Make it Monday Tabletop Photo Holders

I think I dreamed up this project, literally. I am a vivid dreamer and when I very first wake up in the morning, I like to keep my eyes closed and try my best to consciously remember my dreams. The other morning I had a clear picture of this tabletop, shelf sitting photo holder as I awoke.

This is a very easy project and, as I love to do, I will give lots of ideas on how to vary it to make it your own.

I started with some closet rod pieces that I cut. You can cut this on a miter saw or with a handheld jigsaw or a handheld saw. Also, if you are into cutting wood, if your purchase the rod at Home Depot they will make cute for you. I cute two dowels about 9" long and two 6" long.

I sanded the dowels a bit to get the finish that was on them off. If you don't want to use wood dowels, you can use copper or galvanized pipe pieces, branches, croquet mallets.

I grabbed the paint color I wanted to use to paint them and some tape.  

I taped off sections on the dowels, making sure to match the tape placement on the dowels cut the same length.

Paint schemes can help to determine the style of your picture holders. Black and white for farmhouse, rainbow for boho, stain the dowels and don't paint them for a more traditional look. Instead of paint, you could wrap the dowels with yarn or embroidery floss in sections.

Stand the dowels on end to dry. I did paint the one end of the longer dowels. Is there anything more satisfying that peeling off painters tape and seeing a clean line?

Fold an 8" piece of tape over a couple times on one end. This is to create a little wedge or space between the two dowels.

Hold the two matching dowels together with the tape, with the folded tape piece in the middle between the dowels.

There are a lot of different options to hold the two dowel together. I used some hemp cord, about 15".

Wrap the cord around the end, about an inch in. I wrapped the cord five times and tied it underneath. You could use wire, hot glue in between the dowels, yarn, macramé cotton cord.

That's it! Tuck your favorite phots between the dowels and set them on a shelf or tabletop.

I love changing out photos, maybe featuring the kid who has the next birthday or using holiday pictures near the holiday.

If a picture is floppy, use some acid free tape or glue to stick it to a piece of cardstock.

These also will make great recipe holders or can hold a favorite quote or verse or can hold little artworks like the watercolors I have been working on.

I definitely plan on making up more sets of these to sell in the future. Try it and let me know how it turns out.