Crafts

How to Stencil an Accent Wall You’ll Absolutely Love

September 24, 2018 by Eileen 6 Comments

How to Stencil an Accent Wall Post Preview: You will find out how to paint a stenciled accent wall, along with stenciling tips and tricks.

This post is sponsored by Stencil Revolution. All opinions are entirely my own.

Everyone has a spot in their house that drives them crazy, am I right!? For me, it was our mudroom.

It was boring, barely functional, and beyond a mess.

So, we embarked on a mudroom makeover and starting building an entryway bench with locker cubbies. In the meantime, I wanted to add a little character to the walls.

With its beige walls and grayish tiled floors, the mudroom room was just so plain.

So, I had a plan to DIY my own “wallpaper” aka stencil an accent wall.

Can I just say that stencils are amazing?! I’ve used stencils before on a world map wall art project, but never on a wall. I couldn’t get over how much the stencil completely changed the look of the room. The previously boring space became completely modernized with the stenciled accent wall.

The best part?

With wall stencils, you get to choose your own colors, rather than be stuck with premade wallpaper. And, you can save money by doing the work yourself – perfect for DIYing on a tight budget.

If you’re thinking about stenciling a focal wall in your home, it’s super easy – it’s definitely a DIY project that anyone can do.

Today, I’m sharing all my tips and tricks for how to paint a stencil on an accent wall.

How to Stencil an Accent Wall

First, I’m going to take you back a minute and show you a crazy before and after. It’s a little embarrassing, but seriously, this is what the room looked like prior to the mudroom makeover.

And here is what the mudroom looks like after its makeover.

And here’s another angle – I continued the stencil across the adjacent wall too.

So let’s get started! To stencil an accent wall, you’ll need a good chunk of time, and the following items.

Materials for Stenciling a Wall

Paint
Stencil – We used the Freya tile stencil
Rounded brush – This is a great brush set for stenciling
Paper towels
Optional – level (not needed if you use registration marks on the stencil), paint stirrers, plastic cup for small amount of paint, baby wipes (to quickly wipe mistakes)

Check out our wall stenciling video to see me in action, stenciling the wall.

Step 1 – Choose your stencil and paint colors

First, you’ll want to choose your stencil. Stencils are awesome because you can create a wallpaper effect for a really inexpensive price. We love the stencils from Stencil Revolution – you’ll definitely be oogling over their new tile line. The stencil we used is the Freya stencil and it’s part of their new line. We loved the colors they used with the stencil, so we mimicked those.

These stencils are especially easy to work with because they have registration marks, where you can easily line up each stencil with the one before. Because of these registration marks, you can get by without needing a ruler or a level.

After you have chosen your stencil, you’ll want to start thinking about paint colors for your stencil and, if necessary, the wall. Stencils don’t have to be the mono-colored. You can use two or three colors. Additionally, consider painting the wall or room, if it’s not the right background color.

We painted over our beige mudroom with white paint, as we wanted the background of our stencil to be white.

Then we chose two colors for the stencil – tan and charcoal. When you’re deciding on colors for your stencil, try them out with the stencil in a test area. I had a few different versions of tan before I settled on my favorite. You can try the wall stencil on an area of your wall that will be covered (I tried mine where the shiplap was going) or you can use a foam board.

Paint Tip: When choosing paint for the stencil, it doesn’t need to be wall paint. You can use acrylic paint from the craft store. Using the small acrylic containers from the craft store make it really easy to test colors too.

Step 2 – Prepare the wall

Next, you want to prepare your wall. If you are painting the wall first, you’ll want to do that now.

If you want to wipe down your wall or the baseboards or tape off any area, you’ll want to prepare that before starting to stencil.

Side note – If you’re painting your wall white over a darker color like we did, it can take extra coats to get back to white. Keep that in mind when you’re thinking about your project timeline.

Step 3 – Decide where you want your stencil to start

Choose an ideal starting point for your wall stencil. Ideally, this is the spot where you’ll want your wall stencil to look the best. The most visible part of the room is always a good choice.

Keep in mind that at the opposite end of the wall, depending upon the length of your wall and the size of the stencil, the last stencil could cut off. When you’re making your starting decision, factor in the opposite end or ends of the wall.

Depending upon your stencil’s design, you could nudge your starting point just a little bit to help the opposite end terminate at a better point.

Or if you get really lucky, the stencil might fit perfectly across the whole wall.

I started the stencil right next to the window, as this part of the wall was the most visible when walking into the room. The stencil cut off at the opposite end of the wall, but I started the first stencil a half an inch inward, so the last stencil would cut off exactly halfway. I was okay with it cutting off there because that end was in a more hidden corner of the room.

Note – The starting point for the stencil doesn’t necessarily need to be where you first start painting. It’s just where the stencil pattern starts. You could begin painting in a less visible area, such as toward the ceiling, so that any early mistakes are made high up, where people won’t be able to see.

Step 4 – Secure stencil to the wall

Next, you’ll want to attach the stencil to the wall. To do so, I just used four pieces of painter’s tape. It was super simple. When you’re done, you just peel the stencil and tape off and move to the next spot.

Some people like to use a spray adhesive, but I found that unnecessary. The tape was very simple.

Step 5 – Use a small rounded brush to start dabbing on the paint.

Now the fun part! To stencil the accent wall, you’ll want to use a rounded, stiff brush to stencil your wall. If the brush is too soft, it will bend. The best brushes are rounded that come to a point.

With your rounded brush, you are just going to dab the end of your brush in the paint. Do this as evenly as you can, and then blot the extra paint. This is important because if your paint is too thick, it will slip under the stencil and cause unclean lines. A little paint goes a long way.

As soon as your paintbrush is ready, gently dab it onto the wall. When you’re painting the wall, don’t use brush strokes, just stipple it onto the wall.

Now it won’t be perfect. But with a small amount of paint and a small rounded brush, it will be pretty close.

If your stencil isn’t flush against the wall, you can use your marker or pencil to hold the stencil flush against the wall with one hand, while you paint with another. I used a drill bit, rather than a marker, because it was the first thing I found 🙂

Brush Tip: As for brush size, keep in mind that a smaller brush will get you more accuracy and a bigger brush will get the job done faster. You could use a bigger brush in higher areas, where people won’t be able to see up close (because it goes faster) and a smaller rounded brush in lower areas.

Step 6 – Remove stencil and repeat

Simply peel back the stencil and remove. If there are any stray marks, you could always wipe with a paper towel or a baby wipe before it dries.

Then, line the stencil up with the registration marks (see above) and work on your next stencil.

It will be slow going at first, but like anything, it gets quicker as you get used to it.

A Few More Wall Stenciling Tips

For our mudroom wall, I only stenciled the top third of the wall. On the lower part, I attached shiplap, which made for a really cool look.

I also ended up stenciling more than I thought. My plan was to just stencil the wall around the window, but I kept going around the doorway of the laundry room. If you are undecided on whether to continue the stencil on a neighboring wall, you can start with the wall that you are sure about. Then, go from there.

Stencil Cut-Off Tip: If you are doing a lot of stenciling and your wall stencil cuts off at the corner or around a window, you could do a couple of things. You could simple bend the stencil and tape it. I would use a lot of tape so it doesn’t slide when you are painting. It’s a little tricky to do but that’s what I did (see picture above).

