It’s the little things that turn a house into a home. Something small like a Welcome sign displayed in the entryway or a cute key holder by the coat rack can be enough to set a welcoming mood. You can actually combine these two things and make something both practical and pretty. This tutorial will teach you how to make a farmhouse-style stenciled key holder out of wood.

Materials you’ll need to build and stencil a key holder:

Wood boardsmall wood boxhot gluescissorspaint brushspongespot glazewhite acrylic paintwood glueartificial flowershookswall hangerstencil

DIY wooden key holder – step by step instructions

Step 1: Get everything ready

Before you actually start to put this thing together you should get all your supplies in one place and see if anything is missing or if you’d want to change anything. You’ll need a board and a little wooden box so check to see if you’re happy with their dimensions and the way in which they go together.

Step 2: Apply a glaze finish to the board

Use the oil spot glaze to cover the entire surface of the board. Start with the front and go over the edges as well. The back side can remain unfinished since it will be flush with the wall anyway. This glaze will give the wood a beautiful finish and will also protect it and help it last longer.

Step 3: Apply glaze to the wooden box

The little box that you’ll be attaching to the board is also made of wood so go ahead and apply the same glaze finish to it as well. That way it will match the board and will have a beautiful texture as well. Since it might not be made from the same type of wood as the board, the nuance might vary. Nevertheless, this doesn’t take away the charm of this piece.

How to stencil on wood

Step 4: Paint the “welcome” onto the board

Take some time to figure out exactly how you want the stencil to be positioned so the “welcome” is nicely centered to the right of the little wooden box. Mark where the box will go if it helps. Once you’re positioned the stencil the way you want it, use acrylic paint to outline the letters. Use a sponge for this so the letters don’t look perfect and to get that farmhouse-inspired vibe.

Step 5: Add the birds

This stencil also had these cute little birds sitting on a branch just above the welcome sign. However, not all of them could fit on this board without overlapping with the wooden box. So the stencil was turned back side up and repositioned. That way three of the birds could fit and they were nicely centered too without making it look like anything is missing. You can get creative with your stencil work and try all sorts of tricks and strategies to get the design that you want.

Step 6: Screw in the hooks

Next, once the paint is dry, take the three little screw-in hooks and decide where you want to place them. Space them apart evenly and gently mark their position on the board, just underneath the welcome sign. carefully screw them into the board one by one from left to right or in whatever order you prefer.

Step 7: Glue the little flowers on the board

It’s then time to add some of the little details, like the artificial flowers. Put a little dab of glue on the back of each one and then press them gently onto the board so they stick in place. Before you attach them permanently, figure out where you want each one to go. You won’t be able to rearrange them after that.

Step 8: Add the little box

That empty spot on the bottom left corner is where the little wooden box needs to go. Attach it to the board with wood glue and press it in place until it adheres. Wipe off any excess adhesive if there’s any.

Step 9: Add the wall hangers

The finishing touch is to add the wall hangers. These one have adhesive and just need to be attached to the back side of the board. They don’t really need to be super strong since this little key holder doesn’t really weigh much, not even with all the keys on it. Put one hanger on the left and another on the right along the top of the board. Now you’re ready to hang it on a wall and to make your entryway look extra charming.

Position these hangers so you only see the little metal bits sticking out from the top. They don’t need to be perfectly aligned but try to be as accurate as possible. That way your key holder will be level when you put it up on the wall.