Why J'Adore Burlap

It's got texture. And it's neutral. It's a little bit Frenchy. It's "Ballard Designs-esque". The best part is, it's way cheap. Don't let Ballard fool you. They sell gorgeous items featuring burlap at astronomical prices. Why pay that when you can make your own for much less?? 


Here are some of my burlap creations:

Ballard  bulletin board knock-off

Diaper Box Bulletin Board 

I shamelessly used this post from Choose to Thrive as inspiration. Genius!

Materials

Cardboard diaper box -If you have small children, you probably have at least one of those economy sized diaper boxes lying around.

Burlap - Enough to cover the cardboard

Ribbon - for bow and to hang (got mine from Dollar Tree)

Spray adhesive

Stapler

Glue gun

1. Cut two long sides of diaper box so that you have two rectangles

2. Spray colored side of each piece with adhesive and stick together. Weigh down with something heavy like a paint can for a few minutes. You want the brown side facing out.

3. Cut burlap long enough to wrap around one side with enough to overlap. (This is similar to covering a chair seat.)

4. Spray side to be covered with adhesive. Lay burlap on top, smoothing and straightening as needed.

5. Flip over and staple ends of burlap to the back. (Don't use hot glue unless you like burning your fingertips off. Not that I did that. I just heard it might happen...)

6.  Poke two holes about two inches apart in the top center of the board, about an inch down. I used a steak knife.

7. Thread ribbon through holes. Tie in the back so knot is hidden by the cardboard.

8. With a separate piece of ribbon, tie into a bow. Hot glue to the ribbon on the front of the board. This will hide the holes.

9. Hang your bulletin board and enjoy!

Because burlap is a wide-weave fabric, push pins don't leave holes in the fabric.

Burlap dining room chair seats

Burlap covered art mats

Fabric Covered Mat Tutorial:


I love these pictures. The top is of St. Philip's Church in Charleston. The bottom is of the Battery in Charleston. However, before I did this, the top one had a dark wood frame and burgundy mat. The other one had a white and blue double mat with gold frame. They couldn't go together. Because they are small, they had that "floating tiny picture on tiny wall" disease. Burlap to the rescue!


Materials:


Burlap or other fabric
Spray adhesive
Picture or photo frame with mat


1. Tear paper back off picture and gently pry back staples to remove mat and glass (Skip this step if you are using a photo frame, obviously).
2. GENTLY peel mat off of picture. If you go too fast, you risk ripping the picture. Again, not that I would have done this. :)
3. Cut burlap large enough to wrap around mat, just like with bulletin board, seat covers, etc.
4. Cut a square in the middle of your piece, again leaving enough to wrap the inside of the mat.
5. Spray mat with adhesive. I flipped the mats over to the white side so you wouldn't see burgundy or blue through the burlap.
6. Press burlap onto the mat, pulling tight and making sure weave is straight.
7. Make diagonal cuts to the middle of the burlap all the way to the corners of the inside square of the mat.
8. Flip mat over and spray it with adhesive.
9. Wrap and pull burlap pieces tight.
10. If you want, spray paint frame. I sprayed mine oil rubbed bronze.
11. Reassemble glass, picture, and mat inside of frame.
12. Push staples back down to secure.


That's it. Easy peasy.