Homemade Wedding Gift - Part 3 of 4

Go ahead and pull off the cut-out of your design:

Now that you finally have all of your nails in, it's time for the string! I recommend you purchase sturdy crochet thread that's made out of 100% mercerized cotton. Also, be sure to choose a color that will really stand out and pop! Try to stay away from neutrals that might blend into the color of the wood.
Here's our pick:

Can be found at your local craft store. 

We bought ours at Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores for about $3.

Start at any nail and make sure to tie a solid knot around it. You can add some hot glue to the knot to ensure that it won't come apart. From here, you can begin creating your pattern. The technique isn't all that complicated - just weave across from one nail to another. Make sure you are pulling tight enough to avoid any slack.

Make sure each nail is involved when weaving. 

You will likely double or triple up on most nails in order to fill up the design.

Just about finished!! What are my final touches?

You've made it this far, don't miss part 4 of 4 - coming soon!

Homemade Wedding Gift - Part 2 of 4

Want to try your hand at some string art? Well, you'll need the logistics. Depending on how big your designs is and what you decide to do, the amount of nails you will need will differ. But here's what we used for our design (see previous post for reference):

We bought 4 packs of 17 x 1-1/4" stainless wire nails. 

We recommend that you use a smooth-faced hammer to avoid scuffing the nail heads.

Now we can start adding nails to outline the cut-out of "Fisher". We decided to use a marker to make sure each nail is the same width apart and all nails are the same height. You don't want the nails to be too close together and having them too far apart would make it harder to make out what the design is actually supposed to be. We've found that having the nails 3/4" high and 3/8" apart was the best - here's a good tip to keep it consistent.We folded a piece of masking tape two ways to use as markers.

For the width: Take a piece of masking tape and fold it the long way. (Photos are clockwise).

For the height: Take a piece of masking tape and fold it the short way. (Photos are clockwise).

Now start nailing! Tip number 2? Patience. 

Four packs of nails later, our outline is done!

You're halfway there! Now it's time for the string. Not sure what type of string to buy? Having trouble picking out the color? Well, don't miss Part 3 of this homemade wedding gift!

Homemade Wedding Gift - Part 1 of 4

Wedding season has just about begun! Registries are always helpful when it comes to looking for the perfect wedding gift, but how about a homemade gift? While getting the couple something they have asked for is always courteous, nothing says "best wishes on your new life together" like a personalized DIY project for their home. With about a month away until my friends officially get married and move into their new place, my boyfriend and I decided to start our gift to them. Enter string art. (Click here for a general idea.)

Step 1: Board together three 2''x 8''x 36" pieces of red wood. 

Step 2: Add some hanging wire to the back 

(50 pound rated, can find at your local Michaels or craft store).

We decided to do a string art of their last name so I painted "Fisher" on a large 36'' x 24" piece of vellum of paper. 

Step 3: Once painted, I cut out the outline of "Fisher" and taped the 

cut-out onto the wood for guidance. 

Now it's time to nail. What size nails should you buy? How far apart should they be? How many nails do you need? Make sure to check back in for Part 2 for those answers and more!