Whenever I get a little restless with my decor one of my first go to spots for re-decorating is my mantel, for multiple reasons. One, it’s one of the first things people see when they walk in our home. Two it’s easy to change up (partly thanks to the fact that it’s a chalkboard). Three, it’s one of the most charming features of our home, with the old built in glass cabinets on either side, mini windows, and beautiful crown molding. Such a nice focal point, and the perfect spot to create a vignet of holiday decor. I thought a heart would be perfectly appropriate for Valentines Day, and it was super easy. I even was able to use supplies I already had around the house (all I had to buy were the nails).
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A piece of plywood. Mine was a 24×48 that I had cut in half at Home Depot awhile ago to make a 24×24 square.
- Hammer
- Ruler
- Pen or pencil for marking
- Nails. I used these fun copper slate nails that I found. I liked their large heads and of course their color. The larger heads are nice for string art, as it keeps the strings from sliding off as you work.
- String or twine. I used some red twine that I purchased at Joann Arts and Crafts or another project. Yarn would work as well.
I began by drawing a heart onto my wood with my pencil. I measured 2 inches in on all sides, then found the center of each side to use as guide points to make my heart nice and even. I free handed it from there. If you are afraid to draw your own heart I’d suggest finding a template to print and trace. After I was satisfied with my heart outline I began adding my nails. They’re space about an inch and a half apart, but you don’t have to be exact.
Once the nails were all securely hammered into my plywood it was time to start stringing. I tied the twine to one nail, making sure to triple knot it for security. First I went all the way around my heart with the twine, weaving in and out. I did that a few times just to get an outline to start with. Then I began to randomly wrap the twine nail to nail, going across, diagonal, etc.
This creates a fun, random, geometric pattern, and fills in the shape of your heart with some nice color. I continued to wrap back and forth until I felt that my heart was filled in enough. After awhile you just start duplicating your patterns over and over, so I found that as an indicator of a good stopping point. I wrapped the twine three times around the very bottom nail at the point of the heart, and then tied it tightly, again triple knotting for security. I left the tail a bit long, and wove it into the outline of my heart.
I placed it on the mantel and added some of my other favorite elements for additional styling, like the gold heart print from Ampersand Design Studio. Hope you guys enjoyed my string art tutorial. Keep in mind that you can use your imagination to create any shape that you want with your nails and string. It would also make a perfect addition to wedding decor, and you can add it to your home later! Have fun, and if you give it a try be sure to send me links to your projects, I’d love to see them.
Looking for other Valentines Day inspiration? Check out the "Valentines Day" category all month long for more projects, decor, and recipes or my Pinterest Valentines Day board.
xo ~ Emily