Or, you could order more than one stencil, and cut the stencil so that you have a flush fit when stenciling around windows and near corners.

Here’s a close up of the finished wall, with the stencil at the top third, and the shiplap at the bottom.

Next, we put shiplap on the lower portion of wall, and we have a full tutorial coming on this! It was super simple 🙂

Here’s a few more pictures of the other side of the room, including the portion above the laundry room nook.

And, I just adore these hooks! They look perfect with the stencil and the shiplap. I think there’s about 16 of them in the mudroom now 🙂 They’ll be no excuses for bags and coats not hung up.

Go for it!

If you’re debating whether or not to stencil a wall, definitely go for it. Stenciling a wall is an easy, budget-friendly DIY. With a little bit of work, you can completely transform the look of a room.

If you love the way the shiplap looks on our accent wall, that post is coming next, and our whole mudroom makeover will soon follow.

So, there we have it! A completely transformed room with something as simple as a wall stencil. If you are looking for a thrifty way to redo an old space, definitely consider stenciling an accent wall.

7 Easy DIYs for Your Walls

June 5, 2018 by Eileen 24 Comments

This post is sponsored by Stencil Revolution. All opinions are entirely my own.

Even though we moved into our home years ago, we still had way too many bare walls in our home.

The walls were my last priority in getting ourselves unpacked and settled. So, picture frames sat in boxes in the garage for months and months.

What I didn’t know in my procrastination was that I could have been using all that blank wall space to our advantage.

Wall space isn’t just for pictures – it’s a gem of versatility! From floating shelves to accent walls to cool wall hangings to easy DIY wall art ideas, here are six easy DIYs for your walls so they will no longer be bare or boring.

1. Build Simple Shelves

One of my favorite spots in our home is my craft room, which is just a sitting room off our bedroom. When we moved in, we had no idea what we were going to do with it. Ha! I’ve completely taken it over with craft supplies.

When I had filled every inch, I moved to the walls.

We built two simple shelves with the dimensions to fit four fabric storage bins on each. That’s eight storage bins – filled to the brim – and not taking up any closet or desk space!

If you’re running out of space in your home, take a look at your empty walls, and see where you could put up a few storage shelves.

2. Make a Cool Wall Hanging

It’s hard to find the perfect wall hanging to go over couches and beds because they need to be so big to look nice. And, art is expensive! So, why not DIY it?

I partnered with Stencil Revolution to create this awesome stenciled world map wall hanging.

They have really cool stencils, and they have more than half a dozen sizes for each stencil. So you can paint a giant wall with a huge stencil or make a custom DIY piece like I did.

To make this, I first measured the area above the couch in the craft room. Then, I ordered the world map stencil size that was a little smaller.

After that, I put together three wooden boxes, painted them white, and then used the world map stencil.

As far as the paints, I used acrylic paint and faded one color into the next.

It looks amazing in my craft room above the couch – it fits the area perfectly and I got to create something exactly the way I wanted. Definitely check out the stencils that Stencil Revolution has 🙂

Rather than have blank walls above couches or beds, think about making a custom DIY piece with cool stencils. This is one of my favorite easy DIY wall art ideas 🙂

3. Create Gallery Wraps

Another way to create wall art is by making your own gallery wraps.

Simply purchase a few canvases from the craft stores, and then find some wall decals that fit the theme of the room. Paint the canvases and then apply the wall decals. I painted some a solid blue and others striped. The striped ones added some extra flair.

You could also use stencils on these gallery wraps too. These are great for nurseries or kids rooms.

And, if the decals come up easily, you can swap out the decals for other ones as the kids grow up.

These canvases are definitely a go-to project for easy DIY wall art ideas.

4. Put Together Scrap Wood Picture Ledges

These picture ledges were free! Yes, you read that right 🙂 We made them out of scrap wood laying around the garage (I love a good scrap wood project) and painted them with paint we had on hand.

The little ledge at the end is perfect for holding picture frames, and I emptied an entire box of frames. The picture frames perfectly took up the wall space in between two windows.

Not only were the ledges free, but it took just a few hours to put together.

5. Spray Paint Frames for an Artistic Gallery

If you’re looking to make a gallery but can’t find enough frames that will compliment each other, use spray paint.

I had an entire gallery of brown wooden frames, but two of the embroidered pictures had frames that just didn’t go.

With a little painter’s tape and some spray paint, the pictures now fit perfectly.

Galleries are a fun way to hang pictures – especially in hallways or staircases. It can definitely add some character to these places.

6. Create an Accent Wall

I love a gorgeous accent wall, and it’s an amazing way to bring character and flair to your space.

There are so many ways to create an accent wall – you can wallpaper, you can stencil an accent wall, or you can paint – a whole wall one color or a simple striped wall.

One of my favorite things about an accent wall is it saves you from painting the whole room – just updating one wall usually is enough.

7. Hang Pegboard for Office or Craft Supplies

This is another of my favorite DIYs from my craft room.

By installing pegboard, I was able to empty my entire desk. In fact, I got rid of my desk of drawers for a much simple table-desk design.

I didn’t know if I would like the pegboard because I would have to put everything back always (something I’m not great at), but I LOVE it! It looks so cool, and I can see everything.

Also, I don’t get asked questions by my husband and kids about where my scissors or markers are because everything is in plain sight. My son has a little spot on the edge, where he stores his markers and paint brushes too.

If you have overlooked wall space in your home, turn it into a fun DIY project.

You can use wall space for storage – floating shelves, storage shelves, pegboard organization, or built-in cabinets. You can use the space for fun décor to add a little style in. You easily update or modernize your home with cool pictures or wall hangings with these easy DIY wall art ideas.

Wall space is undoubtedly a little gem that can be used in efficient or creative ways. If you’re looking to add a little flair to your walls, definitely try one of the above DIYs.

You’ll be loving your wall space in no time.

DIY Year of Dates Gift Basket

May 25, 2018 by Eileen 37 Comments

I was knee deep in decorations, games, and food planning for my sister’s bridal shower when an idea hit me.

A few years back, I made a Year of Firsts wedding wine basket for my friend’s bridal shower. It went over so well, and I had planned to make one for my sister too. However, the teacher in me always has to improve on previous ideas. 🙂

Instead of making a Year of First Milestones, I would make a Year of Dates wedding gift basket.

The basket would include a planned and paid for date for every month of their first married year.

My sister and her fiance were always looking for new things to do in the city, and this was the perfect opportunity to make a special DIY wedding gift for them.

My sisters and I always watch “The Bachelor” together. And by together, I mean we watch it at exactly the same time and send tons of group texts back and forth.

So planning 12 dates made me feel a little like Chris Harrison.

I wasn’t sure how the Year of Dates wedding gift was going to come together, but I knew there would be date cards and roses involved 🙂

How to Make a Year of Dates Gift Basket

1. Set a Budget

I shared the idea with my mom and sisters and asked if they wanted to go in on it with me. That way we could plan some really nice dates for the Year of Dates wedding gift. I was happy to hear they loved the idea.

You can make the dates as expensive or inexpensive as you’d like. Or, you could vary it like we did.

Some of the attractions we included were free, so we could make other dates more expensive.

Once you set your budget, divide by 12 so you know around how much you can spend on each date.

