DIY Holiday String Art

everybody! Today I have a super fun craft for you all! I have been in love with string art for quite some time now! I have been so inspired by the beautiful and fun pieces on pinterest, so I decided to try my hand at it. The basic idea behind it all is that you take a picture, or a word and nail around the outlines onto a piece of wood, tear the paper off, and commence with the long, but fun, process of stringing. You can find some wonderful tutorials for different types of string art from The Harpster Home, Que Linda, Green Wedding Shoes, and Creative in Chicago. Here is my version:

What You Need:

*Nice Plywood

*A jigsaw

*Sandpaper

*Paint

*A box of nails- I used #18 3/4″ nails

*Hammer

*Fun Christmas font printed word on paper to fit your board

*Yarn, twine, string

*Scissors

 Step 1: Make your board- Draw your funky shape onto your plywood. Have fun with it, it can be any shape you like. I went for a fancy frame like shape. Once you have it drawn out to your liking, carefully cut around the outline with a jigsaw. Then, sand the edges all around your shape until it’s nice and smooth. Paint your board in your desired color. I used a fun holiday green.

Step 2: Nail- To get your letters the right size measure your board and divide the width into the number of letters adding extra space for spacing. Set your word to be the size you need in your photo editing program and print. Lay out your paper on your board centering it to where you need it. You can tape it down if you choose to. Now you are ready to nail. Starting at the edge of your first letter nail in a nail on the outline of the letter and into your board leaving about 1/2 inch or so sticking out of the board. Grab another nail and nail into the board about 3/8 inch away from the first nail and sticking out of the board the same height. Continue nailing around the outline of your letters spacing about 3/8 apart until you have outlined your whole word. Next, carefully tear off the paper from the board. Mine came off pretty easily. Starting at one corner and tearing at an angle seemed to help me.

Step 3: String- I used divine twine for my string, but you could use embroidery floss or thin yarn, whatever you like best. Tie a knot around your starting nail on your first letter, snip excess thread. Now you can start stringing. Start stringing back and forth around your letter, then go the opposite way, and then go willy nilly around how you like until you are satisfied with the pattern of the string and your letter looks full and clear. I made sure to close the gaps on the outside of my letters here and there while stringing so my letters would have a sharper outline. When you are happy with the design snip a tail of twine and tie off the end of your twine around a nail and snip of excess twine tail. Repeat with your other letters. This part does take a while but it is easy and kinda therapeutic at the same time. Once you tie off your final letter you are finished. You can add a sawtooth hanger to the back or just sit it on a shelf or table.

I had a really fun time making this “Believe” string art sign for Christmas! I think I will definitely do more in the future. These fun little signs can spell out anything you wish. You could make one for every season, or to say something special. They would also make fantastic gifts for loved ones. And it is a pretty inexpensive DIY too. I bought my plywood in the scrap section at Home Depot for $4.00 and although divine twine is pricey, I only used a bit of it. Embroidery floss would definitely be a more economical choice. To see more string art ideas check out my links above, and check out my DIY Pinterest Board. I hope I have inspired some of you to try one of these yourself. They are so fun! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more Holiday fun!

Happy Crafting!