the stockings were hung.

Published on by Quandie

I get a lot of my inspiration from pinterest, and I bet a few of you do too.  Quite a while back (probably at least 4 or 5 years ago) I pinned this …

I wish I could give credit for this photo, but there were no links or watermarks or anything.  I really loved the look of that painted and stenciled sock stretcher.

So I started snatching up sock stretchers when I saw them at garage or estate sales.

In case you’ve never heard of sock stretchers (or sock blockers), they are used to keep your woolen socks from shrinking as they dry.  You wash the socks, and then put them over the sock stretcher to dry.

Based on the numbers stamped on the backs, I’d say you must have been able to buy them in your size thus keeping your socks shaped just right for your feet.

The thing I can’t figure out is why every time I’ve seen them at sales, the seller has just one of them.  Wouldn’t you at least need to have a pair?  I don’t know.  But check out this article for more info on sock stretchers.

Anyway, I pulled out my selection of sock stretchers to give them a little makeover for Christmas.  I started by painting them in Dixie Belle’s Sawmill Gravy.  Turns out that a couple of them were bleeders.  This provided me with a great opportunity to show you what that looks like in a side by side comparison.

These were both painted in one coat of Sawmill Gravy. The one on top has an orange-ish stain that is bleeding through the paint.  This was easily fixed by adding a coat of Dixie Belle’s BOSS, letting it dry overnight, and then painting over it.  Then one more coat of Sawmill Gravy was all it needed.

Next I pulled out some of the new stencils that I received from Maison de Stencils.  This time I used Dixie Belle’s Gravel Road paint to do my stenciling.  I like using Dixie Belle paint for stenciling because it’s nice and thick.  People often ask for tips on getting a crisp look with stencils.  Using a thicker paint like the Dixie Belle paint, or re.design with Prima Marketing’s Chalk Paste, helps keep your paint from seeping under the edges of your stencil.

I didn’t use any of the stencils ‘as is’ exactly, instead I just placed portions of words where I thought they looked best on the sock stretchers.  I tried to space them out so they looked uniform, but also so that they filled in most of the space.

Once the paint was dry, I sanded lightly and then gave them a coat of wax.  Some of them needed holes drilled into the top so that I could hang them with string.

I think maybe I need to add some sprigs of greenery to the tops of mine like the one in the inspiration photo has.

In the meantime, the stockings are hung on the pine cupboard with care.  In hopes that St. Nicholas will … well, I guess he can’t really fill them up with any goodies, now can he?

Now, for today’s giveaway!  If you’ve been following along, today is day 10 of my 12 days of giveaways.  I’ve drawn names for the winners of prizes 1 through 8 so far.  You can still leave a comment to win prize 9 from Monday if you leave a comment on that post by midnight tonight.  If your name is drawn as a winner, I will notify you by email so be sure you’re checking your mail.

Today’s prize package includes lots of fun stuff to use when stenciling.

If I draw your name at random you will receive 4 stencils from Maison de Stencils including the very handy grain sack stripe stencil.  Plus these re.design with Prima Marketing products; the mini paint roller (which works fantastically when doing larger all over stencil work like on my velvet inspired wrapping paper), a 1″ stencil brush, their chalk paste in Iron Gate and Vintage Lace and their Decor Wax in Diamond Dust.  Did you know you can stencil with their Decor Wax?  Check out this post to learn more about that technique.

Thank you to Maison de Stencils for sponsoring this giveaway by providing the stencils, and to Prima Marketing for providing the roller, brush, chalk paste and decor wax.  Also, thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for supplying the paint I used on my stockings.

The rules:  to be eligible to win today’s prize leave a comment on this blog post.  If you can’t think of anything to say, just tell me, have you seen any good pinterest inspiration lately?  Your comment must be left on the blog, not on Facebook or Instagram.  You are not required to follow my blog, although it would be awesome if you did!

I will randomly draw the name of a winner for today’s prize from all of the comments left on this post by Friday, December 20, 2019 at the stroke of midnight (U.S. Central time).