2. Collect Materials – Free Year of Dates Printables

To make the Year of Dates gift basket, I used the following materials. The printables and templates are available for you to download too.

Organza pouches to hold money, tickets, and gift cards
Mini envelopes to hold the date cards & money pouches
Burlap ribbon
Tissue paper
Stickers or washi tape for decoration
Large basket
Items/trinkets to go with the dates (see below for explanation & ideas)
Dates cards (free printable)
Spreadsheet for organization (free printable)
Month labels (free printable)
Year of Dates Sign and skewer (free printable)

I started by making an Excel spreadsheet to track all of the information for the Year of Dates wedding gift. I seriously am in love with spreadsheets, and this was the easiest way to organize everything.

On this Year of Dates spreadsheet, there’s a column for the date venue, date card poem, website, address, helpful hints, cost, item/trinket, and the months (so you don’t plan an ice skating date in the summer),

The item/trinket was my favorite part, but more on this later. To download the free Year of Dates printables, see below. 🙂

3. Research Date Ideas

The next thing I did was start researching things to do in their city. I found lots of great blogs and articles with tons of ideas for date nights.

Before I finalized any of the 12 dates, I read the reviews of the places on Trip Advisor. That’s the absolute best way to find out if a museum, restaurant, or attraction is worth the time.

Before we had kids, my husband and I used to travel constantly. I would research our destinations for hours before making our very detailed itinerary, and Trip Advisor always had the most accurate and detailed reviews. For the Year of Dates wedding gift, I used the detailed reviews to make a “helpful hints” list for each date. More on this later 🙂

If you are looking for date ideas, some general date ideas are ice cream dates, movie dates, ice skating dates, tree lighting dates, beach or lake day trips, concerts, festivals, picnic dates, swimming dates, gym dates, rock climbing dates, hiking dates, bike riding trips, cooking class dates, dessert dates, sports games, and zoo dates.

There are just so many possibilities.

When researching the 12 dates, we stayed away from any potential idea where we had to lock in a certain date because we had no idea what their work schedules are like. So any festivals, concerts, or games were out.

As soon as a date attraction/venue looked good, I added it to my Year of Dates Excel list.

4. Choose an Item/Trinket for the Basket

In putting together the 12 Months of Dates gift, my sister had the idea of putting an item or trinket with each date. So instead of just giving an envelope with the date card and money or tickets, there was a cute little trinket too.

So, we creatively found items to go with each of our 12 date ideas.

For example, we picked up beer cozies to go with the beer tour date. We included a pack of colored pencils and a little sketchbook to go with the art museum trip.

We found a easily-foldable blanket for their picnic, cute mason jar cups with champagne to go with their beach date, and hot cocoa and hand warmers for the Christmas tree lighting. Other items we got were a fancy wine cork, magnets, star book, walkable map for their tour, photo album with a map on the cover, and a chocolate bar to go with a chocolate tour.

These little trinkets can add up so I suggest going to Target’s Dollar Spot section or using a coupon at the craft stores. I love the idea of trinkets because it really made for a nice gift basket. It made the Year of Dates wedding gift so much more than envelopes of money.

5. Make the Date Cards

For the date cards, we wrote Bachelor-style poems for each of the 12 dates. Here’s an example of one:

A free outdoor pool that’s located by the Charles, a bike path, and a Trader Joe’s,
you’ll have a blast at this best kept secret if you accept this rose.

On the back, we wrote:

“Should you accept this rose, enjoy your date at:”

Here we filled in the date venue, address, and website. We also included any helpful hints, such as the hours the pool was open and the availability of bathrooms/changing rooms/lockers. We used the information in the reviews on Trip Advisor to compile the Helpful Hints for each of the 12 dates.

It’s the same research that I would have done if I were going there, and since everyone isn’t a crazy researcher like I am, I’m sure the helpful hints were appreciated.

And remember, I have the date card template that I created available for free for you. 🙂

6. Acquire gift cards or tickets (or cash)

For as many of the dates as could, we got gift cards or tickets. Being out of town, we couldn’t pick up everything we wanted – but lots of places were able to mail us these or we were able to buy/print online.

Keep in mind that since it is a year of dates, some of the dates won’t happen for several months. For those far-off dates, we tended to include cash – just in case the place went out of business or went downhill before their scheduled date.

We also included cash if there were any places that we were unsure about. For example, we included a museum that looked like my sister would love it; however, we weren’t sure if she’s been there before. If she’s already been there 4 times, she might not want to return. So, we did cash for that one – and she can decide.

7. Put everything together!

I wasn’t sure how I was going to present the Year of Dates wedding gift. I was thinking maybe a cooler bag, and then they could use that for their picnic. However, I felt that this wouldn’t be the best presentation because you wouldn’t be able to see everything.

I ultimately went with a gift basket and really thick burlap lace ribbon for the envelopes and items. This gave all the assorted trinkets a uniform look.

Also, I didn’t want the money or tickets to get lost. So, I bought these organza pouches. These pouches made it easy for the recipient to keep track of money or gift cards.

Then, I put the date card and the organza pouch in little colorful envelopes. I printed the month labels (free printables) and glued them on the cards. This also contributed to a uniform look.

I found a nice basket at Michaels for the 12 Months of Dates wedding gift and got to work filling it up.

Then, I used the burlap lace ribbon to wrap around the items and then I slipped the envelope in. Between the monthly labels (free printable) and the burlap ribbon, it tied together all the “random” trinkets we picked up. I stuffed some tissue paper at the bottom to keep items in place.

I also printed off a Year of Dates poem and taped it to a little wooden skewer.

Last, when doing my research for the Year of Dates basket, I found out that you can get free or discounted passed to many places in their city through their library.

So I added a little “Bonus” date card and printed out the list of places they could go by reserving the tickets in advance at their local library.

The Year of Dates wedding gift went over so well! My sister loved it so much and is excited to check out lots of new places around the town.

It’s such a creative gift to give 12 planned and paid for dates, and I know they really appreciated it. I love giving a gift that’s creative and shows that you put a lot of thought in.

The Year of Dates gift basket really came together so well. Maybe if my husband is lucky, I’ll make him one for Valentine’s Day or his birthday 🙂

10 Budget-Friendly Ways to Add Color to Neutral Rooms

April 30, 2018 by Eileen 37 Comments

This post is sponsored by Commercial Silk. All opinions are entirely my own.

Moving into our home, one of the most appealing things was the fresh white paint that adorned the entire house.

Glossy white paint.

This new space of ours was definitely light, bright, and airy.

However, before long we realized just how plain the rooms were. The bright white walls along with the off-white carpets and our neutral furniture made for some really boring spaces.

Scrolling through my Instagram feed, it was easy to see that neutral-colored rooms are definitely gorgeous and in style. Neutral colors make rooms feel larger, fresher, and more welcoming.

The neutral color scheme in our new home was a good start for us, but we needed to incorporate some color to add character and expression to our new home.

If you are finding yourself in the same position, check learn how to add color to neutral rooms on a budget.

Add Vibrant Throw Blankets

One of the easiest ways to add color to neutral rooms is by incorporating throw blankets. A cozy blanket tossed over a patterned chair or the arm of the couch adds color, comfort, texture, and style to your home.

