DIY String & Nail Art

Art is pricey. But it doesn’t have to be.

Beneath our condo a restaurant is being remodeled so every morning after I walk my son to school I pilfer through the construction material trash pile downstairs for “treasures.”

I’m always nervous about doing so but I’m almost positive I won’t get busted for stealing scraps.

A piece of wood I found the other day gave me an idea for a project that would look fabulous in my son’s room.

Here’s what you need:

• Piece of wood
• Paint
• Nails
• Hammer
• String
• Sandpaper
• Scissors
• Pen or pencil
• Tape

To start, sand the wood making sure to sand the sides and edges making it smooth.

After the wood is smooth it is ready to paint. I chose white because it is the best color to show off the color of the string.

Let the paint dry for a couple of hours.

After the paint has dried, sand the edges giving it a tarnished look. Take the sand paper and go over the entire piece of wood. This gives it a rustic look. Luckily my wood had black on it when I found it (along with cement) so it really looks rustic.

Find a font and font size you like.  It will be much easier if you chose a font with no serifs.  The font I used was Bell Gothic Std Black.  You can either print them out after sizing them or zoom in and trace them right on the computer to a piece of paper.

Make sure all letters are correctly spaced and straight.

Cut the letters out and arrange them on the wood. Tape the letters down so they stay in place.

Hammer a nail in each corner of each letter and also around any curves.  Decide how many nails you’re going to use around the curves and be consistent with each curve.

Carefully tear off the paper.

Get out the string and start wrapping.  I used embroidery thread I already had on hand.  To begin, tie a knot to one nail and start wrapping.  When you’re finished, tie the end to the same nail.  I went around each letter 5 times with the string.

This project cost me less than 10 dollars. Stand back and admire your work from afar. You nailed it!