Nail & String Letters {Diy}

Here is a quick tutorial of the wooden nail and string letters I made for our recent gold shoot. By the way, when I say "quick tutorial" I mean it... I hardly took any pictures, and the pictures I did take were with my cell phone. So this is a rough explanation just in case you want to make your own.

#1- Cut your wood boards to any size you want your letter to be, these were about 20"x30" pieces made from 1/2" plywood. I was using these letters I got at JoAnns as a template which made it very easy to know sizing and to trace them.

#2- Stain wood boards if desired

#3- Trace letters on to boards

#4- Spray paint every single nail shiny gold... Oh wait, that's only if you're crazy like me... I suggest skipping this part if possible. :)

#5- Hammer a nail about 1/4" into the wood in all the corners of the letter (see image below), this will give you good starting and ending points. It also helps with spacing your nails.

#6- I used a nail for my spacing, it seemed easier than measuring. Now repeat this step about 150 times and you've got it! For smaller areas where the nail space wouldn't have been even, I eyeballed and adjusted accordingly.

This is what it looks like as things start moving along... pretty little nails all in a row.

#7- Tie your embroidery floss to one of the nails and begin weaving it back and forth, around, up and down, catching all the nail heads as you go. This part actually moves pretty quickly. I believe I used 4-5 threads in varying colors on each letter.

Fill in the gaps and spaces as you go until you have a uniform look

#8- Trim all loose strings and you're done!

Here you have it! I absolutely love the way these turned out. They would be fun to use as a headboard (secured well to the wall), wedding decor, or even over the mantel in your living room.

Here is the final image and how I chose to display them in the photo shoot. They made a really sweet backdrop to our mock engagement party.

I hope the directions weren't too hard to follow. Please leave a comment with any questions you have and I'd love to help you out. 
Also, all of my new blog design is in the works so come back soon for info on that!!

Insta-Friday {Linking Up}

I'm linking up to Insta-Fridays over at Life Rearranged. Insta-Friday is basically just a way to share a few of your Instagram pictures from the week. For those of you who don't use Instagram or Facebook then these will be new to you... for the rest of you, this is a recap!

I love this little idea Gracie had. These are hand-me-down cigar boxes now being used as toy boxes for the girls tiniest toys.

Doing a little blogging during nap time. That's my bathroom in those tiny pictures, you'll see that very soon here.

Kristin and I on our way home from a meeting in L.A. for an upcoming independent film (LHLL).

This is what my backyard dining table would look like if I lived in an Anthropologie catalog. I love the rustic table, red chair, and yellow table linens.

Ooooooo, I just love this new-to-me old dresser. I picked it up at my Grammy's neighborhood yard sale for $20! It's yellow and white and all chip-y!

The last two pictures are of my little girls. This is Ruby, all fresh and sunny first thing in the morning. She came in carrying a flash light (that's why the picture has that extra cool glow at the bottom) and yes, she is naked.

And my Gracie. I <3 her.

There you have it! My first Insta-Friday... but not my first cell phone picture only post. Find me on Instagram, I'm @brebuskey!

New camera comes tomorrow, now all I need to do is learn how to use it.

Special Little Touches {Fun Ideas}

I shared a peek into my daughters' room recently and I wanted to share one of the special little details I added to the room. When I stumbled across their dresser at a garage sale the family was hesitant to sell it because they had recently found it in the attic of their grandmother's house after she passed away.  I assured them it was going to be well loved and they sold it to me for only $30!  The dresser has great details like key hole locks that actually work and Knapp joints; I added the cream ceramic knobs since the original ones weren't looking so good.

I wiped down the drawers but they still didn't look quite clean enough. I figured the easiest solution would be to line each drawer.  I didn't want to line the drawers with regular ol' paper shelf liner. No, this dresser was too special for that. It deserved a unique touch.  I decided to use fabric to line the drawers.  I simply removed the small nail holding the bottom of the drawer in place. Then I pulled out the wooden bottom and used some fabric I already had in my stash to wrap over the edges and secured it with a few staples on the under side. Next, I slipped the piece of wood back into the bottom of the drawer and nailed it down. This only took 20 minutes total and it's so fun to see when I open the drawers!

I always find that the simplest of things can add so much!
P.S. The chalkboards I used on the girls' baskets are actually wood cutouts painted with chalkboard paint. We drilled small holes in the top and strung lace ribbon through the holes onto the basket.