Tree Stand Boxes – Silhouette Monthly Challenge

Hi all and Welcome back!  I am so excited to be participating for the first time in the Silhouette Monthy Challenge.  I just got my first Silhouette machine, and I love it although I have so much to learn.  If you aren’t sure what a Silhouette is, it’s basically a cutting machine.  You can design whatever you want, and then send it to your Silhouette to cut it out.  It can cut cardstock, vinyl, and a whole lot of other options.  It’s great! I decided to do some tree stand boxes to go tie the trees in the front to the rustic Christmas porch I did.

 

The very first project I did was cut those house numbers out for the Reindeer door hanger I did.  That was pretty easy. I wanted to keep this one easy as well, since I’m still learning this machine.  But, First things first.  I built these simple little boxes.  Outdoor Christmas trees are so fun, however, skirts don’t work so well with them.  So, I thought these boxes would be cute and work much better.

Materials Needed

This post contains affiliate links.  See my full disclosure policy here. 

PureBond Plywood

Pocket Hole Screws

Paint

Stencil or Vinyl Cutout

Polyurethane (if outside or Polycyclic inside)

 

Tools I Used

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

Drill

Silhouette (optional)

Saw (table or circular)

Kreg Rip Cut(optional)

Paint Wiz Paint Sprayer (optional)

Tutorial

First, I measured my space and then cut up some PureBond plywood.  I love PureBond, I’ve talked about it before, but it is sturdy and beautiful and made right here in the USA.  I actually used some scrap leftover from my vanity for these boxes and cut 4 pieces, all the exact same size.

If you don’t have a table saw, or have one, but have a hard time handling these big pieces of plywood, this Fence by KregJig is really helpful.  For most projects, you need your cuts to be super straight, so this allows you to do that without the table saw.

I then put 3 pocket holes on one side of each board…can you see where I’m going with this?

 

Then I just connected them with pocket hole screws and wood glue. That’s it!  Simple, easy little box.

 

I didn’t’ want the vinyl I cut out to stay on the box.  I’m sure I would have been fine, but since it was going to be outside in the elements, I decided not to chance it with the vinyl.  I painted a small area red.

Next, I cut out my deer head.  I bought it in the Silhouette studio for $.50 I think and cut it out pretty quickly.  I placed it over the red paint.

Then I used my new PaintWiz paint sprayer to paint the entire tree stand box black.  It gives such a nice, even effect. If you are interested in winning a sprayer, head over to my Instagram account and follow along with our “13 Days of Woodworking” challenge.  I’ll be presenting my project Saturday, so you can also check back here then for the details!

 

Next, carefully peel off the vinyl.

Since I would be using these boxes outdoors, I coated them with two coats of polyurethane.  THIS kind is made for outdoor projects.

 

I’m sorry for the lack of photos.  I’ll be back to update soon, but ever since I finished these tree stand boxes, it’s been cold and rainy and dark.  Ahhh, winter :).

If you like this idea, but wondering what other fun projects you could do with your silhouette machine, check out these holiday projects from my friends.

1. A Turtles Life From Home – Hand Lettered Holiday Scroll
2. Michelle James Designs – Winter Wonderland Throw Pillows Using the Silhouette Cameo
3. Uncookie Cutter – Tree Stand Box
4. Vintage Romance Style – Cabin Cozy Scrap Wood Snowflake
5. Simply {Darr}ling – Upcycled Christmas Card Display
6. Knock It Off Kim – DIY Christmas Stocking Tags
7. Houseful of Handmade – DIY Vintage Christmas Scroll
8. Dwell Beautiful – Glittery Christmas Song Lyric Art
9. Morena’s Corner – Make Black and White Cards
10. Rachel Teodoro – Lighted Christmas Tree Truck
11. Pocketful of Posies – DIY Simple Joy Ornament

 

That’s it for today!  Thanks for stopping by!

April

Tree Stand Boxes

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