When I first saw the farmhouse windmill decor at Hobby Lobby a few months ago, I knew I had to have one. But the price was more than I wanted to pay, even with a coupon. So I decided to make one! Here is the inspiration from Hobby Lobby:
The cost at Hobby Lobby is $69.99! I made mine for less than……$10! Here is my DIY windmill:
Want to make your own windmill? Let’s get started!
I am a big fan of inexpensive materials that I can easily manipulate. Windmills are usually made of metal, but I really don’t have much luck working with it. Usually I have blood all over me and a piece of metal that looks like it came through a hurricane.
Thankfully, there are many spray paints that look just like metal and can transform everyday materials into metal-looking objects. Since this will be hanging on my wall, I wasn’t worried about using something different than metal, so I used posterboard. Can you tell? The finished size is 30″ in diameter.
Materials list for making your DIY windmill decor
I used the following materials:
- 2 sheets of posterboard (white)
- 5 -1/4″ dowels (I ended up cutting mine in thirds)
- 18 gauge wire
- round wood piece for center (mine was 3″ wide)
- wood glue, hot glue
- Acrylic craft paint in Burnt Sienna
- Rust-Oleum 7213830 Hammered Metal Finish Spray, Silver, 12-Ounce
Easy instructions for your farmhouse windmill decor
I first made a pattern on a piece of scrap paper for the blades. Mine are 11″ long and 4″ at the widest end. I determined that I wanted 10 blades on my windmill, but you could use more or less. Cut out your blades from the posterboard. You may get by with 1 piece of posterboard, but I experimented quite a bit and used almost 2.
Cut your wood dowels to your desired length. I ended up cutting mine in 1/3rds. I used wood glue to attach the dowels to the back of the blades, making sure they are centered the same. You want each blade identical.
Once dry, align your blades up in a circle and wood glue the round piece of wood to the dowel ends. I waited overnight to make sure the glue had set. Once dry, you should be able to pick your piece up without any parts moving.
Spray paint your windmill with your desired spray. You could use the hammered silver like I did, or go with another metal looking spray. I was worried that the paint might make the posterboard flop, but it did not.
Once the paint dries, lay the windmill face down on a table. Bend your wire in a circle the size that you desire. Cut the end (I taped my ends with black electrical tape to hold them together. If you do this, make sure to hide the tape behind one of the blades.) I used hot glue to attach the wire to the back side of the dowels on the blades. I had to hold the wire in place where I wanted it while the glue was hardening.
Once the glue is dried. Flip the windmill right side up. You will now be painting the rust on it. Using the burnt sienna paint and an old brush or sponge, dabble the paint on the edges and wherever you desire to look like rust.
That’s it! I hung mine on the wall by the wire circle. It is very light and looks great on all of my walls! If you try one, I’d love to see a picture of it!
Hi Mary! I think this DIY is genius! I came across it on Pinterest. I am pinning it to do later. Thanks for sharing the steps and tips.
I’m so glad you like it! It was fun and so inexpensive to make. And it still looks great on my wall after several months.
Mary its so cute i am trying to make one as we speak. Thank You,
Thanks Jenni! I would love to see the finished product.
Thank you, Miss Kitty!
I would love to see your finished project!
Thank you for sharing you have inspired me to make it. I made a half moon one n loved how it came it out so I’m going to make a whole one.
Oh that’s awesome! I have thought about a half one. Maybe I’ll make one also!
Seems simple and cheap enough to give it a try. I’m thinking about using one of those half balls of styrofoam as the center. I also have a paint combo that I use to make any kind of aged metal effect so will try that instead of spray paint. Weekend project here I come!
Excellent ideas, Wendy!
I just used what i had laying around, spent very little money. I figured i didnt have anything to lose either! It was either genius or never going on the wall.
Did the styrofoam ball work out? I am curious. Would have been easier that having to cut a circle and drill holes in the side.
I would love to hear back from Wendy to see if it did. If I have time this winter, I may just try another and use something different for the center. It doesn’t hurt to experiment!
