Some of you may remember WAY BACK WHEN {aka October 23, 2010} me doing a nautical mosaic table. The entire table wasn't nautical themed but the blues tiles and incorporation of white braided rope gave it a nautical spin that I loved.
I had plenty of rope left over and even more inspiration to do something with it so I've been having fun with a few other nautical DIY projects and I thought I would
The basic supplies for the first project include:
- White nylon rope. You can pick the thickness of the rope depending on the project.
- Cabinet liners. I originally wanted to use cork but thought I would give the liner a try first to see how it worked {it was much cheaper and easier to cut} and was quite pleased.
- Hot {warm} glue gun. I say 'warm' glue gun because after a first attempt at using the HOT glue gun on the liners, I quickly learned that the glue has a tendency to melt right through.
Cut the pieces out and you're ready to roll... quite literally! *don't worry about getting the liner perfectly cut because you'll cover the edges with smooth rope!
*I quickly learned that the square shape is NOT the best with this technique. Although doable, I thought the circular shape was overall much more visually appealing {and not such a pain in the butt!}
I was silly enough not to get a picture of the first step, but by a little trial and error I found that it was easier to get things started by creating forming a small loop spiral with the rope before securing it to the liner with glue. BUT... since I didn't get a picture, hopefully the second step will make enough sense to get you on the right track.
Starting in the center of the cut out, glue the rope spiral and hold until secure.
Continue spiraling and glueing until you've covered the edge of the liner.
ONCE AGAIN, I failed to get a final picture... although I think I just deleted the photo by accident... but you can imagine the final product is pretty darn cute!
I did a few coasters and a few hot plates for my mom's birthday. She's a beach lover so I thought the nautical-beachy theme would be something fun for her! I'll have to ask her how they work!
The second rope project is one I did the other day, after getting REALLY frustrated with my failed first attempts at a crib mobile I WILL EVENTUALLY make, because I wanted to not feel like a total loser. :)
SUCCESS!
Some of you might remember the cigar ornaments I blogged about back in January. I had a few ornaments left over from that project {even after doing some fun hand-painting on a few} so I thought I would take the same concept that went with the coasters and hot plate and apply it to a 3D object! This one I DID get pictures of!
Start with a simple strand of glue along the top edge of the ornament and start slowly turning, glueing and roping!
Here's an inside look through the ornament. It might be cool to try another with only 1/2 or the ornament and sand/ tiny seashells inside to play off the theme.
Keep rolling until you get to the bottom.
As you can see here I left a slight open circle so you it can actually sit on a flat surface. Might be a fun centerpiece idea when Christmas rolls around!
If you don't have plain ornaments lying around {or are more interested in doing a summer centerpiece or mantle display} a simple and slightly cheaper option is to snag some plain styrofoam balls and do use the same technique. BUT, if you decide to use them as ornaments, be sure you create a tunnel through the center of the ball so you can thread something through to hang it with.
Here is my styrofoam version with the glass ornament in the background. Surprisingly enough they ended up weighing about the same once I was finished.
Just a simple, fun project for a rainy day!
Until next time...
