Our first DIY project – a Rustic Art Hanger

I came across this post by Liz Marie Blog on Pinterest a few weeks ago and it looked so do-able I figured it would make a great first DIY for us!

And so, I sent Brady to the hardware store that day to pick up the lumber. We bought 2 – 1x6s and hubby cut them to 8′ lengths for me. I picked up a small can of Minwax wood stain in Dark Walnut and, after sanding down the raw edges on each end, I got to work. After letting the first coat dry on one side, I noticed that there was A LOT of unevenness to the colour that I wasn’t exactly thrilled with.

*NOTE: There are some extra boards pictured here that I stained for another project that I’m working on*

I had read about using a pre-stain in my research for yet another project I’m planning, but thought that it would be overkill on such a small project as this. Upon seeing this first coat, I changed my mind. So, I dug out my can of Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner and painted it on the other side. With my first coat of stain, I could already see a big difference between the two sides … LESSON LEARNED! And with that, it was decided that this side would definitely be the front of my project. 😉

After another coat on each side, I let the boards dry for a couple of days (I gave them some extra time as they were sitting outside in our unheated garage). I screwed some eye bolts into the front – one centered on either end and one in the middle – and tied a string of twine through each one. I then hammered some art hangers onto each end of the back to hang it with.

All that was left to do was put them up on our “office” wall and hang some art to display.

I’m just SO thrilled with how they turned out! What a fabulous way to display Carson’s artwork!

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Shared with: Kleinworth & Co, Craving Some Creativity, Saving 4 Six, No Biggie, DIY Showoff, Pieced Pastimes, Delineate Your Dwelling, It’s Overflowing, The Blissfull Bee, Too Much Time on my Hands, Miss Mustard Seed, The Thrifty Groove, Liz Marie Blog, Imparting Grace, From My Front Porch to Yours, Green Willow Pond, A Stroll Through Life, Jennifer Rizzo, Craftberry Bush, Romantic Home, French Country Cottage, Nifty Thrifty Things, Common Ground, Twigg Studio, Flamingo Toes, Chic on a Shoestring, Soho Sonnet and Dimples & Tangles.