Fan Blade Junk Angel DIY

A few years ago, I found a ceiling fan in the garbage and ever since, I've been obsessed with turning the old blades into new pieces of seasonal home decor.

It's a funny pastime for a girl who made her husband remove every single fan in the house the day we moved in.

Let's just say I've never been a fan of the fan.




However, over the years, I've made all sorts of fun and creative things out of those blades.

Door tags to welcome fall.

A floral embellished sign for spring.

Ghosts for Halloween.

Tom Turkey for Thanksgiving and even a hand painted tree for Christmas.

And every time I think I've exhausted my supply of fan parts, one falls out of my craft closet and I'm off and running with another idea.

Today, I'm excited to share my latest - and I may dare to say greatest - upcycle of them all. And just in time for our latest Do It Over Designers hop. 

It's a wooden fan blade junk angel and while she'd look great in the house all year round, at Christmas she's especially fabulous.

Come see for yourself.

So it all started back in August, when I saw a video from Country Sampler Magazine. It was a tutorial on how to make a junk angel from an old shutter.

I was smitten immediately. 

Of course, I didn't have any old shutters hanging around so I had to put my thinking cap on...and then got distracted by curtains and forgot all about it.

Until.

Until one day when I was digging through my craft closet for sewing supplies and a fan blade literally fell out and onto my foot.


It was then that the wheels started turning. 

The shape of the fan blade was reminiscent of a dress with its slightly belled shape and ruffled bottom. 

Bingo. Now the hunt was on for the other parts...hmmm.

While nothing else fell on me, I was able to dig out two old wooden frames (that used to hang on my bathroom wall- no seriously) for wings.

Supplies for the head were easy to find, too.


I had one medium sized wooden craft round, a remnant from my cake plate DIY, and enough moss and berry garland, more leftovers, this time from my sock angels, to complete my project. 

I swear that little cabinet is like the clown car of craft closets. I honestly don't know how it all fits. 

Once I had all my supplies gathered, it was time to put the old girl together. 

How To Make A Wooden Fan Blade Junk Angel 

While I do include supplies and detailed instructions when I share my crafts, I'm mostly hoping to inspire you.

That sentiment is very appropriate with this particular craft since it's a junk upcycle.


Feel free to embellish your own angel with anything you have hanging around.

Mine is simple, but yours could be holding an old book or have straw, ribbon or yarn hair.

You could opt to add arms with twigs or old wooden scraps.

The possibilities are truly endless and the more creative you get, the more personal your project will be.

Which is always best in my opinion. 

As I said, I started with an old fan blade, but that alone is no angel. She needed a head and that's where Mr. Wonderful and his drill came in.


First, I used a pencil to mark where I wanted the head to be mounted.

Then he used a drill to make pilot holes for the screws he used to attach the two pieces.

If he had screws with heads larger than the holes that were already drilled into the fan blade, we would've used them.


Alas, we did not and we didn't want to go buy anything.

Also, we used screws rather than nails because screws will grip better...and yes, we could've used glue, but again, we felt that screws were strongest.


When the pieces were put joined, I started painting.

I used white for the body and a flesh tone for the face. I didn't prime, since I wanted a rough, distressed appearance.


The wings had already been painted white years before. The bathroom. Remember? 

So I just glued them on to the back of the fan blade where I thought they'd look best. They are not symmetrical, which adds to that pieced together feel.


Next up, my girl needed a pretty face.

To make her eyes and mouth, I traced half of roll of scotch tape with pencil.


Then I traced over the eye lines with a black fine tip marker and a red pencil to make the mouth pop.


The last step in this process was to hot glue some moss to the top of her head, add a small red berry halo and a very dainty white organza bow to her dress.

To add some sweetness to my junkie, upcycled wooden angel.


Done in less than an hour, with the free supplies I had on hand.

And like I said, she's fabulous.

Or maybe she's fan-tastic.

I'll let you decide. 😉

Hey before you go, it's time to hop around and check out what my 'Do It Over Designer' friends are sharing today!

Check out all the fun stuff!!