DIY Anthropologie Wall Hanging Dupe (for Spring!)
After seeing this video from Lone Fox Home, I knew I had to try an Anthropologie dupe. While some of their art is truly brilliant, much of it is overpriced nonsense. Sure, I would pay $600 for an original abstract piece directly from an artist, but $600 for essentially a mass-produced poster of scribbles? Sounds like rich people nonsense.
Enter the (now discontinued) Lana Wall Hanging. Retailing at $128 for relatively small feature, I knew I could make it my own, for far less money.
The now sold-out Lana wall hanging.
I accomplished this simple, no-sew project with objects that were very easy to find, materials that I mostly already had, and things that were inexpensive to purchase if I didn’t already own them. I put my own spin on it by choosing a brighter color palette, painting and embellishing the rod it hung on, and using a chunkier yarn for the tassels (as well as keeping them in a straight line rather than a V).
Materials
Inexpensive throw pillow (mine was $10 from Target)
Seam Ripper
Basic craft glue
Wooden dowel rod - cut to a length approximately 2 inches longer than the pillow
Wooden doll heads (don’t worry - just wooden circles, not actual heads!)
Acrylic paint and paintbrush
E6000 glue
Yarn
Needle and thread that matches the yarn
Scissors
A small hardback book to form the tassels
Dog optional.
Aside from needing to restock my glue, I had all the supplies on hand and spent only $18 on the craft (every item on the list costs less than $10 - most of it costs less than $5).
Steps
Many of these steps will work in tandem with one another - like a pod of dolphins jumping in and out of the water. I’ll do my best to explain the timeline, but know that, as with all of my DIYs, everything I write is meant as a jumping off point for you to exercise your own creativity! You can read more of my disclaimer here.
Start by gluing your doll heads to the ends of your dowel rod with E6000. The glue can take quite a while to dry, so I recommend setting up a brace of some kind for the dowel to rest on as it dries (I used a coffee table book). Set it aside while you work on the next step of the project.
Remove the stuffing from your throw pillow. If the pillow has a zipper, simply unzip it and take the filling out. I used a seam ripper to rip the finishing stitches out of the bottom of the pillow, then pulled all of the loose stuffing out (and saved it; my grandma grew up during the Depression and she definitely influenced me). I used the craft glue to patch the ripped seam back up.
I ripped the stuffing from the bottom because a) it was where the tag was and b) if I screwed up, I knew the tassels would cover it.
The seam was easy to glue back up, because the fabric was pressed on the inside.
Take the seam ripper, and rip the stitches in the top inch and a half or so of each upper vertical corner (this is where you will slide the rod through to hang it). If you accidentally rip too far, that’s okay; we’ll be tightening it up with craft glue later anyway.
This is where you’ll rip the hole to slide the dowels through; one on each side.
Once the glue on your dowel rod is dry, paint or stain it your chosen color. I used acrylic paint because I like the matte finish and quick drying time, but you can use any type of paint you like for this project. You’ll have to paint one side, wait for the rod to dry, then flip it over and paint the other side.
While your final coat is drying, begin assembling the tassels. Making tassels is pretty easy once you get the hang of it: simply wrap your chosen tassel string (in my case, fluffy white yarn) around a stiff medium. I chose a small hardback book as it will not bend like cardboard will. Wrap it to your desired thickness, then tie a string tightly around the top to secure the strands together. about 1/2 an inch from the top, wrap another string perpendicular to the main strands (you may wrap it several times if you wish) and tie it off. Cut the bottom loops, and trim them as wanted. (see photos below for a visual of the steps).
For my project, I wrapped my yarn 10 times around Maya Angelou’s Amazing Peace and needed 18 tassels to finish the pillow. If you use thinner string you’ll likely want to wrap more times.
Attach the tassels to the bottom of the pillow. I laid out my tassels first, then once they were all in place, I picked them up and glued them on with craft glue, one by one, careful not to disturb the tassels already in place. For additional security, I then sewed each tassel in place with 3 tight stitches each, but if you use a very strong glue this is not necessary. Craft glue is essential for this piece; other glues (such as E6000 or Hot Glue) are too thick, and therefore don’t soak in to the yarn fibers enough to provide the hold needed.
Finally, slide the rod through the opening at the top you created with the seam ripper. Use the fabric glue to tighten up any leftover gaps in the stitching and give your hanging a polished look. Tie some remaining yarn around the dowel on both ends, and voila! You have an Anthro dupe for $18 and maybe 3 hours of your time. Wrapping the tassels takes by far the longest, but if you time it right with the dowel preparation, it’s an afternoon project.
As you can see, I went with a really bright aesthetic (great for kids, or rainbow lovers like me!) This project would be really easy to make and suit your own style, however; simply choose a pillow in your chosen style, and tassels that complement the colors in your room or the pillow. It can be a small enough hanging that it can be used like a wreath on a door, or as part of a gallery wall.
