Using Burlap in Home Decor

I have been seeing burlap in home decor for at least a year now.  I can't believe how many different applications for it there are!  You can use it for anything from wallpaper to just a tiny little accessory somewhere in a room.  I love the neutral color and the wonderful texture of it.  It works with almost any style and looks fabulous!  Above are some great ideas from various sites in blog-land.

The first project I used burlap in was this dry-erase menu board for my kitchen.

I got the inspiration for this project from a blog called Under The Table and Dreaming.

I wanted a frame that was long and skinny for this project.  I would have preferred to have used one I already had, or one that was found at a thrift store or yard sale.  But because I was being picky about the shape and size, I had to purchase it new.  I bought it at Wal-Mart for $15.  Luckily, I had all of the other supplies on hand, so the entire project only cost me $15.

The first thing I did was take the back off of the frame and took out the mat and the papers.

Next I cut a piece of burlap the exact same size as the back of the frame.  I just laid the back over the burlap and cut around it.

 
Next I sprayed the front side of the back panel with spray adhesive, and attached the burlap to it.  If your burlap has wrinkles or folds in it, you should press them out before adhering it to the back of the frame.

After it was all smoothed out, I applied vinyl lettering, that I had cut from my cricut, to the burlap.  Then I put it all back together and I was finished!

It looks as if the letters marking the days of the week get smaller as they go down, but I promise they don't. :)  I am just a really bad photographer and must have caught it at a weird angle.  Oh well, just another thing to add to the list of things I need to work on!  LOL!

Here are a few more things I did with burlap:

I had a frame with broken glass that I used as the outside frame.  It originally was a brown color.  I spray painted it red and then glazed it with a black glaze to bring out the details and make it look a little antique.  This project was done much the same way as the menu board.  However, instead of using the back of the broken frame to cover, I cut a piece of foam core the same size, and covered it.  I was afraid the back of the frame was too flimsy to support the inside frame.  After the foam core was covered, I simply hot glued it into place on the back of the frame.  Next I hot glued the inside frame right to the burlap on the front.  (FYI-I used a LOT of hot glue for this step!)

When I saw these awesome flowers over at tatertots and jello, I just had to make them!  I made napkin rings out of mine, but I think they would be super cute magnets or even hair clips!