Blankets can work in any room – but are especially perfect for adding color to living rooms or bedrooms. We tend to decorate our kids’ rooms in neutrals and then use pops of color here and there. Throw blankets are a really easy way to bring color into a room in a subtle, thrifty way.

Decorate with Expressive Throw Pillows

Throw pillows are another perfect way to add color and character to neutral spaces. For example, if you want to incorporate navy blue into your living room, you might not want blue walls, a blue couch, or a blue carpet. Yet, adding blue throw pillows is a subtle way to bring in a vibrant color.

For my living room and family room, I went digging in my collection of pillow covers to find something that would add some color and texture to our boring rooms. I love having pillow covers on hand. You aren’t stuck with a ton of pillows when you change your style or mind – and you can much more easily store covers than whole pillows.

You can also easily sew pillows and save money. Just grab a fabric you like and a pillow insert or stuffing, and get cracking at that sewing machine.

One of my favorite ways to save money on pillow-making is through buying throw pillows that are severely discounted- no matter the color or style! I’m talking crazy colors and patterns. Instead of buying a pillow insert or stuffing, I use the discounted throw pillow as the insert and just sew a pillow cover. You can get really great prices at Bed, Bath, and Beyond on these.

Another place to get a great price on pillows and pillow covers is Amazon. They have pillows similar to Pottery Barn and Pier 1, but at much better prices. I ordered the below bird pillow years ago, and it’s still so gorgeous.

Accent pillows are the perfect way to bring in vibrant colors

Beautify with Plants and Greenery

Plants can instantly change the appearance of a room. Just by adding a little greenery, your neutral room becomes more lively and homey. Plants are definitely an easy way to add color – no painting or sewing necessary.

If you don’t have a green thumb, a high-quality artificial plant adds the same effect. We have a beautiful, artificial ficus tree (below) from Commercial Silk in our family room.

This ficus tree looks real but doesn’t come with the task of keeping a real plant alive. We incorporated it into our living room, and it’s the perfect pop of color against our red brick fireplace.

Adding plants and greenery to neutral spaces instantly make a room feel more welcoming

It’s nice knowing the leaves won’t brown, and it instantly made the room feel more welcoming and enlivened while adding some much needed color to our previously-boring space. It’s like a breath of fresh air!

Paint Old Furniture

If you have an old piece of furniture that has seen better days, why not give it a coat of fresh paint to add color into a neutral room. Whether it’s an old chair or an outdated dresser, there are lots of wonderful paints that can be used to give an old piece new life.

Chalk paint or milk paint are great options. Depending on the piece, you might even be able to get away with spray paint.

We recently redid an old dresser (we shortened it too), and it perfectly adds color to our way-too-neutral bedroom.

This old wooden dresser was refinished with milk paint, bringing color and modernity into our neutral bedroom

Add Patterned or Stenciled Walls

Accent walls are another thrifty way to add color to a neutral space, and there are so many options that you can choose from. You can do a patterned wall, such as stripes. Or, you can do a solid color wall (if you do this, definitely pick a color in the same tone as your main color). You can even do a stenciled wall – or put decals or wallpaper up.

We painted a gray and white striped accent wall in our nursery – which we loved! We painted a heart stenciled wall in our second nursery. We applied wall stickers on canvases in our toddler’s room. And, we have a stenciled wall coming soon to our mudroom.

Each of these things added just the perfect amount of color and flair to our neutral rooms. And, we didn’t have to change the glossy white in the rest of the room because the patterns and stencils complimented what was already there. Thus, we saved money on paint by just doing an accent wall.

A stenciled or wallpapered accent wall is a simple solution to a room of white

Adorn with Wall Hangings and Pictures

Don’t underestimate the creativity and color that you can add to your home by decorating your wall space. A bright picture or an interesting gallery wall brings character and color to a room. Also, you can easily spray paint frames for a little more color too.

I also love to find a vibrant picture and use the colors in it as an inspiration piece to decorate the whole room.

My favorite spots to shop for budget-friendly pictures are Home Goods and Christmas Tree Shops. You can also find some great pieces at the craft stores, as they are carrying more and more home decor items.

Enrich with Fresh Slipcovers

If your couch or upholstered chairs are looking a little too neutral, and you want to add freshness or vibrancy, think about throwing a slipcover over them.

Slipcovers add color and aren’t as expensive as replacing couches or chairs and the comfort they provide. You can also easily wash them.

Slipcovers might be just the touch of color that your space needs.

Use Eye-Catching Duvets

Along the same lines as slipcovers, duvets provide a similar solution. They can easily cover an old bedspread to add color and freshness to a room.

Easily washable, you can switch out duvets based on the season or your mood – and they are much less expensive then buying new quilts or bedspreads.

Hang Vibrant Curtains

An easy way to add color to a room is through hanging vibrant curtains. There are so many options with curtains – from popular patterned designs like Moroccan and damask to simple stripes. Curtains are one of the best ways to infuse your neutral living room or bedroom with color.

If you have a neutral bathroom, add a vibrant shower curtain. We added a green plant shower curtain to our brown and tan bathroom, and instantly it softened the appearance of the room.

When thinking about how to add some vibrancy to your rooms, think about letting the sun sweep in with an eye-catching curtain.

Eye-catching curtains add tons of character and color to living rooms and bedrooms

Incorporate Accent Rugs

There’s no reason color has to stop when the wall ends. Add a little more style and flare with a smartly-colored accent rug.

Committing to a bright carpet can be daunting; however an accent rug is just the flare that a neutral room needs. They’re easy to add, move, or clean, and can go anywhere in your home – from the kitchen to the entryway to little reading nooks.

If your home is looking a little too neutral, delight your eyes with a gorgeous accent rug.

So, if you’re looking to add color to your spaces, these top ten tips are definitely ones to incorporate.

You’ll have your home looking much more expressive, homey, and vibrant without spending much. Even just a few of these home decor tips will work wonders.

St. Patrick’s Day DIY Decor in Just 10 Minutes

February 26, 2018 by Eileen 6 Comments

Make this easy St. Patrick’s Day DIY decor craft to decorate your home. The materials for this craft are simple and you can make it in 10 minutes!

I love decorating for St. Patrick’s Day for so many reasons. First, I’m almost 100% Irish. Second, I love decorating with shades of green.

And third, I feel like St. Patrick’s Day is the beginning of spring. The greens make everything look so happy and vibrant.

The problem is that it’s hard to find St. Patrick’s Day decor that isn’t cheesy looking, so I almost always make my own.

Today, I’m sharing a super easy St. Patrick’s Day DIY project that you can do in just 10 minutes.

St. Patrick’s Day DIY Decor Craft

This DIY shamrock picture is very simple to make, and it turns out so pretty! The materials for the St. Patrick’s Day DIY decor craft are listed below – but if you’re a crafter, I’m sure you can find this materials around the house, making this a zero dollar project.

Materials for the DIY Shamrock Decor

Card Stock or Scrap Book Paper in patterns you love
Scissors
Glue
Picture Frame (or you can make one – tutorial coming soon!)

Instructions for the DIY Shamrock Decor

These four simple steps will show you exactly how to make this DIY shamrock picture frame.

Choose your Scrapbook Papers

First, I looked at what materials I could use for the background, and I settled on scrapbook paper.

I had a book in my collection from my sister’s bridal shower last year. Many of the patterns weren’t touched – and I loved them even more than when I originally bought them.

