How to Build Wood Lawn Ornaments

Homeowners often use wooden lawn ornaments to decorate for holidays, or to announce birthdays or other important dates. Lawn ornaments add color and whimsy to a yard, no matter the time of year. You can buy ornaments or build your own wood lawn ornaments in a few hours.

Things You'll Need

• Plywood
• Jigsaw
• Paint
• Wooden stakes
• Coloring books
• Overhead projector (optional)
• Pencil
• Sharpie marker
• Paint primer
• Sandpaper
• Three nuts and bolts
• Solar spotlight (optional)

Instructions

1. Decide what your wood lawn ornaments will look like. Children's coloring books can help give you ideas.

2. Draw the image on your piece of plywood with a pencil. If you aren't good at drawing freehand, use an overhead projector to project the image onto the plywood. Overhead projectors usually can be rented in most cities and towns.

3. Use the Sharpie marker to trace all the lines of the image.

4. Cut the outline of the image using the jigsaw. Make sure not to cut any interior lines of the ornament with the saw.

5. Sand the cut edges until smooth. If you have a sander, you can use it, but sanding by hand is acceptable.

6. Put a coat of paint primer on the plywood. This will protect the plywood from rain, snow, cold, heat and humidity.

7. Paint the image. Because the Sharpie marker will show through the primer slightly, you will still be able to see the outlines of your image. Allow the paint to dry completely.

8. Attach the wooden stake to the lawn ornament with the three nuts and bolts. The head of each bolt should be on the front of the ornament. You can paint the bolts if you wish. Leave at least 12 inches of the stake below the bottom edge of the lawn ornament so you can stake it into the ground. If the lawn ornament is wide, use two or three stakes, spaced evenly, to support it.

9. Put the wood lawn ornament in your yard. Shine a solar spotlight on it to enjoy it even after the sun has set.