DIY Front Door Letter, Simple & Rustic

Who doesn't love a simple, DIY project? What about a project that can be completed in one sitting and that

adds instant character to any home? Exactly, everyone loves a project like this! So, when I was looking for a fun easy project to add a little charm to our front door, I couldn't pass on this one. It requires little investment in materials and time and turns out sooo cute! Read on to check it out, and make your own!

DIY Front Door Letter

Materials Needed:

• Jute Twine (any color, but I used natural), $6.99
• Wooden or cardboard letter, $3.00
• Artificial flowers or other embellishment, $5.00 for 2 sets
• Ribbon, $3.00
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks, already had
• Wire cutters

Project Steps

1. Plan your wrapping and practice. The very first thing you'll want to do is analyze your letter and
   decide what is the best method for wrapping and completely covering. (If complete coverage is not  the look you're going for here, then proceed to step 2.) As anal as I am, I wanted my letter symmetrically and completely covered, so I did a couple of practice wraps. Typically it's best to start on a flat edge and then curve around. You might also have to "rewrap" some sections to cover everything, but more on that later. Test some of the lengths of you letter and see what direction will work best. 
2. Anchor your twine. Once you've decided where you want to begin, it will help tremendously to anchor the first several "wraps" around your letter. This is where the hot glue comes in. Put a dot at the very beginning edge of your wrap and then on several flat sections of your first piece to keep the jute strands from spreading too much.
3. Wrap and cover. After anchoring your initial pieces, just continue wrapping. Again, you might find it easier to wrap a flat section, cut your twine, begin again, and rewrap sections for complete coverage. That is what I had to do here for the angle on the end of the "C". I actually had wrapped the end to a stopping point and then restarted it in the very beginning "round part" of the "C".
   
4. "Seal." After covering the letter, you'll want to do like in the beginning and glue several of the last "wraps" around your letter. This again just helps to keep the jute in place and makes for a cleaner look. Then finish it off with a last dot of glue to hold the end of the jute twine in place.
5. Decorate. While you may choose to leave your letter unembellished, you'll at least need to add a ribbon to hang it. This step is the last that you'll want to do. At this point, I cut the artificial flowers for mine and placed them with hot glue to add an extra flourish to the design. I then measured the ribbon and practiced tying the bow, so that I'd have a good length when hanging. (You'll want to judge yours based on how you want it to rest on the door.) After measuring, I secured the ribbon to the letter with a thin line of glue underneath the "open side" of the letter. Once you have added the ribbon, you've got a great finished product. All you need to do now is hang it and enjoy!

This is a great DIY project that costs less than $20! I think you'll have a hard time finding a wreath or other door decoration for any less than that. Plus, you get the pleasure of saying you made this yourself and it looks Tote-ally Wonderful! (I made mine with my sister, too, which made it even better!!)

--Leesha

(Our Tote-ally cute front door!)