I chose one scrapbook sheet for my background – it was one that looked like a birch tree, and I chose another one for the shamrock. This one was light green. Both sheets of scrapbook paper looked textured but worked well together.

I also tossed around the idea of using fabric for the background, but I liked my scrapbook paper options better than my fabric options. I try not to make extra trips to the store because that takes the fun out of using what you have 🙂

If you choose fabric, then just attach your shamrock with mod podge instead of glue.

Choose a Picture Frame

Next, I looked around the house for a picture frame that would work. I had this simple heart (below) up as decoration for Valentine’s Day, and I loved how the frame was deep and there wasn’t any glass.

I always take the glass out of frames if my pictures are hanging in a place where they constantly glare, or if I’m hanging them in my kids’ rooms.

Also, I thought about making a simple frame. It would be super simple, so I’ll probably do a tutorial on this soon.

Make & Attach Shamrock

After, I had chosen my picture frame and my scrapbook paper, I got started on my shamrock.

How to draw a shamrock?

You can draw a shamrock really easily by just drawing one heart. Then cut out the heart and fold it in half vertically. Trim as necessary, making sure the heart is symmetrical.

Then, I traced the heart on the back of my background scrapbook paper. Then, I turned the heart sideways and traced it two more times, creating a shamrock. I added a stem, and the shamrock was done. If you need help drawing your shamrock, I have a shamrock in my free Resource Library that you can trace. It’s easy to google and print a shamrock too 🙂

Cut your shamrock out. Use a good pair of scissors – it’s worth having a nice pair of scissors for crafty projects rather than your junk drawer scissors.

Trim Your Background & Attach

Next, you’ll trim your background to fit perfectly inside the picture frame.

Make sure to measure carefully so you aren’t wasting your scrapbook paper.

After that, just glue your shamrock to your scrapbook paper and place in the frame.

It’s definitely a very simple St. Patrick’s Day DIY decor craft. The cost of the DIY shamrock decoration was zero dollars because I found all of the materials for this decor craft around my house. I love a DIY where you can use things you have.

But, the best part is definitely that you can easily remove your shamrock and reuse for the next holiday.

A bunny would look perfect, wouldn’t it!?

If you’re looking for another DIY St. Patrick’s Day craft, check out this easy burlap banner.

Make Chemical-Free Wood Stain (With Kitchen Ingredients)

January 29, 2018 by Eileen 59 Comments

I was picking apples at the grocery store when my toddler asked, “Mommy, are those organic?” I laughed, thinking how he repeats absolutely everything he hears.

My husband and I have really made the push toward more natural and organic living, and it started in our kitchen.

While purging the pantry the other day, I was ready to toss some instant coffee. Before it hit the trash can, I wondered if I could use this to stain wood.

I’ve heard of staining wood with tea and steel wool, but I was interested to see if I could make a chemical-free stain.

Long story short, you can make a chemical-free, natural stain using just a few items from your pantry. Not only does this homemade stain save you money but it spares you from working with harsh chemicals.

Making Homemade Wood Stain that’s Chemical-Free

If you are looking to save a few bucks or to avoid the smells that come from store-bought wood stain, follow these simple instructions to make your own DIY wood stain. It’s simple and easy – and you get great results!

DIY Wood Stain Materials

I experimented with a bunch of mixtures to see what kind of colors they produced, and I encourage you to do the same. Write down the mixtures you make, so you see what you like and can easily replicate it. Below I’ll be sharing the mixtures I created. However, color could vary based on the brand and type of ingredients.

Scrap wood – I used a piece of pine leftover from another project
Coffee – I used two types – just a regular instant coffee and a special caramel latte.
Cocoa powder – I used Hershey’s Special Dark (because that’s what I had on hand)
Tea – I used just a regular black tea
Hot Water
Mason jars or bowls for your mixtures
Paint brush, foam brush, or rag for applying your stain

Pictured below is my setup, with all of the mentioned ingredients.

Making Wood Stain from Coffee and Chocolate

I gathered all of my materials ahead of time. With two little ones, DIY time is hard to find. So, I had all of my ingredients ready to go and jumped right into the project while my toddler was finishing up his dinner. I use every minute of the day 🙂

First, I put on a pot of tea, so I had piping hot water to use to mix the wood stain. I decided to make three mixtures. So, I filled three masons jars up a little more than halfway with the hot water.

In the first mason jar, I dropped four tea bags in.

In the second mason jar, I put two heaping spoonfuls of regular instant coffee and one heaping spoonful of cocoa powder.

And, in the third mason jar, I put two heaping spoonfuls of specialty coffee (caramel latte) and one heaping spoonful of cocoa powder.

I mixed each of them up and let them sit for 5-10 minutes.

As I was waiting for the mixtures to gain strength, I thought about how awesome it was that I could stain the wood on my kitchen table AND with my kids around! No awful fumes and no exposure to chemicals – such a win!

Not to mention, the coffees and chocolate smelled lovely – and when my little guy was done with his dinner, he helped me “paint.”

After that, I simply used the foam brush to apply the stain to the piece of pine scrap wood. The first coat was really light. You can use a hair dryer to speed up dry time, or just wait and keep reapplying.

I did three or four coats of each. Just don’t let your mixtures sit out for days – because they might grow some strange stuff inside.

Pictured below is an image I snapped after the first coat.

After a couple more coats, I was starting to see some nice colors come through.

Below is picture I snapped while the wood was still drying.

DIY Wood Stain Results

I left the piece to dry overnight and was surprised to see how the wood dried. The DIY stain looked awesome!

As far as each of the three mixtures, I found that the tea barely changed the wood color.

However, the tea would make for a GREAT homemade pre-stain, rather buying store-bought pre-stain filled with chemicals.

The wood absorbed the tea really nicely and worked just like a pre-stain would.

The two coffee mixtures were really close in color when they dried, yet I was pleased with both of them.

If you are aiming to make a darker stain, you can experiment with adding more chocolate and coffee. Just remember to write down what you did, so that you can do it again.

Seal it!

If you’re making this wood stain for a project, definitely seal it afterward. You can make a DIY stain sealer with beeswax or there are a few more natural options too. I like Annie Sloan’s furniture wax, but I’ll be DIYing a beeswax sealer in the near future.

I’ll be updating this post to let you know how the color has held up – so check back for updates.

Also, if you would like to see a project featuring this homemade wood stain from coffee and chocolate, check back later this week for my DIY hook rack project.

If you are trying to make the switch to more natural ingredients in your home, try experimenting with this homemade, chemical-free wood stain.

The wood stain is free if you have all the common household items. If you don’t, you won’t need to spend more than a few bucks. Save money and spare yourself the fumes from regular stain. Your nose will thank you 🙂

How to Make an Oversized Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle

January 21, 2018 by Ash 42 Comments

Looking for a fun DIY project to work on? If you have some wooden boards lying around and a saw, here’s a one hour project that’s sure to be a puzzling hit with the kids.

For our little one’s recent birthday, Eileen and I decided to throw a puzzle theme party. We had the idea to make a giant jigsaw puzzle as a fun yard activity for the kids.

My son is always watching (and pretend helping) me build projects around our home, so I thought that he would love that I was working on a special project for his birthday.

So, I made a 3-foot tall custom-made puppy puzzle.

