I had a great idea. I really love those round rattan place mats that everyone has, but I sometimes have pretty large groups for dinner, so I would want to get about 10 or 12. With the cost of them, it just didn’t seem like the smartest investment right now.
I started thinking about other natural materials that I could use to get a similar look. And guess what I came up with. Twine of course!
Well, I started by braiding some long pieces and then twisting, hot glueing, and of course burning my fingers repeatedly. So while it looks like it’s mostly twine, it’s actually about half and half twine and glue.
Well, it seemed simple enough. But it took a loooooong time. Like I probably worked on it for about 3 nights. So after that, I wasn’t too excited about making 11 more, and this one wasn’t even big enough yet!
I just left it as it is and now it’s good for adding a little texture to whatever little vignette I’m working on. Kind of like a twine doily, I guess.
Oh well, it’s still a good idea. Give it a try if you have more patience than I do!
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.