DIY burlap garland for the mantel

It was time to freshen up the mantel a bit for spring. I had some oversize wine bottles I bummed off my in-laws that I wanted to use. I liked the shape and size of them. I found some floral stems for $2.50 apiece at Michaels, and bought six {three for each bottle}. I put the stem-filled bottles up on the mantel, but it was missing a certain “je ne sais quoi…”

…So then I made a burlap garland. Actually, then I began intently searching Pinterest for some inspiration until I came across this tutorial at A to Zebra Celebrations. I decided to give it a try. I followed the instructions fairly closely but improvised a bit. Since I already had the twine and bought the burlap at Joanne’s with a coupon, the whole project cost under $5 and only took about ten minutes to complete. Well, technically it cost $20 if you count the $15 I spent on the floral stems. {Scroll to bottom for tutorial}

Blake said it looked like a bunch of bath puffs strung together, but I like it anyway. He’s just jealous of my mad skills.

After I finished the garland, I hung it on the mantel, only to decide the bottles looked a bit too plain. I wrapped some jute twine around the necks of the bottles to add some more natural texture.

I’ve been wanting to change up the mirror over the mantel. Right now it is a mirror I found at Ross for under $40, but I would like to replace it with a large round mirror. The living room is full of square/rectangular shapes and lines. A round mirror would soften things up. We also are going to add some more molding to the mantel to spruce it up a bit. It’s a work in progress!

Burlap Garland Tutorial

Supplies:

***For a 5 foot garland

• ~45 feet of 6″ wide burlap garland {I went through one and a half 30 foot rolls. I bought it in the floral section of the craft store, but you can find it here at Amazon as well}
• jute twine
• tapestry needle {I used size 16}
• scissors

Instructions

• Measure your jute twine to the length you want your garland to be. Be sure to leave enough on the ends for hanging purposes.
• Thread your tapestry needle with the twine, only pull about 2 inches or so through the eye of the needle. Tie a fairly large knot in the end of the twine where you want the burlap garland to begin{the end not threaded through the needle}. I left about 6 inches excess from the end of the twine to the knot to allow some room to hang the garland.
• Start making large basic stitches through the center of the strip of the burlap {beginning at the end of the burlap}. After every five or so stitches, gently “scrunch” the burlap down the twine.

• Continue stitching and scrunching until you reach your desired length. As I got more fabric on the twine, I just held it vertically to let the fabric “settle” instead of scrunching it. You can make the burlap as loose or as tight as you wish.

• When you are done, tie a knot in the twine to hold the burlap in place. Remember to leave enough excess on the twine to hang the garland {I left about 6″ at each end}. You can kind of rotate the burlap ruffles a bit and “primp” it to make it more pretty once it’s hung.

*Update: I also used this same burlap to make a wreath. Happy crafting!

Noah’s Nursery Reveal

The nursery has been 85% finished for quite some time, but I’ve been wanting to add a few finishing touches before sharing it with everyone. You know, preferably before Noah graduates high school. The final touches involved hanging shelves and installing bamboo blinds, which with my dad’s help finally got done today *happy dance*. So without further ado, here is the room I lovingly decorated and put together for my little guy.

Here is the view from the door when you first walk in. The curtains are the Lenda style from Ikea. I sewed on the navy blue stripes with fabric from Joanne’s. The bamboo blinds are from Home Depot and really work well to darken the room for naptime. The art collage over the crib was something I had a lot of fun putting together. The crib was purchased with my Christmas bonus money the year before last (while I was still pregnant). I’m sad that since we lowered the crib mattress, the navy and white polka dot crib skirt I made had to be removed. Right now the drawer beneath the crib holds extra blankets and bedding. The chocolate faux-leather ottoman beneath the window was a steal from Ross {I’m thinking it was only about $40} and although it is currently empty, it will be used for extra storage eventually. The faux-sheepskin is from Ikea.

The changing table/dresser is immediately to the left of the door. It was a Craigslist find of yore. I love the mid-century lines and the way the white and wood ties in with the crib. It was a bit small for our master bedroom, but it is the perfect size for the nursery. {We’ve since replaced it with a larger Hemnes dresser from Ikea in our room.} The scrapbook paper mobile hanging above the changing pad was something I made awhile back to give Noah something to look at while he gets his diaper changed.

We are currently only use four drawers out of the six. The top left holds pajamas and socks. The top right holds Noah’s cloth diapers. The middle left drawer has all his pants and jeans. The middle right drawer holds onesies. All the rest of his clothes are hanging in the closet.

The closet is on the wall adjacent to the door on the right. I hung a homemade bunting to add some color. All his shirts and sweaters are hanging up. The white baskets on the upper shelf hold shoes, burp cloths, extra bibs, etc. The left side of the closet is still pretty empty, but there is a plastic set of drawers that holds extra disposable diapers and wipes.

The rocking chair in the corner was a birthday gift from my parents. It has a durable denim slipcover. I love it! The adorable owl pillow was a birthday gift from a sweet friend. The lamb skin was a baby shower gift from my mother-in-law. It’s specially made for babies and is machine washable. Noah enjoys it.

Here is the view standing in front of the window looking toward the changing table. The diaper pail and trashcan tuck in nicely beneath the shelves.

The shelves to the right of the dresser are from Ikea. I chose the Eckby style because I loved the nickel finish on the brackets, and the shelves could be cut to length to fit the space perfectly.

The top shelf holds storage boxes {Kassett from Ikea} to hold cards and mementos. The globe is there because I have always loved globes, but also because I want Noah to know the world is a small place. I don’t want him to be afraid of travel and new experiences. Also, I really suck at geography and I want my child to have a better understanding of the lay of the land. Seriously…up until a few months ago I thought the state of Maine was a peninsula {Blake tells me I shouldn’t admit that publicly}. And don’t ask me where the state of Wisconsin is. I’m really not sure.

The middle shelf has a picture of my Papa Lou; the frame was a gift one of my co-workers gave me. Papa Lou hated that picture because he said he looked like a “sloppy sailor,” but I have always loved it. He had a successful Navy career {surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor, among many other accomplishments} and retired as a Commander. He passed away three years ago, but my family and I will always be proud of his service. The cute little “NOAH” train was a Christmas gift from Blake’s Uncle Mike and Aunt Roberta. The white resin owl statue is from Home Goods.

The basket on the bottom shelf holds some books. There is a white shadow box frame that has a piece of framed scrapbook paper until I can find something better to go in it. There is also a Broncos piggy bank. We want Noah to be a saver. And a Broncos fan {that’s a given}.

Here’s a few more gratuitous shots:

All in all, I’m pretty happy with how the nursery turned out. There are still a few things I want to add, like some hooks on the wall to the right of the closet for holding a little backpack and jackets. But for now I’m very happy with how it looks!

Source List:
Wall color – Silver Screen by Behr from Home Depot
Bamboo blinds – Home Depot
Curtains – Lenda from Ikea (navy blue stripes sewn on)
Floor Flotaki (sheepskin) – Ikea
Crib – Walmart
Dresser – Craigslist
Changing pad and cover – Babies R Us
Mirror over changing table – Ikea
Shelves – Eckby from Ikea
Globe – Amazon
Broncos piggy bank – our local Walmart
Rocking chair and slipcover – Dorel from Walmart
Owl pillow – Etsy store whimsysweetwhimsy
Picture frames over crib – assorted frames from Target
NOAH letters over crib – hand painted by a family member
Clock – not sure, already had
Lamp – not sure, already had