It was a cute puppy with vibrant colors and caught all of the kids’ eyes. It was really easy to put together too. But most importantly, my son loved it.

When assembled, the puzzle was even firm enough to be a standing toy dog. So, it worked as a fun prop for photos too, especially since it was almost as tall as the kids at the party.

How to Make an Oversized Wood Jigsaw Puzzle

When figuring out how to make an oversized wood jigsaw puzzle, I started with some 10” wooden squares, each ¾” thick.

Making the squares was easy as I just bought a piece of 1 x 10 x 6 board from Home Depot and cut it into five 10” pieces (well, technically 9.25” pieces as that was the true width of the board).

Then I laid out the boards and sketched a simple outline of a dog.

I used silhouettes from dog images online as inspiration for my own design. After I was happy with the sketch, I moved to the garage to complete the puzzle.

To cut out the design, I tried both a jigsaw and a scroll saw. The scroll saw worked out to be the easiest method.

Funny thing about this scroll saw is that I picked it up from the local Habitat for Humanity store for $5. It looks like it’s from the ‘70s too, but it worked like a charm.

If you don’t have a jigsaw or scroll saw, a regular hand (or hack) saw can work just as well, just a bit slower.

After the pieces were all cut, I placed them in a clamp and sanded the edges smooth.Next I had to attach all the interlocking pieces. One disadvantage of cutting my design out of squares was that the interlocking puzzle connectors would need manual attachment.

I cut the interlocking pieces out of the adjacent pieces. Then I opted to use pocket hole screws for attaching them. My Kreg pocket hole jig made this a super easy task. This was the fastest method for me, and also made for a very sturdy connection.

Here I am drilling some of the pocket holes:

I also labeled each connection so I would not attach the wrong piece on accident, and put some alignment marks to make sure they were in the correct position (or else the puzzle would look misaligned).Soon all the connectors were attached and the puzzle construction was complete.

The last step was painting. I used kid-friendly acrylic paints that Eileen had on hand. As far as colors, I used various bright colors.

The puppy puzzle was all done. I tested it with our little one and he loved it. He quickly put it together and started petting it.

This project fast, easy and cheap. It took only an hour to make, was a simple design and cost $11 for the board. It can easily be extended to other designs too.

How fun would it be to have a zoo of puzzle animals!

8 Ways to Find Time for DIY Projects (Even When You Have a Hectic Schedule)

January 6, 2018 by Eileen 61 Comments

If you ask my husband, he knows it makes me crazy when he says he didn’t have time to do something.

You didn’t put the trash out? (as it’s overflowing and the dog is licking the sides of the can…)

Sorry, didn’t have time.

Can you change the batteries in the smoke detector? (after it’s been beeping for a few days…)

Yeah, I’ll have time later.

Even though I know how busy we are, the time excuse makes me crazy.

Why? Because the way we keep our schedules, if you want more time, you have to make it.

And you can, if you manage your time well.

I first learned to manage time when I was waitressing in college. For the first few weeks, I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Then, I eased into a routine.

While one table was waiting for their food, I would head off to take another’s order, stopping by the beverage station to grab a refill for a third table, and extra sugar packets for a fourth.

I definitely put those skills to use when I started teaching classes of 35+ kids in the inner city.

After all this, I thought I was awesome at managing time… until I had my own kids.

Nursing a newborn while potty training a toddler had me feeling the same way I did when I was a new waitress in the weeds.

However, I have learned if you manage your time well, there are so many ways to find extra time in a hectic schedule.

And, extra time means more time for all those DIY projects you keep pinning. 🙂

How to Find Time for DIY Projects

With the follow eight tips, you’ll be making extra time in your crazy schedule – in no time 🙂 You’ll be amazed at just how much more time you will have.

1. Get up an hour earlier

I know what you’re thinking.

You already set snooze as many times as you possibly can, so how can you get up earlier?!

I felt the same way… until I did it.

Getting up an hour earlier gives you time to work on your projects.

The chance to work on your project first thing is a great motivator to get you out of bed.

Or, start your day (throw dinner in the crockpot, get the day’s chores done), to free up that hour later for your diy projects.

It’s so peaceful in the mornings. The house is so quiet that you’ll never sleep in again.

2. Cut some things out

You know when you are throwing a party and the day of the party, you still have a long list of things to do?

Then some guests show up early. And, the rest of the list goes out the window.

And you know what?

No one noticed anyway.

Think about your day, your week, your schedule. What things can you cut out – that wouldn’t be noticed?

Maybe you start vacuuming once a week instead of every other day.

Maybe you really don’t need to do laundry every day?

If you can cut a couple things out of your busy days, you’ll dust off some much needed diy time.

3. Let kids work with you

Have little ones and a project you’re dying to work on?

You can actually manage both at the same time. Simply set up a little station for your kids to work too.

If you’re painting a piece of wood, give them something to paint too.

If you’re sewing a craft, give them some fabric to play with or color.

My toddler LOVES our craft time. He usually picks up all of my scraps and makes things with them. He put together a bunch of foam scraps into the shape of a train the other day.

While my husband wondered what I was teaching him, I got a solid hour of craft time in while spending time with my toddler. 🙂

Working alongside your child inspires creativity and gives you quality time together.

4. Delegate what you can

I LOVE to delegate.

Why?

Because the job still gets done – but not by you. 😉

Maybe your husband can take over dinner or packing lunches a few times a week.

Kids can start making their beds or doing their laundry.

Maybe your mom or a mommy’s helper can come watch your little ones while you get some DIY time.

Think about your schedule. And find a few ways that you can delegate some of your tasks.

Delegation is definitely a win-win that you can benefit from.

5. Organize your project ahead of time

There’s nothing like FINALLY having time for your diy project, and then you can’t find the painters tape, or the ribbon you wanted to use, or the tools you need.

Or, maybe your workspace is covered in junk.

Or, maybe you can’t find the website with the instructions (or the pin you thought you pinned).

Take a few minutes during the day and get your project, your workspace, and your instructions organized.

Read through the instructions to familiarize yourself with the steps (it’s like pre-reading – can you tell I was a literacy teacher?!)

When you finally have the time, you can jump right in.

6. Multi-task, multi-task, multi-task

Talking on the phone?

Get the dishes washed. Delete your emails. Steam the floor.

Have a slow eater in your family?

Clean up the kitchen while they’re finishing up. Make the kids lunches for the next day. Write down your shopping list.

As much as you want to relax, using this time wisely lets you cross TWO things off your list, instead of one. How’s that for productivity?!

6. Put the devices down

Even though I manage my time well, my cell phone is my downfall.

I check Facebook, then I see what’s trending on twitter.

I look at the news, my instagram feed, and of course, reply to all my text messages.

Yet, once I started realizing all of the time I was wasting, my mind was blown.

All those minutes add up into hours a day. Those hours across a whole week – the number was insane.

Even though I love to relax by checking my phone, I would much rather be spending this time on my DIY projects.

7. Use wait time to the max

During my college orientation, one of the deans gave amazing advice that I still follow today.

He said that in the next four years, you will find yourself waiting a lot.

Waiting for that awkward amount of time in between classes – where you have more than a few minutes but not enough time to go back to the dorm.

Waiting for professor’s office hours to start, waiting for your study group to show up, waiting for class to start.

