique hymn boards may be hard to find, but today I'm sharing how you can turn a dated wood wall calendar into your very own antique hymn board!

While out thrifting last week I came across a wood wall calendar that instantly caught my eye.  I wasn't necessarily looking for one, but as soon as I saw it I knew I could turn it into a hymn board.  

SUPPLIES NEEDED TO TURN A DATED WOOD WALL CALENDAR INTO AN ANTIQUE HYMN BOARD 

- Dated wood wall calendar (I found mine at Goodwill)

- Dewalt Orbital Sander

- Sanding pads for sander (80/120/150 grit)

- Hammer

- Sharp wood chisel 

- Minwax stainable wood filler

- Wood Stain (I used Special Walnut and Espresso) 

- Foam brush

- Waterbased Poly in satin

- Paintbrush

- Drill and small drill bit 

- Old hymn boards number/letters

- Tape measure or ruler 

HOW TO TURN A DATED WALL CALENDAR INTO AN ANTIQUE HYMN BOARD

Before I get to the steps of how I turned a dated wood calendar into an antique hymn board I want to point out that I was winging this project as I went.  I learned along the way, so the order of steps is a little different from how I worked on the project.  Basically, do as I say and not as I did 😜 . 

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's get to making a cool antique hymn board! 

STEP ONE: FIND AN OLD WOOD WALL CALENDAR

The first thing you need to do is go thrifting and look for an old wood wall calendar.  Wood wall calendars were common in kitchens during the 80's and early 90's.  They have since faded out of style and are now relatively easy to find at thrift stores, yard sales and flea markets. 

Look for a calendar that is real wood and has a shape and style of an old hymn board.  I would pass on calendars that have a very curvy 80's vibe.  You can easily remove painted pictures and change the color of the wood, but it's not as easy to change the shape.  

The wall calendar I found at Goodwill was on the smaller side, but it was simple, easy to update and half off!  It was the perfect piece to turn into an antique hymn board. 

STEP TWO: REMOVE WOOD DETAILS AND PREPARE WOOD FOR SANDING

Luckily the majority of the pieces I wanted to remove were attached to the main piece of wood with screws, unfortunately, the decorative houses were glued on and a little trickier to remove. 

I started by unscrewing the hooks on the front then used a sharp chisel and hammer to very carefully remove the wood houses. 

In order to limit damaging the wood, I placed a sharp chisel between the houses and the main board then used a hammer to carefully push the chisel between the two pieces of wood.  I went slow and worked my way around the houses until they started to come loose. 

It's okay to have glue left on the board, this can easily be removed with a sander.  You want to try and avoid gouging and damaging the wood under any added decorative glued-on pieces. 

Once I had the front complete, I flipped the board over and removed the screws that attached the wood strips. 

STEP THREE: FILL HOLES WITH WOOD FILLER

Before sanding the board, I filled any holes (that I wasn't reusing) with stainable wood filler.  It's very important to use stainable wood filler if you plan on staining your hymn board after sanding. 

STEP FOUR: SAND

I used 80-grit sandpaper to remove the dried glue that was left after prying off the houses.  This step will take a little time and you will more than likely go through a few sanding pads as the glue will begin to gum up the pads.

Once the glue was removed, I changed to a 150-grit sanding pad and sanded the rest of the board until the original stain was removed and the board was smooth.  

TIP:  If the board you are working with has a dark stain, you may need to use a lower grit sandpaper (60 or 80 grit) on the entire board and then work your way up to a higher grit.  

Helpful Resource: Furniture Sanding 101: How to Sand Wood Furniture

STEP FIVE: STAIN

I wanted to use wood stain I had on hand, so I applied a layer of Special Walnut, let that dry then added a coat of Espresso.  

I chose not to distress my Hymn board, but if you prefer a distressed look then now would be the time to lightly sand and distress. 

STEP SIX: ASSEMBLE HYMN BOARD

Once the stain was dry, I reattached the trim pieces that held the numbers and letters in place.  

I wanted to add another row to my board, so I drilled new holes and attached one of the trim pieces that I removed earlier.  This helped fill the large gap that was left after removing the decorative wood houses. 

STEP SEVEN: SEAL 

After I had my hymn board assembled, I applied two coats of water-based poly in a matte finish.  

STEP EIGHT: EMBELLISH AND HANG

I wasn't planning on adding anything else to my hymn board, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was missing something.  I decided to cut a cross out of thin scrap wood, which I attached to the top of the board using spray adhesive.  I finished off my board with vintage hymn board numbers and hung it in my mudroom.  

I've updated and transformed many thrift store finds, refinished, painted and updated countless pieces of furniture, but this dated calendar turned antique hymn board is by far my favorite. 

What do you think?  Does it resemble an authentic antique hymn board? 

     

FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER 

      

Affordable Etsy Art and New Mudroom Art

Do you like the look of original art, but can't stomach the high price tag?  Consider these beautiful, affordable and unique prints from Etsy!

Happy Thursday!

Today was cloudy, rainy and a stay inside and do nothing kind of day.  

Since working outside on furniture was out of the question, I decided to do a little indoor decor swap instead.  

A few weeks ago, I came across a Golden Retriever sketch and knew right away I had to order one for my home.  At the time, I had no idea where I would hang the dog print, but knew it would make the perfect addition to my decor.  I mean, it's a Golden Retriever that looks just like my Ellie.  How could I resist?  

Read more »

Modern Mudroom Refresh with Walmart

Refresh your entry or mudroom with beautiful and neutral decor from Walmart! 

This post is sponsored by Walmart 

I've never been a fan of winter.  

It's wet, it's cold, it's dark and it always makes me feel a little down and a bit unproductive.  Does anyone else feel this way?  I surely can't be the only one. 

So, after I packed away the Christmas decor, I took the opportunity to boost my mood (and a break from working on Paige's new room) and did a little modern mudroom refresh.  I mean, what better way to improve your mood than a little styling and decorating?

Read more »

Holiday Home Tour 2021: Vintage Modern Christmas Mudroom

A vintage modern mudroom decorated with simple neutral Christmas decor! 

It's time to start Christmas decorating!

The mudroom is one of my favorite rooms in the house and where I was most excited to decorate.  

Last year, I added a few pops of red to my Christmas decor, but this year, I kept my holiday decor completely neutral.  It's a little vintage, a little modern, a lot neutral and completely transitions from Christmas to winter. 

Read more »