DIY Front Door Rustic Decor

Moving on to another rustic-like DIY project.  Some Pinterest ideas inspired me to jazz up my front door in the non-holiday months, so I kind of just went with my own ideas and it turned out so cute!!

What you need:
~Cardboard letter (got mine from Hobby Lobby)
~Twine
~Hot glue gun
~Sharp scissors
~Empty picture frame
~Burlap or ribbon

First, I worked on wrapping my 'B' with twine.  This isn't as easy as it may appear at first, and I think depending on the letter you choose, you may have to use your own creativity at times to make it all come together.  But, I first wrapped the straight areas first, using hot glue to secure the beginning and then more to secure where I ended.

As I got to the rounded edges, the twine wasn't wrapped completely around. This is where you kind of have to be daring and creative. I was kind of lucky because it came out exactly how I pictured.

I then trimmed some of those loose twine hairs.  After the more difficult part is over, all you gotta do is glue the letter to the frame of your choice. I got my rustic frame from Hobby Lobby. At 40% off it was only $8!!  After gluing my letter to the frame, I wasn't decided whether or not to add more to my decor.  I bought twigs and ribbon, but decided to leave it as-is.  Rather then using satin ribbon to hang my frame with, I picked burlap (since I had left over from my last craft) and created a side knot with it.

I wasn't a fan of the frame sliding around and not staying centered as the door opened and closed (or should I say SLAMMED!), so I put those wall hook sticks on the 2 lower corners so that it stays put.  LOVE my new front door decor... simple, but very inviting =).

DIY Burlap "FAMILY" Banner

A theme to many weddings, bridal showers, nurseries, or professional portraits that has become ever-so-popular is "rustic".  Everywhere I look, I see brides wearing cowboy boots, babies rooms decked out in old wood, and I see these cute little burlap banners that make awesome props to professional photos for families or engagement settings.  It is a VERY easy project...

Here's what you need:
~Burlap: get it from a fabric store (comes in different shades)
~Thick Sharpie
~Sharp scissors
~Large triangular stencil (homemade mine)
~Large alphabet stencil
~Twine
~Ribbon
~Hot glue gun

First, take your triangle stencil to trace and cut out your banner pieces.  In this case I needed 6, but of course cut as many as you need to spell out what you would like.  "LOVE" is a popular one for engagement photos. As you trace the triangle, be careful as not to press hard and not to drag the pen/marker.  Burlap stretches very easily, so pressing too hard makes for imperfect lines.

Next, stencil out your letters on each of the banner pieces and fill in the letters with a sharpie (can be any color, but I think black, brown, or red works best).

Then, lay out the twine over the top of your banner triangles (letters face down).  Place a line of glue about a half inch from the top of the triangle and fold over.  Yes, your fingers may get a little hot since burlap isn't the thickest material, but you'll be fine... I promise!!!

Finally, add a little touch by gluing some cute bows on the ends.

Originally, I used my banner for a family photo shoot:

And then decided that it would look so cute on my fireplace while not in use: