I started by dressing the kitchen table, draping a large plain tablecloth over the edges. Layering fabric over a dining table creates a wonderful dynamic. Then, I placed a vintage runner in the centre of the table, I picked this one up in the local charity shop for a few pounds. The centre piece came next; I started by positioning vases that I found at a charity shop around the middle of the table. I like to use a mixture of vase styles to create an eclectic look and feel. I then started to fill the vases with some flowers from a previous fresh bouquet that I had dried out.

I then started to layer in candles across the table to create beautiful soft lighting. Using more of the dried foliage and old linens to add a special touch to a stack of plates. I wanted to add more candlelight, so I used these old vintage glass bottles. You can fill them with anything to bring them to life, they add a beautiful artisanal touch to the table. I chose to fill mine with more of the dried bouquet to continue the theme.

Once the table was set, I moved on to creating the wall panel!

For the frame, I used a simple pine moulding from Homebase. I decided to us a 1m x 1m frame, but you can choose any size you like. It’s helpful to use masking tape to map out a size that works for your wall before cutting the material. We wanted to make a giant heart and thought…the bigger the better!

To cut the moulding down to size, you can use a mitre power tool or a manual mitre saw. Once I cut each length down to my desired size, I then drew a rough angled line so I knew which direction I needed to cut the 45 degree angle on the mitre saw. For extra stability you can glue the corners of each length using wood glue, wiping away any glue that squeezes out from the join using a cloth. We stapled our corners together on the back of the frame to hold them together as the glue dried. If you have large clamps you can also use those to hold the frame in place as it dries.

So that the frame is structurally solid. I used these flat corner brackets with 4 screws. These come in many sizes from your local DIY store (we found ours at Homebase).
I then stapled chicken wire to the frame, securing the wire to the back of the frame around all edges. I started at the top of the frame and rolled the chick¬en wire down to the bottom edge. I used 3 rows of chicken wire in total to fill the frame.

You will need wire cutters to cut each row of chicken wire at the bottom of the frame. I wanted a plain pine frame, but you could paint or stain the frame to match your interiors. To create a romantic, floral-esque, textured heart I used tissue paper but you could easily use scraps of fabric or paper. I roughly tore the tissue paper into smaller squares, I wanted the edges to have a soft feathered finish.

I pinched and twisted from the centre of each of the square to create a lovely textured affect. Each little square is then placed through the chicken wire ‘grid’. I pulled the twisted nib through the wire from the back of the frame to ensure it’s held in place. I started by creating the outline of the shape I want to make. You can then fill in the shape, I used red tissue paper to make a traditional Valentine’s heart but you could get really creative and incorporate other colours to make an ombre effect or create a pattern.

Once the shape was complete, I then filled in the background of the frame using a craft paper coloured tissue. Don’t forget to check for any bald patches in the chicken wire, you want to fill as much as possible to get a super textured finish. To hang the finished frame, I used velvet ribbon tied around the top of the frame at two points, and a hook to hang the piece on the wall (a nail would work just as well!).