Make this whimsical starry wall hanging with ALB in Wonderland
A dreamy DIY perfect for hanging in a nursery, or any room in your home.
A dreamy DIY perfect for hanging in a nursery, or any room in your home
Wall hangings are having a real moment right now — from colour-blocked yarn accents to woven monochrome masterpieces — thanks in part to the '70s aesthetic that's been asserting itself in the design world. We wanted to put a different spin on this trendy project, so we enlisted DIYer extraordinaire ALB in Wonderland to help us craft a version that carries her signature whimsical flare. The result is this 'starry night' wall hanging that's delicate, dreamy and incredibly easy to make. Make your very own to bring the beauty of the night sky right into your bedroom — and then do it again for every room in your home!
Here's what you need:
- Wood dowel
- Acrylic paint, in colour of your choice
- Paint brushes
- Oven bake clay
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Star-shaped cookie cutters (or whichever shape you prefer)
- Baking tray
- Drinking straws
- Scrap paper to cover the surface you're working on
- Metallic spray paint, in colour of your choice
- Yarn or string, in colour of your choice
- Disposable gloves
Here's how to do it:
- Using a paint brush and acrylic paint, begin covering your dowel in the paint colour of your choice. This may take a couple of coats. Let dry.
- Grab your clay, a sheet of parchment paper and a rolling pin. Begin rolling out your clay until it's just under ¼ inch thick. Next, use your cookie cutters to make shapes in your clay, then carefully remove the cutter and set your clay shape aside. Repeat the process until you have as many shapes as desired for your wall hanging. We cut about 15 stars for ours.
- Place your clay shapes evenly spaced apart on your baking sheet. Use a drinking straw to punch a hole at the top of each shape. This will be the spot where your yarn will loop through when you're putting your wall hanging together. Bake clay according to the instructions on your package. We baked ours at 275F degrees for about 15 minutes. Let cool once they're out of the oven.
- Cover your surface with scrap paper, and put on your gloves because it's time to start spray painting. Carefully spray the top side of your shapes with the metallic paint, ensuring the entire surface is covered. Let dry. Flip your shapes over and repeat the process.
- Lay your dowel out in front of you and begin tying long pieces of yarn (one for each shape you have) around the dowel, securing each one with a knot. This will leave you with 15 long strings hanging down from your dowel.
- Lay your dowel and strings out flat and begin trimming the pieces of yarn upwards on an angle, so the longest piece sits at one end and the shortest piece sits at the other. This will give your wall hanging a cascading effect.
- One by one, begin looping the bottom of a piece of yarn through your clay shape and tying a tight knot to secure it in place. Repeat until each shape is secured to the end of each of your pieces of yarn.
- Hang in the room of your choice, and step back to admire your beautiful new wall hanging.