I actually did this Give-Away back at the beginning of July for my birthday, but I realized that I never wrote it up! I wanted to mix it up and do something a little different, so I was offering the chance to win a custom string art that the winner got to design!

• 1 piece of 12 inch x 12 inch x 1 inch pine wood square
• 100 of 1 inch finishing nails
• 1 skein of white embroidery floss (or any other colour you so desire!)
• A hammer

The first time I made string art, I did it with my two best friends! We ended up picking up the wood from Home Depot, and it was a 6 feet x 12 inch x 1 inch “Craftsman Pine” wood panel that cost $11.20. To be honest, this was a decision we made based on aesthetic and price, but I’m sure people out there have better methods of choosing wood. The people at Home Depot are also willing to cut the wood for you as well, so we just sorted it all out there! I’m actually not too sure how everything ended up happening, since my friend dealt with this part, but we got eight squares and a bonus portion out of it. If you want to stain the wood at all, this is a good time to do it.

The second part of this craft is to pick out a design and to put it on a paper template. You can choose anything! I’ve seen my friends pick words like “Love”, as well as Pokémon and simple shapes, so really, anything is possible. I will caution that more intricate designs are harder to nail, but if you’re up for the challenge, go for it. For the Give-Away, the winner asked for a deer.

After that, the hard part is nailing everything. It’s not particularly hard, but it is time consuming. The goal is to get all of the nails into the wood at the same depth, and at a straight angle. This is not as easy as it sounds, especially if the design is detailed. Remember, practice makes perfect! The first time I did this, I ripped out all the nails and had to do it a second time because I was so frustrated with the crooked angle of my hammering. I guess this is the problem of being a perfectionist at times. For reference, the deeper the nail, the sturdier its placement, but there is also less room for the thread winding if the nail is deep. Depending on how many layers of thread you want to wrap, this may be something you want to take into consideration. Personally, my nails were all very shallow, almost dangerously so, as some of my nails were a bit wobbly at the end of it all. Still, they held, and that’s all that matters.

After nailing everything, all that’s left is to wrap the embroidery thread! It’s one of those things where the more random placements work best. My best friends prefer to have lots and lots of layers of thread, so that you cannot really see the wood underneath. I prefer to wrap loosely, with some of the wood peeking out, as I think that it feels more rustic. As with all crafts, it all comes down to personal preference. My best friends enjoyed this part the most, as they feel it’s much more therapeutic than the nailing.

My favourite part is looking at the end product. Here was the Give-Away product!

I’ve also added some images of the ones that my friends have made, just for reference and future inspiration.

The second time I did this string art, I did it with my friend Ashley! She has an Instagram account documenting all of her different adventures, whether they be food related, craft related, or travel! She has a way of capturing the beauty in the world, and would definitely recommend giving her a follow.

Until next time, happy crafting!