An Easy to Make Gift to Display Running Medals

Are you still in need of a gift for that runner in your life?

At our house, we really take pride in gifts that come from the heart, so I can honestly say I put a lot of effort into my gift ideas. Last year I wanted to give my sister a way to display the race medals she earned throughout the years, but it was important to me that she had a picture of each race to display with it. So, this is what I came up with....

And here are the steps I took to create it:

1. Find a collage picture frame of your choice. I knew I wanted mine to go horizontal and have as many pictures as possible.  The best bet for this is to find one of those picture frames that is meant for school pictures. This will give you at least 12 openings. ( At this point, my sister has completed more races than picture slots, I'm not sure what happened to the 2 lost pictures!)
* Also, I would recommend getting a wooden one or a very heavy plastic. Cheaper material will probably start to crack when you screw the hooks in

2. Go to hardware store: You will need 2 items ( maybe 3) from the hardware store.

1. Cup Hooks: I used two cup hooks ( you might need three depending on how many medals you are hanging on the rod and how heavy they are.  Screw one in on each side ( and possibly one in the middle) of the underside of the picture frame. Depending on what your frame is made of, you may have to use a tiny drill bit to get it started.   Note: I actually used the HOOKS, not the brass loops.

2. Dowel Rod:  There are many thicknesses and styles of dowel rods to choose from. You can get steel ones, but for various reasons, I chose to go with wood.  The hardware store will cut the rod according to your measurements. Keep in mind, the diameter of your cup dowel rod needs to coincide the size of your cup hooks. Sure a thicker rod will hold more medals, but will it fit inside the cup hooks.

3. Spray Paint: I wanted to spray paint the rod to give it a more uniform look.

I gathered just a few medals and slapped them on here for a quick picture!

I like how easy it is to just slide the medals on and off.  Keep in mind the more medals you plan to display, the more cup hooks you might want to install. If you install more cup hooks, your medals won't slide easily ( that might be a good thing though, they won't be sliding all around).

This honestly did not take long to assemble. ( The hardest part is waiting for the paint on the rod to dry because I was eager to put it all together to see what it looked like).   And it was very  reasonably priced to make it too.  

So, this weekend you can gather all these materials and still  have time to make one of these as a gift for someone!

Do you like making gifts for people?
What is the most creative thing you've done to display your medals?

9 comments:

  1. Sooooo cute!! You are so creative, and very crafty! I'll bet your sister loved this gift!

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  2. Thanks Lauren! I have to admit I enjoyed making it!

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  3. Very nice display Meranda. I used to make a gift every year for C, but have gotten away from it in recent years. However, I try to be creative anyway and spend lots of time choosing gifts for my family and friends.

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  4. Wow, this is an awesome idea! Very creative :)

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  5. This is PERFECT! I was looking for a DIY to hang my medals and I LOVE this! I have a hanging jewelry box that has picture slots, but I'm going to put my race bibs in there. Thanks for sharing!!!

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  6. What a great way to display medals! Mine are in a drawer!

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  7. Super cute idea! I like the DIY medal displays (obviously...I did one too hehe). -Christine

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  8. This is so cute, and seems so easy too! My boyfriend and I made a different medal-holder for his mom this year, but this would've been so much easier!

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