The fine print: no purchase necessary, you must be 18 years of age or older to win, void where prohibited by law, the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning, approximate retail value of prize is $100 if the prize is not claimed by Sunday, December 22, another name will be drawn at random to win, blah, blah, blah.

Good luck!

97 thoughts on “the stockings were hung.”

  3. love these! Wish I could find some of these but I guess they wouldnt be too hard to make with some thin wood. Love your spin on them and that cupboard they are hanging on!

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  4. Hi Q,
    Lucky Duck to find these stocking stretchers at garage sales. I’ve only seen a few in my area at antique stores and they were a bit pricey. You’ve done such a great job with the stencils and paint. Very inspiring.

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. How beautiful are these stockings? I have several hanging in my foyer and now I may just stencil on them to add something more to an already great piece. Thank you for showing me something new.

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  17. I LOVE sock stretchers! I had a pair years ago I used every Christmas – put old wool socks on them, with a touch of evergreen tucked inside in my laundry room. What ever possessed me to sell them, I don’t know, but I miss them every Christmas! PS – where are the winner names? I have only seen maybe 3 of them?

    Liked by 1 person

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  24. Those are very cute! Interestingly enough I’ve never seen down here in Texas. Only the upper Midwest. I guess they didn’t need wool stocking down south.

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  28. Lovely idea to transform the sock stretchers! I recently acquired many salt and pepper shakers which I turned into snow people – a cute idea from Pinterest.

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  31. Linda, I love these stocking stretchers updated. They can be displayed any time throughout the year, something most Christmas decorations can’t achieve. And the previous post of the dark grey damask wax stencil post is outstanding. I don’t know how I missed that, since I am a loyal reader, but I did! Lots of inspiration in today’s blog. Thanks for your beautiful projects.

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  33. Again, love what you’ve created. I see those sock stretchers once in a while, but couldn’t think of what to do with them. The stencil idea is great. I also think using them in a laundry room with appropriate stencils would be fun, now I’ve got to find myself one😊. The tip about using a thicker paint for stenciling is so helpful.

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  35. I love that look of rustic pine and greenery- simple lines and a sense of minimalist. I guess they didn’t need tons of storage space because they didn’t have much! Your packages of treats look awesome.

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  37. Wow… I have never seen sock stretchers before, and I’m very glad to not use them!
    I must say, aside from the great projects, techniques, and ideas I get from your blog, I actually learn quite a bit from you too! I always enjoy spending my time with you. Thanks again, and Merry Christmas!

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  38. Oh my! I love those! I will have to start the hunt! I’m going down under and their flea markets are great! So maybe I will get lucky! Thank you so much for all your inspiration! And give a ways!
    Smiles, alice

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  40. I love Pinterest and it’s my favorite ‘chill’ thing to do. These stocking stretchers are awesome and I really like what you’ve done with them.

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  41. Since I am drawn to old items, Pinterest has reaffirmed my natural tendancy to decorate eclectically. I have sometimes gotten looks from friends and family (hanging a deer skull in one bathroom, years ago) and been happily reassured that others look at items unconventionally. Pinterest is a creative goldmine and I am so glad it is available.

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  47. I have wanted sock stretchers for years after seeing them in magazines! I finally ran across some this year at an estate auction! I got a very good deal on them! I hung them in my laundry room. Love yours! Would love to win your drawing. I am a loyal reader, not one that comments only when there is a giveaway.😀

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  48. Well these have been the best giveaway’s!! Cannot believe they will soon be over. You keep coming up with really different gifts. And they all inspire! Had never seen or heard of sock stretchers. Have used pant stretchers for creasing slacks and jeans. Guess that tells my age. Have a great rest of the week and will check in again on Friday.

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  49. You rarely ever find these sock stretchers in my area of Kansas. How cool it would be to find one someday and do this to it! Would love to try out the goodies you are offering today. Wishing you a blessed Christmas season.

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  50. I never heard of sock stretchers before today. I love what you’ve done with these. A very cool project, indeed. I’ve recently started using chalk paste and decor waxes and started a mixed media board on Pinterest for inspiration. So much inspiration, so little time.

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