He said that all that time adds up – so use it wisely.

His advice undoubtedly applies to more than just college.

Waiting is a big part of life, especially with kids.

So use those few minutes you are waiting in the school parking lot to answer emails or make a hair appointment.

It will make your to do list shorter later – giving you more time for your projects.

How do I start?

Pick just one or two of the above tasks to work on.

You’ll soon start to see that you’ve freed up some time for your DIY projects.

With your hectic schedule and the constant running, you will finally have time for yourself and the projects that you’ve been dying to start.

How to Create a Custom Jigsaw Puzzle

December 20, 2017 by Eileen 51 Comments

My sister PK is sharing a cute little craft puzzle that she gave our little guy. Not just a puzzle, it had a sweet request for her upcoming wedding. Below she shares the details so you can make your own 🙂

I love a good excuse for crafting. With my busy schedule, I feel like I never have a reason to make fun things. So when an opportunity arises, I jump on it.

I recently got engaged to be married, and I could not pass up the opportunity to make some sentimental gifts for my immediate family members, who have always known they’d be included in our wedding.

Backtracking a few years, Eileen and Ash decided to announce their first pregnancy with a surprise photo puzzle. We all love puzzles and thought nothing of being given a puzzle to complete.

Totally clueless, we worked on the puzzle and were completely surprised and excited when we figured out it was a pregnancy announcement for our sweet little nephew.

Fast forward to present day, our nephew just loves completing jigsaw puzzles. He assembles 100-piece puzzles with ease and a lot of excitement, shocking the adults around him. If the puzzle has numbers or letters, he recites each, one-by-one.

It’s endearing and sweet and helped us decide exactly what we wanted to do to ask him to be our ring bearer – with a custom jigsaw puzzle!

How to Make a Custom Jigsaw Puzzle

I looked at various DIY puzzle products and wandered around the craft store for quite some time to decide on the best materials.

Then I found a pack of 9 plain, wooden puzzle pieces that were 2.5 inches – ready to decorate!

I grabbed two just in case and went looking for some letter stickers.

I decided on stickers from the scrapbooking section, about 1.25″ in height, in a very dark navy blue so they would be in a good contrast with whatever I decided to paint behind the letters.

Materials

Wooden puzzle
Acrylic Paints
Alphabet Stickers – like these
Xacto Knife
Sand paper
Paint brush
Scissors

Planning the Wedding Message

I anxiously assembled the puzzle pieces and was pleasantly surprised at how well they fit together out of the package. A few were snug but I knew I wanted to sand them down to be safer for my nephew’s hands.

I also couldn’t wait to test out the letters, so I cut out each letter of our intended message to place over the square puzzle before getting the sandpaper.

The three rows of pieces easily fit:

Will you

be our

RING

bearer?

I ran out of lowercase Rs, but I improvised.

As awesome as I thought it looked, it was really missing the personalization of all of our names!

Then I remembered I got a second set and I could easily add one more row of pieces.

So, I combined the two sets to make a larger puzzle.

Sanding the Rough Edges

These new pieces were not as easy to fit with the rest, but I was ready to get sanding!

I grabbed a sheet of sandpaper and smoothed each side and divet until each piece fit well with its adjacent piece and made sure each pair worked well whichever one was placed in on top.

Painting the Puzzle Background

While working on the letters, I decided to paint a landscape of a grassy hill on the pieces, just like our ceremony venue! I gathered my painting supplies and assembled the now 12-piece puzzle on a few layers of newspaper.

Then, I painted a cartoonish outdoor scene with colors overlapping the puzzle pieces so each looked unique.

I made sure to paint lightly to avoid getting excess paint in between the pieces. It was quick-drying acrylic paint, but I let it dry overnight before placing the stickers.

Next, I took the pieces apart and sanded some of the pieces again as needed for one final run before placing the stickers.

I cut more of the excess white off the back of each sticker for a better idea of the background before calling it a finished picture.

Attaching the Letters

Ready to go, I grabbed a book slightly larger than the puzzle for easy transport later. Then I pulled off the backing of the first letter and not entirely to my surprise, the outline was much thicker than I thought.

I immediately pushed all of the letters closer to the center of their row then placed the first letter more to the right than planned.

After adding the letters, I placed another hardcover book on top and put the two books on a table puzzle-side down. For good measure, I added another stack of books on top and let it sit overnight.

Making the Puzzle Piece Letter Cuts

Next, I grabbed an x-acto knife to carefully slice the stickers between puzzle pieces. This was a daunting task, but I was very happy at the level of sanding I had done.

I originally thought I would have to turn the puzzle over and run through each, but it was not necessary!

(first row omitted from pic)

To secure it once more, I put the pieces unassembled under a stack of books again. I left it for a day while I decided how to box up these pieces!

If you’re looking for a unique gift idea for your wedding (like us) or just a simple craft to make for the kids, these custom-made jigsaw puzzles are cute as can be and very simple to make 🙂

How to Make a String Art Nativity Scene

December 2, 2017 by Eileen 23 Comments

This Christmas I haven’t done any projects with the nativity scene, which is what Christmas is all about. So of course, I wanted to incorporate a nativity scene into my holiday DIY this week.

This week is the conclusion of our holiday blog hop – Deck the Home, which is a five-week series of amazing Christmas DIY projects of the home. Hundreds of projects have been shared by 25 very talented DIY bloggers. Be sure to scroll to the end of the post to check out everyone’s home decor. And even though the hop is ending, we have quite a few weeks before Christmas, giving you plenty of time to work on some of your favorites.

So back to the nativity scene project. I wanted to create a giant nativity scene for the yard, but my hubby insisted on a simple reindeer and Santa sleigh instead. Since it was the last week of the hop, it was final chance to incorporate the nativity.

I had also been wanting to try DIY string art because I’ve seen so many cool designs. Therefore, I decided to try my hand at creating a DIY string art nativity scene.

How to Make a String Art Nativity Scene

Here are the steps I took to create the DIY string art nativity scene. Since this was my first time doing string art, I hope you find all the string art tips and tricks for beginners helpful.

Tools and Materials for DIY String Art Nativity

- Piece of wood
- Saw to trim wood (if necessary)
- Stain – I used my homemade natural stain
- Nails – This scene used over 100 nails. I used silver nails, which made the scene look lit up 🙂
- Hammer
- Embroidery floss string – white
- Template – Free download below

Drawing the Nativity Template

First, I drew the nativity scene on a piece of card stock. I figured the 8.5×11 paper was about the size that I wanted the nativity. You could draw the design out yourself or you could use the one I drew.

Subscribe to our mailing list for DIY updates and tips PLUS get instant access to the nativity template and lots of others files and free printables.

Marking the Nail Holes

The next thing I did on my DIY string art project was I marked my nail holes with a black pen. You want your nails to be about 3/4″ apart. The more consistent, the better because then you can make more even/symmetrical patterns. In fact, you could even use a spacer (grab a drinking straw and cut it down to 3/4″) to be consistent.

In Hindsight: Some of my nails were marked way too close. I did this to try to get the curves of Mary and Joseph and a tight outline of the manger. But it makes your string harder to tie – and the pattern more confusing to follow.

Also, I ended up leaving the hand off of Mary because there wasn’t enough space in between her and baby Jesus to give a nice outline. When you are drawing and marking your nail holes, be sure to have a nice clean outline of your shapes or people.

