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DIY Monogram Plaques

November 3, 2009 By Rhoda 59 Comments

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I’m adding this to Chris at Just A Girl’s, I Can Do That party, so welcome if you’re dropping by!  Take a look around and stay awhile.
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Last year, I showed you some cute monogram wood plaques that I made for my sister and niece for Christmas.  Thought they turned out pretty cute.  We are also doing some craft projects for the Holiday House to sell, so I volunteered to put together a few of these and put them up for grabs, hoping they will sell.  I put a Christmas spin on some too, so I’ll show you the details on how to put these all together.IMG_7202

First, you know those unfinished wood plaques that all the craft stores have?  These are from Hobby Lobby.  Find the right size for your wooden letters to sit in the middle and you’re all set.  I spray painted the edges and didn’t even cover the middle since that part will be decoupaged.  Pick out scrapbook paper that you want to use.  Wait for it to go on sale 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby. 🙂

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Just place the square edge of your paper onto the wood plaque and crease it on 2 sides where you’ll need to cut with scissors.  Cut to fit the top.  Then get out the decoupage and a brush and go to town slopping the decoupage on there.  I did the backside first and then placed it down.  Rub your finger over the paper to smooth out the bubbles.  Those seem to happen.  Paint over the top of the paper with the decoupage too and keep smoothing til it is flat.   And you will have wood plaques that looks like the above.  Let it dry well.

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On to the next ones.  I decided to do 3 plaques and spell out JOY for Christmas and picked out some pretty Christmas-y striped and polka-dot paper for this one.  I used some left over wall paint on these and again, just painted the edges, along with the letters. IMG_7205

Same thing, cut your paper and glue it on.

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Now, we’re ready to put on the letters.  I glued these on with wood glue and let them dry overnight.  Then, I got out my Rub N Buff, which you’ve heard me talk about before.  I love this Spanish Copper color when used on black. It really accents the edges of black painted things well.   Put this on with an old cloth over your finger.  And just rub it along the raised edges.  I did the sides of the letters and the sides of the wood plaques. IMG_7211

And if you don’t wear a glove, your finger will probably look like this.  Don’t worry, it will wear off soon. 🙂  Rub N Buff is a metallic paste product and is really fun to use on things like this.  You can get it at Hobby Lobby or Michaels.IMG_7217

These are just random letters I chose.IMG_7220

The black ones are done.  Time to move back to the JOY plaques. IMG_7213

There are several ways to antique things.  You can sand and add stain or glaze.  Or you can just use some glaze, which works well for lighter painted things.  For these, I got out my Ralph Lauren glaze.  This one is Smoke.  I had a can of Tea-Stain glaze too from my old kitchen cabinet glazing project that I showed you last year, but it was completely dried up, since the can was almost empty.  These are wonderful glazes and I’ve been using them for years.  This can I think I picked up free (or almost free) at a yardsale along the way and a little goes a long way with these glazes.

Now, for small projects you really don’t need a whole quart of this, I just happened to have it on my shelf.  You can buy craft bottle sizes of glaze (at the craft stores) and mix your own.   Use about 1/2 and 1/2, glaze and paint.  Pick up a small bottle of Raw Umber craft paint and mix it with glaze and you’ll have the same thing as this one.  You can darken or lighten it depending on how much Raw Umber you put in.   Got all that??IMG_7214

Get out a small paintbrush and brush the glaze along the edges.  Have a damp cloth handy.  You will need to immediately go back and wipe off most of the glaze. IMG_7215

Brush along the edges, then take most of it off with the damp cloth.IMG_7216

Don’t let it sit too long.  Once the antiquing is done, then I added some fun polka-dots to the letters.IMG_7222

Got out my craft paints and found some colors that worked with my Christmas paper.  I actually ended up using the green wall paint from my kitchen (Laura Ashley Olive 4), on the green dots, since I liked it the best.
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You’ll need an extra special tool just for this part…ummmm, I mean, a pencil eraser.  Daub it in the paint and start dotting.  You’ll need to have it loaded pretty well to make a nice squishy dot.

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And just have fun putting those dots randomly over the letters.  Let your imagination and creativity run wild. 🙂

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Dots and more dots.IMG_7229

And here’s the side of the white plaques where the glaze is “hanging up”.  Yes, that’s a technical term.

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And here they are all finished!  I think they are pretty darn cute and I would hang them up for Christmas in my kitchen if I kept them.

