DIY Christmas Card Holder

Looking for a unique DIY Christmas card display? Make this holder shaped like an adorable church. It’s easy to do with scrap wood and these free templates.

DIY Christmas Card Holder

Christmas cards are a festive way to send season’s greetings, but where do you put them once they’re opened? Mine used to sit in a pile until I made this Christmas card holder.

Make your holiday cards stand out with this eye-catching card display shaped like a whimsical little church. It’s a fantastic way to showcase and organize your greeting cards.

This DIY Christmas card holder is a fun and easy project. All you need is some scrap wood and a couple of common woodworking tools.

The free step-by-step plan includes all of the measurements, easy-to-follow instructions, detailed diagrams, and three templates to lay out the curved details.

You’ll want to make two of these, one for yourself and one to give as a gift.

Inspiration for this Christmas Card Holder

I found a holiday decoration in an online catalog that inspired this DIY Christmas card holder. The store-bought version was nearly $70, but I knew I could make a do-it-yourself version for less.

This DIY card holder, shaped like a quaint little church, was made entirely with scrap wood. It’s is a creative way to display and organize your favorite greeting cards.

Related: 71 Scrap Wood Projects (Clever Ways to Reuse Old Wood)

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Where Can You Use This Card Holder?

• Fireplace mantel
• Kitchen counter
• Centerpiece on dining room table

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What Tools Do You Need to Make a Holiday Card Holder?

This easy-to-make holiday card holder is a simple project that you can build in an afternoon using basic woodworking skills and just a few common woodworking tools.

Tools like a scroll saw or jigsaw and a brad nailer or hammer. It’s also helpful to have other saws like a miter saw and a table saw.

💡 TIP: The cuts for this project don’t need to be precise. I think any imperfections add to the rustic charm.

Scroll Saw

I used a scroll saw to cut the openings in the sides and the front and back of this project. You might be able to use a jigsaw to make these cuts instead.

Table Saw

I used a table saw to rip the sides and front and back panels to width, and a miter saw to cut them to length. But as I mentioned, these cuts don’t need to be precise. So you might be able to trace the templates on the wood and then cut them out entirely using a scroll saw or jigsaw.

I also used a table saw to cut the bevel for the roof pieces for this card holder. You might be able to adjust the bevel of your jigsaw and use a Kreg Straightedge Guide to make these cuts instead.

Related: How to Use a Kreg Straight Edge Guide

Brad Nailer

I used a brad nailer to attach the parts of this project, but you might be able to use a hammer and nails instead.

Related: Brad Nailer vs Finish Nailer: Which to Choose & Why

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What Wood Should You Use?

This project doesn’t require much wood, so it’s a great way to use up some scrap wood. I made the holder using scrap pieces of ½” plywood, a piece 1×3, 1×4, and 1×6.

Related: How to Decide What Scrap Wood to Keep

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How Do You Draw the Curved Details?

The curves on this card holder could be tricky to draw if you had to do it by hand. Fortunately, you don’t have to. The free printable plan includes three templates that take the guesswork out of laying out these curved details.

Just get the free plan, print the templates, trace it on the boards, and then use a saw to make the cuts.

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How Do You Finish the Holiday Card Display?

This card display could be finished in a variety of ways. It could be left natural, painted, stained, or a combination of paint and stain.

I wanted to keep this project simple, so I painted the church with this chalk-type paint. Unlike other types of paint, you don’t need to apply a primer to the wood before applying chalk-type paint.

Related: How to Spray Chalk-Style Paint

This project is small, so I applied the paint with an artist’s brush. Chalk-type paint dries quickly, so I was able to apply two coats in just a few hours.

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Step 1. Make the Front and Back

I used my table saw to rip two pieces of plywood to width. Then, I used my miter saw to cut them to about length.

Related: 21 Table Saw Safety Rules (& Mistakes to Avoid)

Use the template (at the end of the printed plan) to trace the details onto the front and back panel.

