DIY Rustic Handmade Decor – Making Beautiful Crafts made with Contractor Shims

If you’ve been crafting along with my shims series, let’s explore even more amazing decor items you can make using shims. This post will show you a few everyday, flexible, and timeless ideas. These are the kinds of pieces you can keep out year-round, style in different ways, and easily adapt as the seasons change.

Today’s projects include:

• a decorative wood crate made from a cardboard box
• a simple hanging wall art piece using fabric + shims
• a wood plank sign created from a reverse canvas

All three projects use the same budget-friendly hero supply: contractor shims. And each one shows just how versatile they really are.

Project #1: Decorative Wood Shim Box

A cardboard box turned into a rustic wooden crate

This project is such a good reminder that sometimes the best craft bases are already in your recycling bin.

Supplies

• Cardboard box (any size)
• 14″ cedar shims
• Hot glue gun + glue sticks
• Miter shears
• Water-based stain (espresso tone)
• Creamy white chalk paint (Ecru)
• Sanding block
• Apothecary label holder + tiny screws
• Cardstock + stamp (for label)
• Faux flowers or greenery

Step-by-step overview

Start by trimming all the flaps off your cardboard box so you’re left with a clean, open container. The box becomes the form — the shims do all the visual work.

Cut your shims to match the height of the box sides. You can either glue the shims vertically (picket-fence style, like shown), or glue them horizontally for fewer cuts and a plank look

Begin gluing in the center of each side and work outward. When you reach the corners, allow one shim to slightly overlap the edge, then trim the next piece to wrap around cleanly. This extra step makes a huge difference in the finished look.

Once the box is fully wrapped:

• apply a water-based stain and wipe it back to reveal the grain
• dry brush with creamy white chalk paint
• lightly sand to soften the finish and remove that “fresh paint” look

Finish it off with a small apothecary label holder. By using stamped cardstock inside the holder, you can change the label anytime — which makes this box incredibly versatile.

Style it with flowers, use it for storage, or treat it like a small planter box. Once finished, you’d never guess there’s a cardboard box underneath.

Project #2: Hanging Wall Art with Shims

A fabric printable sandwiched between stained wood

This project is simple, sweet, and surprisingly impactful.

Supplies

• Four 12″ shims (cut down to ~9″)
• Miter shears
• Antique wax (used as stain)
• Fabric printable (8×10) (find this design inside my Printable Nest library)
• Drop cloth or muslin fabric (see THIS POST to learn about printing on fabric)
• Jute string
• Hot glue

Step-by-step overview

1. Trim all four shims to the same length. Pair them thick to thin, so the variation in depth adds visual interest when stacked.
2. Stain the shims using antique wax, wiping it back with a baby wipe just like a color wash. Let dry.
3. Instead of drilling holes or attaching hardware to the back, glue two lengths of jute string between the top shims before attaching your printable. This sandwiches the string in place and creates a built-in hanger.
4. Glue the printable between the top and bottom shim pairs, lining everything up carefully. That’s it — your hanging art is finished.

This technique works beautifully for:

• fabric printables
• seasonal artwork
• simple signs
• wreath accents
• interchangeable decor

It’s one of those methods you’ll come back to again and again.

Project #3: Reverse Canvas Wood Plank Sign

A shiplap-style background made from shims

This project starts with a regular 8×10 canvas — and ends with a completely different look.

Supplies

• 8×10 wrapped canvas
• 8″ shims
• Staple remover + pliers
• Hot glue
• Creamy white paint
• Antique wax
• Sanding block
• Small wood plaque
• Fabric printables (find these designs inside the Printable Nest)
• Glue dots (for interchangeability)

Building the base

1. Remove all the staples from the back of the canvas and separate the canvas from the frame. You’ll be left with a sturdy wooden frame — perfect for building on.
2. Paint the frame with creamy white, then lightly sand to expose wood. Apply antique wax over the paint and wipe it back so it settles into the grooves and adds warmth.
3. While frame is drying, stain shims using antique wax or paint wash
4. Lay your shims across the opening, alternating thick and thin sides, leaving small gaps between them to mimic a shiplap look. Hot Glue them in place, making sure the first shim is level before continuing.

Making it interchangeable

Hot glue a small wood plaque to the center, then add a fabric printable on top using removable glue dots. This makes it easy to swap designs without damaging the surface.

This base can be reused endlessly for seasonal sayings, kitchen signs, market, coffee, flower shop styles and holiday decor. It’s one of those “blank slate” builds that sparks ideas immediately.

Hope you’re enjoying all the Shim Ideas

What I love most is how forgiving these projects are. The imperfections, the uneven edges, the texture — it all adds character. Shims invite creativity instead of precision, and that’s a really freeing way to craft.

Be sure to check out the full shim playlist so you can see how all these ideas connect and build on one another.

I’d love to know:

• which project was your favorite
• how you would customize these ideas
• what you’d use these bases for in your own home

Don’t forget — you’re amazing, you’re creative, and I can’t wait to craft with you again.

In Case you missed these?

Did you see the DIY Winter Crafts with Shims post and the DIY Rustic Valentine’s Sign and Arrow post with tons of details, tips and suggestions on more shims projects!

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