Tapping the Nail Holes

After I marked the nail holes, I taped my picture to a piece of wood. Then I took one nail and started tapping it through the paper into the wood, to mark the hole.

I used the same nail and continued to do this for all of the holes.

When I removed the paper, I had each of my holes marked for the string art.

If you look at the below picture, you will see that my holes are marked too closely between Mary and baby Jesus. Again, you want to make sure that each area has a clean outline. It shouldn’t be hard to decipher, like this part.

Trimming the Wood to Size

Next, I used my table saw to trim off the top of the wood. I sanded down this side and any rough areas too.

Stain the Wood

After my nativity scene pattern was on and my wood was trimmed, it was time to stain the wood. I used a homemade natural stain for this – which I absolutely love.

Hammering in the Nails

After the stain on the nativity scene dried, I then hammered in all of the nails into the wood. It took about a little over 100 nails. Here are the results:

Wrapping the String

I did a lot of research to learn how to wrap the string around the nails to create beautiful string art. However, everybody the same thing – there’s no right or wrong way to do it. Although true, I like a little more guidance than that, so here are my DIY string art tips for beginners:

First Things First

Decide you want to use the positive space or the negative space. I went with the negative space – which means instead of filling Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the star, etc in with string, I left them blank. Instead I filled the space around them with the string. When you are thinking about positive and negative space, think of using a cookie cutter in dough. The actual cook is the positive space and the scraps around where the cookie cutter went are the negative space.
Take your string and start in a corner. Wrap your string around the nail and tie it a couple of times. Be sure to leave a tail on your string so you can hide it later.
If you are starting with a busy scene or design, such as this nativity scene, then start with an outline of your scene. It will help you see your pattern and go from there. Here I am using my pattern to making an outline with my string.

Here is the finished outline of the nativity string art. I’m sorry for poor pictures – I get most of my projects done at night when the kids are sleeping. 🙂

How to Wrap the String

To wrap your string, you can use a variety of different ways.
- You can weave the string around the nail holes in an almost zig-zag pattern – like if you were running an obstacle course lined with cones.
- You can wrap the string around each nail hole in a loop. This is good for keeping a straight line or for anchoring your string once in a while.
- You can make patterns – such as lines coming out from one point, zig zags back and forth, or up and down hills with the string, making almost triangular mountains.

Basically, you can wrap your string any way you want it.

Once you have your outline, bring your string over to where you want to start “filling in” the nativity scene.
To bring back your string, you just keep wrapping it or weaving it around the nails until you are in the desired place.
Then, start “filling in” the nativity scene using one of the ways above – or using your own way to wrap the string.
Be careful not to cross the string over any areas you don’t want filled in. I did that waaaaay too many times.

Below is a picture of me starting to do a zig-zag pattern with the string art, working my way around the picture.

You’ll keep wrapping your string and filling in your picture until you are content with it. I used a ton of string and kept wrapping and weaving in all sorts of patterns to get a filled in look.

More String Art Tips

If you feel like you are losing the shape of any of the things in your nativity scene, then work your string to the point and outline it with the string again. To do this, just work your string around the perimeter of your shape. I did this with the star – I had so much string everywhere and I had only outlined the star once, that I felt that the star got lost.Then, I just worked my way around its perimeter again and again until I was happy with how it looked. I also went around the perimeter of the stable a few times too, to give it a nice clean outline.

Finishing your DIY String Art

Once you are satisfied with your string art scene, then bring your string back to your starting point. (Do this by weaving or wrapping it until you are in the desired place).
Then, take your ends and tie them together.
With the tails, you can either weave them through your string art (easiest way is by using an embroidery needle). Or you can just hide it underneath.

Here is my finished string art nativity scene. Not bad for my first time with string art!?

Here is a close-up of the star:

Time and Cost

It was a little time-consuming to hammer all the nails and to wrap the strings. However, wrapping the string was very therapeutic. Like doing a puzzle or coloring. Of course, you had to pay attention to your outlines – but overall it was a very calming activity.

As far as total time, I would say maybe about 3-4 hours total. The cost for me was just the string, which I bought for a buck or two. The nails and wood we had – and I made the stain with ingredients from my pantry.

Also, factor in whether you are going to add hanging hardware to back. I think I’ll keep ours leaning on the wall.

If you are looking for a fun, calming holiday DIY project that you can decorate your home with or give as a gift, definitely try string art. There’s no fancy skills involved!

Just you and some string 🙂

That’s it for our holiday Deck the Home DIY projects. If you missed any, check out all of the 2018 Deck the Home holiday projects.

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Crafts

How to Stencil an Accent Wall

Materials for Stenciling a Wall

Step 1 – Choose your stencil and paint colors

Step 2 – Prepare the wall

Step 3 – Decide where you want your stencil to start

Step 4 – Secure stencil to the wall

Step 5 – Use a small rounded brush to start dabbing on the paint.

Step 6 – Remove stencil and repeat

A Few More Wall Stenciling Tips

Go for it!

1. Build Simple Shelves

2. Make a Cool Wall Hanging

3. Create Gallery Wraps

4. Put Together Scrap Wood Picture Ledges

5. Spray Paint Frames for an Artistic Gallery

6. Create an Accent Wall

7. Hang Pegboard for Office or Craft Supplies

How to Make a Year of Dates Gift Basket

1. Set a Budget

2. Collect Materials – Free Year of Dates Printables

3. Research Date Ideas

4. Choose an Item/Trinket for the Basket

5. Make the Date Cards

6. Acquire gift cards or tickets (or cash)

7. Put everything together!

Add Vibrant Throw Blankets

Decorate with Expressive Throw Pillows

Beautify with Plants and Greenery

Paint Old Furniture

Add Patterned or Stenciled Walls

Adorn with Wall Hangings and Pictures

Enrich with Fresh Slipcovers

Use Eye-Catching Duvets

Hang Vibrant Curtains

Incorporate Accent Rugs

St. Patrick’s Day DIY Decor Craft

Materials for the DIY Shamrock Decor

Instructions for the DIY Shamrock Decor

Choose your Scrapbook Papers

Choose a Picture Frame

Make & Attach Shamrock

How to draw a shamrock?

Trim Your Background & Attach

Making Homemade Wood Stain that’s Chemical-Free

DIY Wood Stain Materials

Making Wood Stain from Coffee and Chocolate

DIY Wood Stain Results

Seal it!

How to Make an Oversized Wood Jigsaw Puzzle

How to Find Time for DIY Projects

1. Get up an hour earlier

2. Cut some things out

3. Let kids work with you

4. Delegate what you can

5. Organize your project ahead of time

6. Multi-task, multi-task, multi-task

6. Put the devices down

7. Use wait time to the max

How do I start?

How to Make a Custom Jigsaw Puzzle

Materials

Planning the Wedding Message

Sanding the Rough Edges

Painting the Puzzle Background

Attaching the Letters

Making the Puzzle Piece Letter Cuts

How to Make a String Art Nativity Scene

Tools and Materials for DIY String Art Nativity

Drawing the Nativity Template

Marking the Nail Holes

Tapping the Nail Holes

Trimming the Wood to Size

Stain the Wood

Hammering in the Nails

Wrapping the String

First Things First

How to Wrap the String