Welcome to our “cottagecore” project series for home and garden decor. Introducing our simple tutorial for creating English cottage garden wall hangings. It’s easy, inexpensive, and oh, so scrumptiously cottagey. Imagine old stone walls, piles of worn terra cotta pots, stacks of heirloom seed packets, aged farming tools, chickens clucking about, and fluffs of cotton floating through the sun like pixie dust. Oh, and don’t forget the woven basket full of wild flowers hanging on your arm. Go ahead, you have our permission to immerse yourself in this magical world.

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Welcome to our “cottagecore” project series for home and garden decor.

If you are not familiar with the “cottagecore” movement, it’s about connecting with the beauty, simplicity, and skills of a country life by romanticizing and bringing to life the books and movies that depict this kind of lifestyle. So, think about immersing yourself in the worlds of Beatrix Potter, The Guernsey Literary Society, Pride and Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables, Tuck Everlasting, Little Women, The Hobbit, etc.. From linen clothing to homegrown foods, to stone-walled gardens, thick windowsills, dainty wallpaper, tea sets, rocking chairs, and picket fences, it’s all about creating the mood, vibe, and aesthetic of a romantically cottagey life.

Create the aesthetic of a 1930-1940s English Cottage Garden

With this series, I’ve chosen to focus on the aesthetic of a 1930-1940s English Cottage Garden. I can totally imagine these hanging somewhere in the kitchen amongst bundles of dried herbs or by the back door where one would stop for boots and a pail on their way to feed the animals and tend the garden. These cottage garden wall hangings encapsulate all the deliciously romantic notions of farmlife: an ancient stone house on a misty, green hill, surrounded by grazing cows, bleating sheep, and a gaggle of white geese. To create this aesthetic for your own home, gather the following materials and follow our tutorial:

Materials Needed:

• 9×12 Canvas (3)
• High Quality, Heavy Weight Paper
• Mod Podge Glue
• Mod Podge Matte Spray
• Dark Antique Wax
• Twine
• Hot Glue/Hot Glue Gun
• Ruler, Sponge Brush, Paint Brush
• Download and Print FREE PDF Designs

Start by printing out the FREE PDF Printables by clicking on the images below. But, be sure to print on high quality, heavy weighted, white paper.

Print & Cut the Cottage Garden Designs

Once you’ve printed out the cottage garden designs, use a pair of scissors or a paper cutter to cut away the white margins.

Adding Cottage Garden Designs to the Canvas

Use 9×12 flat canvases

• Spread a generous amount of Mod Podge Matte Glue onto the canvas, keeping it evenly applied.
• Also, add glue to the back of the paper design as well.
• Making sure it’s centered, then press the design firmly to the canvas.
• Next, smooth out the paper. Use a flat-edged tool (like a credit card or spatula). Keep smoothing until everything is flat and glued down well.
• Now let dry thoroughly.

Adding a Finishing Matte Spray

Prepare an area that is protected and ventilated because you will be spraying a finish onto the canvas.

• Spray an even cover of Mod Podge Matte Sealer onto the canvas.
• Then dry for about 30 minutes and give it another coat of spray.
• Again, let it dry thoroughly.

Adding some age to the cottage garden

Now, it’s time to add some aging effect. This is not a necessary step, but I think this detail makes a lot of difference in the appearance and feel of the project.

• Wet the bristles of a paint brush just until damp but not dripping wet.
• Wipe some dark antique wax onto the brush and then lightly blot onto a paper towel.
• Lightly brush the antique wax onto the margins (the white edges) of the canvas only. Do not wax the actual design.
• Gently wipe of the excess with the paper towel.

This should create a subtle, yet wonderful aged appearance to the formerly white canvas.

Adding a bit of twine

For the last step we’re going to add a bit of twine for hanging.

• Using a ruler, mark 2.25″ in from each edge.
• Next, cut out 20″ inches of twine for each canvas.
• With a hot glue gun, glue the ends of the twine onto your marks.
• Let the glue dry thoroughly

Channeling our inner “cottagecore”

It’s finished! Now it’s time to think of where “home” for your cottage garden wall hangings will be—the sunroom, the bathroom, the reading room, the potting shed, above the workdesk? Where will it best channel all of those good “cottagecore” feels?

Think of Beatrix Potter wandering over the rambling hills of the Lake District with her brushes and notebook. Creating endearing furry friends in pastel watercolors. Saving derelict farms from commercial development. Revitalizing the “working” farm. Raising and breeding award-winning cows and sheep. Nurturing a strong farming community with her neighbors. Quietly tending to her garden. Exposing children, the world over, to the magic and wonder of farm life through her inquisitive and nurturing stories.

It’s no wonder that in a world of uncertainty and chaos, so many have turned to the quietness, the stillness, the simplicity, comfort, pleasure, and the joy of “cottagecore”. We’re searching for meaning; for purpose. Beatrix Potter lived a life of purpose and meaning, but not by accident. She worked hard and often risked disapproval and rejection. But she left an amazing legacy of protecting, preserving, and nurturing. Whether it was a derelict farm in danger of extinction, a community that desperately needed new life, or a child that needed to be inspired by a magical story. Beatrix found her joy.

Hopefully, these wall hangings will inspire you to find your meaning, your purpose—your joy. Whatever, and wherever, that may be.

Cottage Garden Wall Hanging: Turnip Reveal

Cottage Garden Wall Hanging: Potato Reveal

Cottage Garden Wall Hanging: Carrot Reveal

More “cottagecore” projects

This is the first of four projects encompassing the romantic notion of country life in a cottage. Here’s what to look forward to during the next few weeks:

• Seed Packets for organizing or gifting extra seeds
• Garden Journal for expressing thoughts and recording experiences in the garden
• Cottage Garden Pots for decoration, organization, or planting small plants

In the meantime, here are some garden related posts that you may enjoy:

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As always, take care and continue being creative. Enjoy lots of time digging in your garden soil and smelling the tulips and I’ll see you on the other side. 🙂

—Jayme