I did the half of a styrofoam and then cut it so it wasn’t round! Worked great for how we did it!
I would love to see pictures of it!
I LOVE your idea .I’ve been wanting a windmill like this but simply could not afford to pay a hefty price .THANKS TO YOU I CAN HAVE ONE .
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I love a great deal and DIYing is the best way to save money. Have fun with this!
Love this idea. Going to try. But think i’ll Drill holes in my center circle and glue the blades in holes vs behind. Seems like it would make it a bit sturdier.
Wonderful idea! I would love to see pictures of your finished product!
What did you paint the blades with before “rusting” them?
Tammi,
I sprayed them with a Rustoleum paint in Hammered metal. It makes them look just like metal!
This is A.MAZ.ING!!! You are so creative. Thank you for sharing it!! I would like to make a large one, about 5-6ft across. Do you think it would be possible?
Thank you for your kind comments! I think you certainly could! You might want to use slighly larger dowels and wire than I did to make it look realistic and hold up better. Good Luck and I’d love to see your finished product!
Where did you get the center round circle?
I got mine as part of a package of wooden “pieces” at Hobby Lobby. They had been hanging around my craft area for years and I finally found a use for them!
I love this. I am going to Walmart lol
Diane,
I’m so glad you do! Have fun making one!!
Fabulous, fabulous & fabulous. WOW, I gotta do this. I am joining your site now.
Ivory,
Thank you so much for your kind comments!
What a great idea! You are a genius! ❤️❤️
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Where did you get the wire circle from in the middle of he blades? My daughter loves these and would like t Make this for her
I used a thick wire- 18 gauge, and just cut it to fit my circle. You should be able to find this wire at any hardware store. They will even cut it for you!
Have you ever seen salt used with paint to make a gritty texture? you could totally add some coarse salt on the edges before you paint, and then can brush it with the rust color afterwards to give it more of a peeling rust look!
Oh, I love this idea! Thanks for sharing.
I’d love to see the back of the windmill so I can get a better idea on where to put the dowels on the middle piece!! This is AMAZING and will be trying it tomorrow! Great idea.
Jaymie,
I just added a picture to the post that shows the entire backside. After more than a year, this windmill still looks great and surprises many people that it’s not the real thing!!
You can also use old ceiling fan blades and help our environment.?
Yes, I did see one made like that! I didn’t happen to have any blades laying around, so I decided to use what I had instead. Thanks for the suggestion!
I tried this yesterday. I’ll do a few things differently next time. I drilled holes for the dowels but my angles were off and my center piece a bit big. I wanted just a half size as well. Not sure how to add a photo
I have also thought of doing a half windmill or much smaller. Maybe this winter I will get to it. I would love to see your finished product. Feel free to email it to shadyoakandsassafras@gmail.com
I LoVe your Windmill!
I made a half Windmill for my daughter last summer. I went to Habitat for Humanity re-store, they sell just the blades for ceiling fan( also).
I used Rustoleum hammered metal, a craft wire and some cut pieces of wood.
I used cinnamon after I painted for the rusty,distressed look. It came out pretty good ( my first try) . Now I want to make one like yours for myself, much lighter and easier I think,lol
Thanks for sharing!
Ada
I’ve seen the tutorials for ceiling blades into windmill blades – I need to try that sometime! And your idea for cinnamon rust is awesome! One of the things that I like about mine is that it is very light and easy to hang up just about anywhere. Good luck with yours!
I love this! Would you happen to have a template you could share for the blades?
Thanks!
I don’t but I’ve had several people ask, so I may create one and update the page. Thanks!
i love this and I love the fact that it will be light to hang on the wall, I have trouble holding and hanging and trouble finding help!!! I have one question, did you use regular poster board or the foam board? I think the foam board would add a little thickness to the blades but not sure how the paint will absorb on it. Thanks for showing us how to make this!!!
Thanks for your comment!
I used regular poster board. I was worried about paint making it curl up but it did fine. I love working with foam board but I can never get paint to look right on the edges. Otherwise I think it would work also.