Baby Matthew's Nursery Decor- Made in Texas String Art

Everyone that follows my blog knows that I absolutely love anything Texas related.  I had to incorporate a little bit of Texas in Baby Matty's nursery.  Here's what I came up with...

 



I've always wanted to experiment with string art, but never got a good reason to until now.

 

|what you will need|

 

+ string (I actually used acrylic crochet thread)

+ wire nails (#18 x 3/4 in.)

+ wood panel (I used a 12 x 12 panel)

+ acrylic paint

+ hammer

 

 

|how to|

 

{1} Paint your wood panel with the acrylic paint of your choice.  Do two coats of paint.  Ensure your paint dries at least 2 hours between coats.  Allow the panel to dry overnight after the second coat.

 

 

{2} Print out the image you plan on making your string art.  Tape it to the wood panel.

 

 

{3} Draw dots around the outline of the images or letters using a pen or pencil.  These dots are where the nails will be hammered onto the wood panel.

 

 

{4} Hammer in the nails to the wood panel.  This is the longest step in making your string art.  Leave at least a 1/4" of the nail protruding out.

 

 

 

{5} Remove the image outline and tape leaving the nails intact.

 

 

{6} Now the fun part!  Start by tying the string or thread around one of the nails.  Then zig-zag your thread through the nails until the image or letters is filled in with the thread.  After you fill in the letter or image tie the string or thread to a nail to secure it. 

 

 

Here's the final product...

 

 







 







 

Baby Matthew's Nursery Decor- "Hello There Handsome" Wall Art

I have been super excited to start on Baby Matthew's nursery!  I had so many ideas floating in my head.  I wanted to do a picture collage above his changing table.  I saw a cute "Hello There Handsome" pillow at Home Goods.  I decide to recreate this saying as a wall art décor. 

 

 

|what you will need|

 

 

+ blank canvas (I used a 8 x 10 sized canvas)

+ alphabet letter stickers

+ craft paint

+ paint brush or sponge

+ decorative trim cord

+ hot glue gun

 

 

 

|how to|

 

 

{1} Stick your alphabet letter stickers to the canvas.  Press hard and make sure the stickers are lying flush to the canvas.

 

 

 

 

{2} Paint the entire canvas with craft paint.  I did two coats of paint.  Allow the paint to dry at least an hour between coats.

 

 

 

 

{3} Let the paint dry completely overnight.  Then, gently peel off the alphabet letter stickers.

 

 

 

 

{4} Then I wrote "hello" in a simple cursive font on regular printer paper.  Place the wording where you want it on the canvas.

 

 

 

{5} With a sharp ball point pen, outline the font.  Make sure you apply a good amount of pressure so the ink goes through to the canvas.

 

 

 

 

 

{6} Using a hot glue gun, glue the decorative cord to the canvas following the cursive outline.

 

 

 

 





 











 



Here's the finished product...