Burlap Word Art Tutorial

I began choosing a word of the year in 2012. My word for that year was messy, and my word(s) for 2013: my comfort zone. While there’s still 4 months left to go, I already know what my word of the year will be for 2014: kind. As in be kind, kindness, and find your own kind like your own tribe, i.e. surround yourself with people who “get” you.

I’ve actually known this would be my future word of the year since April when I attended the SNAP Conference in Utah and heard Lisa Leonard – who I heart completely – speak during a morning keynote session. At one point, she spoke about kindness, and how kindness goes a long way. It isn’t something to turn on or off, but something that can hopefully be part of your heart.

When I think of someone who is the epitomy of kindness, I think of my husband. He is the kindest person I know. His kindness is always present, just simply part of who he is. But before I gush too much, let me show you how I made this wall hanging!

Burlap Word Art DIY

I started with 4 small canvases (each 4″ square) and some burlap. Other supplies needed are your choice of paint colors, two foam brushes (one for paint, one for Mod Podge), Mod Podge, stencils, brads and ribbon.

I cut out my burlap pieces into squares smaller than each canvas. You can refer to my easy trick to cut burlap in straight lines. I applied Antique Matte Mod Podge with a foam brush to the front of each canvas and to the back of each piece of burlap, then simply stuck the burlap on and smoothed it out. I used a fun set of Americana Classic Stencils from DecoArt. The font style of these stencils is called funky flair.

I let everything dry overnight, although I’m sure it was dry after several hours. I drilled 3/4″ holes into the tops and bottoms of each canvas, tied them together vertically with sheer ribbon, and added copper brads purely for decoration. (We have hints of copper throughout our downstairs, so I like to play off that when I create decor for our home. I added a copper metallic edge to my Monogram Wall Art DIY – also in our breakfast room!)

When I showedmy husband this finished project, his immediate reaction was,

“Why did you use the German word for child?”

Yes, that’s what comes with his German background! 🙂 And that’s his humor too: he knew darn well that I was using the English word kind, not the German, but had to ask me anyway. I totally love that guy!

~Laura