When printing the PDF template, be sure to set the scale to 100%. I added a grid pattern to the template to help align the two sections, but the pattern was not useful. Instead, I butted the two pieces of paper end to end. Then I aligned the two halves by placing a straightedge on the printed lines and joined the sections with tape.

💡 TIP: I prefer templates to be rigid. So I applied some spray adhesive to a manila folder and placed the template on top. Then I cut out the template with scissors.

The manila folder provides a lip for the pencil to trace around. I used painter’s tape to help keep the template in position while I traced.

I used painter’s tape to join the front and back pieces temporarily. Taping the pieces together allowed me to cut the front and back at the same time.

I used a scroll saw with this 10 TPI blade (teeth per inch) to cut out these curved details, but you might be able to use a jigsaw instead.

I made the cuts next to the pencil line. This way, I could sand up to the pencil line.

It’s not necessary, but I used this portable spindle sander to smooth the curved edges of the side panels. The spindle sander makes quick work of smoothing any saw marks. If I didn’t have a spindle sander, I would have smoothed the edges by hand with sandpaper.

Related: The Best Sanders for Furniture: Which One to Buy & Why

I used a mouse sander to smooth the sides and the transition between the sides and the curves.

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Step 2. Make the Side Panels

The sides were made in a similar way to the front. I used my table saw to rip two pieces of plywood to width. Then I used my miter saw to cut the pieces to length.

Use the template (at the end of the printed plan) to trace the details onto the side panels. I used painter’s tape to help keep the template in position while I traced.

I used the same method to make the side panel template as I did for the front/back template in Step 1.

I used a scroll saw to cut out the side panels, but you might be able to use a jigsaw instead. 

Again, I used the spindle sander to smooth the curves.

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Step 3. Assemble the Card Holder

Cut one piece of wood to length for the upper section of the base. Cut one piece of wood to length for the lower section of the base. Apply glue to the upper section, center on the lower section, and tack in place with 1″ brad nails.

Related: Pin Nailer vs Brad Nailer (Differences + Which to Use)

Apply glue to the bottom of a side panel, position on the base, and attach using 1″ brad nails.

Repeat for the other side.

Apply glue to the ends of the sides, position on the front, and clamp. Attach using 1″ brad nails.

Repeat for the back.

I painted the inside of the holder now because this area could be tricky to paint after the roof is installed.

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Step 4. Attach the Roof

I used my table saw to rip two roof sections to width with a 30-degree bevel on one edge. You might be able to make these bevel cuts with a jigsaw instead. Then I used my miter saw to cut the roof sections to length.

Apply glue to the top of the front and back panels, center the roof section from side to side, and attach using 1″ brad nails.

Repeat for the other roof section.

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Step 5. Attach the Steeple

Use the template (at the end of the printed plan) to trace the details onto a piece of wood.

I drilled a hole in the window area to make a starting point for the saw blade.

I used a scroll saw to cut out the steeple, but you might be able to use a jigsaw instead.

I applied glue to the bottom of the steeple and attached using 1″ brad nails.

I used my table saw to rip two roof sections to length with a bevel on one edge. Then, I used my miter saw to cut the roof sections to length. 

⚠️ CAUTION: Please be careful. These parts are small.

I applied glue to the top of the steeple and used a Kreg Multi-Mark to position the roof ½” from the front of the steeple. Attach using 1″ brad nails.

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Step 6. Finish the Card Holder

See How Do You Finish the Holiday Card Display? for more information.

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Final Thoughts

For the final thoughts about this project, I want to share a quote that my friend Andrea wrote for a display at the historical society where I volunteer.

Christmas cards, is there a tradition so dear? They carry news from home or far away, the weather, births and passings, the troubles of life, and the joy of gifts and plans. They reunite families and friends at this special time of year. And are sent, always, with love.”

Get the free plan (including the detailed instructions and measurements) now!

Thank you for stopping by. If you enjoyed this tutorial, would you please take a moment and pin it to Pinterest? I’d really appreciate it!

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