Valentine’s Day Interchangeable Ladder

There are so many different holidays and seasons to decorate for, but I usually don’t do any decorating, other than for Christmas.  Then, I saw a few interchangeable ladders online, and thought they were such a cute idea!  The ones I saw online were mostly kits, that include wood cutouts for decorating.  I thought that was a really cute idea, but then I thought, why not just hang SVG die cuts from it?  This way I can use the files I already have, or buy new ones online anytime I want, and always have a reason to use my Cricut machine.

Think about it, there’s New Years, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Spring, Canada Day and The 4th Of July, Summer, Fall, Veteran’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course, Christmas.  Not to mention photos, school work, cards, and birthday decorations.  All these themes have die cuts and decorations that could hang from an easy to make ladder.  And, look really cute!

So, off to the hardware store I went.  I bought some wood (I think it’s 1″ x 2″, but I can’t remember the exact measurements).  When you go to the hardware store and see all the different options of wood, you may choose something heavier and wider than I chose.  It’s just personal preference.  The wood I chose is light, and if you don’t feel like screwing on the rungs, you could always just use wood glue.  It’s really durable, and would make putting it together super easy.  Plus, I didn’t hang anything heavy from my ladder, so the rungs wouldn’t rip up if glued together anyways.

Now, if you don’t have a way of cutting your wood, there’s usually a hand saw that you can use yourself in the store.  Maybe bring along a tape measure and pencil just in case there aren’t any there to use.  Or, you can get someone there to cut your pieces for you.  It may cost a couple extra dollars to have them do it, but it’s quicker, you’re pieces will be ready to go, and they’ll fit inside a car.  I cut two pieces of 8 foot strips at 5 feet long, then four pieces at 18 inches for the rungs.  Two 8 foot pieces of wood should give you all your pieces with nothing left over.  Otherwise, just cut your long pieces just shy of 5 feet to ensure you have enough. (Once your 5 foot piece has been cut, cut the leftover in half to give you two 18 inch pieces of wood, or two of your rungs).

While at the store, grab some little hooks to hang your die cuts from, as well as some paint or stain.  I did a quick coat of eggshell Terrace White from CIL.  I just painted mine fast, missing parts of the wood, to give it a rustic look.  You may need to pre-drill your holes for the hooks, so they’ll go in easier without splitting the wood.

When I assembled my ladder, I put the rungs on crooked, to give it a fun whimsical look.  I may make another ladder in the near future and put the rungs on straight, but for now I’m happy with how it turned out.  I think it’s pretty cute!

The photo above is how my ladder turned out.  Right now it’s decorated with some of my Valentine’s Day designs.  I got a thin, and really light, wood arrow from the Dollar Tree store, and added some silver vinyl to it, as well as my BE MINE VALENTINE svg.  My lips were actually cut out of a red holographic gift bag that I got at the dollar store as well.  There’s actually a lot of things you can use from the dollar store if you don’t live near an actual craft store.  Also, I’m super frugal, so I’m always looking at things I can use from the dollar store!  Gift bags are a great option.  They come in lots of different colors, and even textures, and are a nice, solid material to use!  I also created my LOVE banner svg, and Heart and Arrow SVG.

If you use any of my Valentine SVG files for your own ladder, or other project, I’d love to see photos!

Feel free to share them on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SVG-Files-by-Crafty-Canada-117654625476996/

You can find all my Valentine SVGs at my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/CraftyCanadaStudio?ref=search_shop_redirect&section_id=21706719

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