I have been really wanting a table runner in the dining room for a while now, but I had no idea what I wanted it to look like.  Well, I googled “table runner ideas” and discovered a lot of really cool ones!

I was torn between a table runner that was painted to look like a really long ruler across the table (the teacher in me just LOVED that), and a table runner made out of wood shims.  After asking several people for their opinion, I decided to go with the wooden shims table runner.

The best part about this project was that it cost me less than $10 to complete! Also, I think it’s completely adorable (that may be because I made it…).

I went to Home Depot & bought this pack of shims for $3.98.  I bought 2 packs because I wasn’t sure how many I was going to need.  I also talked to an associate there and they said that the cedar would stain really well.  Turns out I only needed 1 pack of the shims, but my husband has claimed the other pack for himself!

I laid the shims out on the table and took measurements on how long they were and how wide.

Once I had the measurements I took them all into the basement and first sanded them down as best I could, and then I stained them (tops and all 4 edges).  I stained them with the same stain we used on our coffee table since I wanted to try for a weathered look, and I didn’t want them to be too dark and match too much with our wood floors.  I LOVE this stain because it already has poly in it, so I didn’t have to worry about trying to poly all of them afterwards.

Once they were all stained I went upstairs and looked around my fabric pile.  I cut a piece of fabric that was about 1.5 inches shorter in length than the shims, and also about 1 inch shorter in width.  I used Power Grab glue to glue each piece onto the fabric.  After letting it dry for a few hours we carried it upstairs & put it on our dining table!  I think it looks fabulous.

I am still at a loss as to what do to for a fall tablescape.  Let me know if you have any ideas! Thanks 🙂