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Today, I want to share how I made this really simple and inexpensive statement piece for my home!
I have been adding fun DIYs and textures to my space lately, so this seemed like another perfect opportunity to create something for an empty wall that was begging for some love.
The best part is that I made this entire thing for under $15! While this project doesn’t require a lot of supplies, my best advice is to keep an eye out for sales and always use coupons that stores offer!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
YARN | BEADS | DOWEL ROD | SCISSORS | WOOD SKEWERS | PAINT | PAINT BRUSH
HOW TO MAKE IT
HOW TO MAKE THE OMBRE BEADED GARLAND
This is my favorite part of the entire piece! You can really get creative with your garland, and I love that it adds a little pop of color to the overall neutral feel.
When finding wood beads for this project, use any size or color that works for you and your budget — you will be painting over them either way!
I bought three packs of these colorful, multi-sized wood beads from the Dollar Tree. Each pack had about 125 beads and it ended up being the perfect amount. I also picked up a 48-inch dowel rod at the hardware store.
In order to create the ombre effect, you will need to build your strands and tie them on to the dowel rod. This is how you will determine where each color in your ombre begins and ends.
Before measuring, decided how many colors you want to use — mine consisted of four shades of blue.
To evenly divide each color section, measure the total length between the bottom of the dowel rod to the bottom of the lowest hanging strand. This number for me was 20 inches.
Now divide the total length (20 inches) by the the number of colors you want in your ombre (mine was four colors). So, each of my color sections were 5 inches long.
I used a small piece of washi tape to mark the end of each color section, so I would know where to divide the beads when moving to the skewers and painting in the next step.
One last thing before you start painting!
Give each of your bead strands a number and write that number on the dowel rod where the string is attached. This will make it easier at the end of the project to re-attach the beads, as well as, help keep everything in order while painting.
Now for painting!
I first tried painting the beads while they were still on the string thinking this would save me a ton of time, however, they ended up just sliding into one another and getting stuck.
So, the best way I found to paint the beads was to place them on wood skewers!
This is where having those color sections and strand numbers comes in handy. Place several beads onto one skewer, label it (as shown in the picture above) and lay it on an open container. Now you can turn the skewer to paint all sides at one time and allow for them to dry.
Repeat this with as many skewers as needed for your project.
Once they are all dry, string the beads back on to their strands and set them to the side!
HOW TO MAKE THE YARN WALL HANGING
Pick out your favorite yarn! When I’m looking for yarn, I like to use a material that is super soft and also has some wool in it for a natural look.
I grabbed four skeins (300 yards each) in the color natural and ended up using about 1100 yards for this project.
To attach the yarn to the dowel rod, you will need to use a Lark’s head knot. This knot requires you to fold your cut piece of yarn in half, so you will need to cut each piece of yarn at double the length you want your hanging to be.
For example: I wanted my wall hanging to be three feet long, so this meant I would need to cut each piece of yarn at 72 inches (6 feet). I also added a couple of extra inches so I could trim and even out the ends later on.
So, each piece of yarn I cut was roughly 75 inches long.
The Lark’s head knot is really simple!
Start by folding your yarn in half. Lay the rounded end over the top of the dowel rod. Then, reach through the rounded end and under the dowel rod to grab the other end of the string. Pull tight and that’s it!
My yarn didn’t stay as tight as I would have liked it to, so I just doubled the knot and it’s perfectly taut now!
Before you start trimming, straighten the kinks out by using a steamer or hanging it in the bathroom with the steam from a hot shower. Allow the yarn to dry if needed.
Trim the ends in any pattern you like, whether it’s straight across, at an angle or even curved!
To finish up this project, take your beaded strands and re-tie them to the dowel rod at the spots you marked previously. Make any adjustments that are needed, and you are good to go!
I absolutely love how this wall hanging turned out and how budget-friendly it was to make! It’s one of my favorite projects yet! Share your DIYs with us on Instagram, Pinterest or in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!
PIN IT FOR LATER!
