A Very Ukulele Christmas

Another Christmas gift post!

This time the gifts were for Brad. He had a very ukulele Christmas this year and I knew that between the one he was getting from his parents for Christmas, the one he was getting for the girls, and the one he already had, we were about to have a situation. The ukuleles needed a home in the house.

I found that the tool hooks at hardware stores are a great size for hanging ukes, guitars, etc. With leftover wood from my parents' shoe cabinet, I was able to make an awesome ukulele hanger!

I predrilled holes and screwed in the tool hooks. I spaced them about 11 inches apart - since ukuleles aren't very big, this left plenty of space in between each so that they won't bang together.

I stained these with Varathane's Kona stain, hit the edges with my Ryobi Corner Cat, and then polyed (did I make that verb up?) the whole thing with Triple Thick Poly by Varathane (I love that stuff!) I LOVE the way the finish turned out.

Next I wanted something for his song books and folders. I made a simple magazine rack using 1x2s and a piece of decorative moulding. A simple "U" glued and screwed and then the moulding glued and nailed - ta da! The cross piece doesn't need to be anything substantial, though it can be - just depends on the look you're going for and how sturdy it needs to be.  Another piece of 1x2 would also work, but I was going for a thinner piece for a lower profile look. I applied the same finish on this as I did on the uke hanger, of course!

Where in your home could you use a simple magazine rack? So easy to build and so versatile - you could even make it half as wide and use it next to the bed for a bedtime book!

Hanging these was super simple - while I was building them, I predrilled and countersunk holes so it was just a matter of choosing the position, making sure everything was level, and screwing straight through the front. Fortunately, I was able to get the uke hanger into two studs! That thing's not going anywhere!

Brad was so happy with the gifts :) - he loves having everything handy but put away. And ME TOO - no one likes clutter, and I especially love when everything has a home. :)



***Edited to add - These hangers are now available for purchase in my Etsy shop!