How to Make an Easter Cross
Today I am going to share how to make a Cross for Easter. This cross would look perfect in any decor, or on an Easter Buffet Table. You could even use it as an outside decoration in a garden, or it would be beautiful in a large flower pot surrounded by Spring flowers. Wherever you decide to use it, it is sure to Wow your family and guests. It was not hard to make, but it did require a variety of tools.
Supplies
What you will need:
2X 4 lumber 8 feet
12″ wide lumber cut to 12″ length
Fence Staples (4)
Wood Glue
Nails (2)
White Paint
Gray Stain
Barbed Wire about 12 feet
Cable Ties (2)
Twig wreath
Garland
35 light Christmas string
Tools
Palm Sander (recommended) or Sanding Block
Clamps
Strong Wire Cutters, or Bolt Cutter
Hammer
Making the Easter Cross
The first thing you need to do is to cut the 2X4 into 2 3 foot lengths and 1 2 foot piece. Lay the 2-foot piece on top of one of the 3-foot pieces where you want the cross to go. Mine was about 6 inches down from the top. Mark the top and bottom of the cross board on the cross.
Make cuts at the lines then stack the pieces on top of the other 3-foot section. Now it should look like this:
Next glue and clamp the boards together. Then glue and clamp the cross piece. Let dry the recommended time on your glue. I let my boards dry overnight.
The final step in making the cross is to add the bottom. It seems like you would need something bigger and heavier to hold the weight of the wood but the 12″ piece is really enough. I just turned the cross upside down and nailed it on. I did use two nails, one into each 2X4.
Aging the Wood
The next thing I did was to age the wood. I have a video tutorial for this that you can watch here, the only thing I did differently for this was that I didn’t dilute the paint.
If you don’t want to watch the whole video here’s what to do. Paint the white paint on, then wipe it off so it is whitewashed. Then paint on the stain and wipe it off. Let it dry. Again I let my boards dry overnight.
After it was dry I sanded it with a palm sander and a 100 grit paper.
This what it looks like after those steps
:
Decorate
Now we get to decorate it. The first thing I did in this part was to secure one end of the garland to the bottom of the cross post using fencing staples.
I wrapped the Garland around the post and secured it again at the top. The next layer was the barbed wire. Be careful when working with this. When you open it, it will uncoil like a spring, and it is sharp and dangerous. Make sure you have on long sleeves and eye protection. I attached the barbed wire the same way as the garland, using fence staples at the top and bottom. Try to work with the wire bending in the direction it was coiled so you don’t have to muscle it into place.
Cut the wire and attach the other end the same way as you did at the bottom.
The final step in this part is to wrap the Christmas Lights around the post. I started at the top and made a W pattern all the way down and around in the greens to hide the wire. I had some left over that I just wrapped a few times around the bottom of the post. The plug should end up at the bottom and in the back.
Now take the twig wreath and attach the barbed wire on the back with a cable tie. I just went through some of the branches so it didn’t show on the top. Wrap the barbed wire around the wreath, again being VERY careful. When you are all the way around cut the wire and attach the end again using a cable tie.
Place the wreath over the top of the cross. I used mine on the hearth of my In Laws Fireplace.
Enjoy
This was a fun piece to make, and will last for many Easters to come. It is sure to be a decoration that all your friends and family will admire. As always if you have any questions as you are making this project reach out to me. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter too for freebies throughout the year.
Till Next Time…
