Give Thanks

Spending over two months on bed rest may inevitably kill me. Everyone keeps telling me it will all be worth it when I have sweet Avery in my arms. I know that's true but the wait is probably one of the hardest things I've ever gone through. So in order to fill the time, I do a lot of organizing, nesting, and crafting. I'm constantly on the look-out for a new DIY project I can do that will keep me busy and sane. I am a holiday fanatic. From October through the end of December I am a sucker for Harvest/Autumn time to Christmas decor. I love to decorate for Autumn and nothing is better than the crisp air, colorful leaves, windows wide open, and decoration of pumpkins and such. The craft I worked on today is a burlap banner for the fireplace. I got the ideas from Pinterest and used various ideas from a few different sources. This was pretty easy and I took my time so that it filled up a couple hours. I love the way it turned out! I started with a roll of burlap. I decided to measure squares 4 1/2 inches across. I used a lighter (this scared me at first) to burn the edges to ensure it doesn't all come unraveled. The squares turned out all the same size and with good, clean edges.

I used some stencils I bought a while back at Joanns, taping them with stencil tape, and then painting with acrylic black paint and a sponge brush.

I was nervous about how the letters would turn out as burlap obviously is filled with holes and much of the paint sinks through to the newspaper it was laid on. I touched up a few areas with a black Sharpee and went over the paint at least twice to ensure every area was covered. I let each letter dry for about 20-30 min before lifting the stencil to see how it turned out.

I let it all dry for a couple hours and then plugged in my hot glue gun. I went to Walmart in search of matching string but they didn't have any so I picked up some brown yarn. I turned each letter upside down and glued along the top edge, folding down over the string and then pressing hard (and burning my fingers) until it dried.

I then wrapped the end of the string on nails on my fireplace and "ta da! It's done. I am proud and very happy with it. Next step is to get a couple small pumpkins and perhaps a candle or two to complete the fireplace decor.

My next project is something for the front porch. I need to get Autumn decor out of my system before moving onto Christmas:)