Hope you got some ideas on this one and will try it yourself.  I originally got this idea from Joy and ran with it.  There are endless possibilities for colors and scrapbook paper combinations, so have a ball with this one and try it out.  These would make some very fun and inexpensive Christmas gifts .

Joining Kimba’s DIY Day.

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Filed Under: Paint Project, Projects and How-To 59 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rachel says

    November 6, 2009 at 9:58 pm

    Wow, these are fantastic! Thanks so much for the how-to, I’ll be linking to this.

    Reply
  2. Heather - Dollar Store Crafts says

    November 8, 2009 at 1:22 pm

    How fun! You did an awesome job – and so simple. I love Joys of Home, too! 🙂 Found you via One Pretty Thing. I will link from Dollar Store Crafts soon!

    Reply
  3. Jane says

    November 9, 2009 at 9:37 am

    Adorable and now I know how you get those dots so perfect!

    Reply
  4. TwoHeartsTogether says

    November 9, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    I was thinking about making these as christmas gifts! I have a big family and it can get quite spendy!

    I love the JOY, so cute 🙂

    Reply
  5. Lara Harris says

    November 9, 2009 at 3:44 pm

    *FeeLiN tHe *JoY* 4 SuRe! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Norma Lee Good says

    November 9, 2009 at 7:28 pm

    Such a cute idea!! I even have the same scrapbook paper! Thanks

    Reply
  7. Jaime @ A Place Out West says

    November 9, 2009 at 9:20 pm

    Great project! I love it. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Maggie says

    November 9, 2009 at 9:43 pm

    Love these – Going to pick up supplies to make a few sets of these tomorrow!

    Reply
  9. Audrey says

    November 14, 2009 at 5:20 pm

    May I ask where you got the letters to put on the plaques. I would love to try to make some.

    Reply
  10. Debbie at the Shabby Bungalow says

    November 15, 2009 at 9:01 am

    Thanks for shairing this idea – they are utterly fantastic – I love them 🙂

    Reply
  11. Chris says

    November 15, 2009 at 11:39 am

    I just love this idea, Rhoda! The “joy” plaques are too cute. Thank you for joining the party!

    Reply
  12. Heather - Dollar Store Crafts says

    January 20, 2010 at 1:22 am

    What an awesome idea! I am linking to your post on 1/22 from DollarStoreCrafts.com.

    Reply
  13. Lynn says

    September 5, 2010 at 5:12 pm

    hi,

    What kind of wood glue do you use?

    thanks!

    [email protected]

    Reply
  14. Elizabeth says

    December 4, 2010 at 8:36 pm

    really cute…love the additions…easy instructions!! will definitely try to do this one!! with love and gratitude eliza

    Reply
  15. Anna says

    January 8, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    I love this idea! Will be trying these soon!! The pencil eraser part is great!!
    Thanks for sharing!
    -Anna

    Reply
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Trackbacks

  1. Tweets that mention monogram plaques -- Topsy.com says:
    November 4, 2009 at 10:47 am

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rhoda, houseblogs. houseblogs said: [Southern Hospitality] DIY Monogram Plaques http://bit.ly/4m6IVa […]

    Reply
  2. Dollar Store Crafts » Blog Archive » Make a Quick Monogram Plaque says:
    January 22, 2010 at 6:24 am

    […] plaque that you can customize in infinite ways to go with your personal taste and decor. Rhoda at Southern Hospitality made these, inspired by a project she saw at Joys of Home (a blog that often has great dollar store […]

    Reply
  3. 13 Creative Picture Framing Ideas to Elevate Your Home Decor says:
    October 27, 2016 at 3:18 pm

    […] a tutorial on how to make your monograms, check out Rhoda from Atlanta’s DIY craft blog, […]

    Reply
  4. Turn simple wood plaques into the extraordinary with these 10 ideas - DIY says:
    July 16, 2017 at 12:43 pm

    […] to your home, or make a very special gift for someone you love, by following this tutorial from Southern Hospitality Blog. The pattern and paint combinations are endless, so you can make this project to completely suit […]

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Thanks for stopping by! I’m Rhoda, from Atlanta, GA and I love decorating and DIY projects. Decorating a home doesn’t have to cost a fortune and I’ve spent years thrifting at antiques markets and yard sales, finding those treasures that make a home unique. I’m here to inspire and encourage other women to find their own inner creativity. Won’t you join me?

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