DIY Moon Phases Bamboo Wall Hanging

If you’re new here (hello!) you might not know that we’re coming to the end of an epic renovation project. A year ago we were knee deep in a complete gutting of our London home. The floorboards were bare, most of the walls were partly or fully knocked down, and it felt like we would never have a livable home again. But here we are, a considerable amount of time and energy later. We’re finally at the stage of putting the finishing touches on the home we’ve built.

One thing we love to have in our space is art. It’s in the family. My great aunt was an art dealer until she recently retired, and my parents’ and grandparents’ houses are so filled with art that you can barely see the walls. But an art collection takes years to build, and until we can afford a few more pieces I’ve been trying to get creative with what we have around the house. Including, apparently, placemats…

Today’s DIY was born because I was wondering what to do with some old bamboo placemats. Some had fallen apart so we didn’t have quite enough for a full set, but they’re too lovely to throw away. It turns out that they make the perfect canvas for acrylic paint. Now I’m really no painter, but this was as easy as colouring inside the lines. If I can do it, you definitely can! Here’s how it’s done.

DIY moon phases bamboo wall hanging

You will need:

A bamboo mat
Acrylic paint
Paintbrushes
Card
Some ribbon or twine
Gilding wax (optional)

Create templates of your moon phases on the card, by drawing around something circular that’s approximately 6cm in diameter.
Place your templates on the bamboo mat and draw around them.
Paint your moon phases.
If you’d like, add some touches of gold by rubbing a little gilding wax onto the bamboo. You can’t really see this in my pictures, but it’s beautiful in person and helps bring the hanging to life.
Thread some string or ribbon through the mat and tie.