Lamp Post - Sign Hanger - Wreath Hanger

Okay, some of you kept asking about my lamp post sign hanger project and wanted me to post the link. Be grateful! I worked on getting this just right. For you.

My dismal front porch was just crying out for SOMETHING! In my mind I kept picturing lights... signs... wreaths... hmmm. A quick visit to Pinterest gave me some ideas.

There was this adorable one

And this cute one

But they were both EXTREMELY SHORT: only about 2 feet (24 inches) tall. My porch needed something substantial! I ended up wandering around HomeDepot like one of those crazy people who have a project to do but NO IDEA how to do it. Yeah, that was me.

What I Bought
(1) 8-ft  4x4 beam (they cut it in half for me for FREE so I ended up with (2) 4-ft lengths)
(1) 5-ft  12x1 board
(1) 5-ft  8x1 board
(1) 5-ft  6x1 board
(1) Small Tube of Liquid Nails Glue
(1) Can of Black Spray Paint
(1) Can of Clear Spray Paint
(1) Package of Sandpaper- various grits
(2) 6-inch long screws
(1) Metal hook 
(1) Solar-powered lighted fence post cap (AWESOME!!!)

4x4 Post. (The basketball is used to show scale.)

Three different width boards. 12x1, 8x1, and 6x1. (Again, the basketball is used to show scale.)

Close up of the footer when all assembled and painted and screwed together.

Close up of hook. I'm sure you can find prettier ones, but who's going to be looking at the hook?

Close up of lighted post cap.

Step-By-Step

1. Measure and saw off a square section from each of the boards. 
2. Sand all the wood pieces. 
3. Paint. I wanted instant gratification so I chose spray paint.
4. Let dry about an hour.
5. Sand again and put on another coat of paint.
6. Let dry about an hour.
7. Seal all the wood pieces with the clear coat.
8. Let dry overnight or so it's not tacky to the touch.
9. Assemble footer. This means you just stack the 3 pieces on top of each other. To make it easier to keep perfectly centered, I traced around each piece with a pencil exactly where it was placed on the one below it.
10. Glue footer pieces together. Here is where the Liquid Nails came into play. 
11. Let dry about two hours. I used a vice grip to keep the wood pieces together tightly until they dried.
12. Screw footer to post. I had my hubby drill holes in the bottom to make life so much easier.
13. Attach the hook.
14. Top off with light.
15. Hang your sign/wreath/whatever.
16. Admire your work!

And here's my COOL, CREATIVE, and CRAFTY version. And it is 4 feet (48 inches) tall. You can see it from the driveway! I love the way it looks right now. I can't wait to redress it for each season with something new. At night, it casts just a tiny glow... the same amount as those lawn lights... just enough to be charming.

Finished project! (The sign was just something I already had from another project. :)

Total Cost 
For this lamp post sign hanger project including tax: $38.24.
The best part is that I have enough materials left over to make a second one!! I just have to get another lighted post cap ($4.99) and hook ($2.48).