DIY Monogram Wall Art with burlap, paint, and wood

Back in April, I attended the SNAP Conference and spent three days immersed in learning and creating with a few hundred other creative bloggers. One of my favorite craft classes was taught by Poppy Seed Projects, and today I’m sharing the burlap monogram plaque I made in that class!

One of the things that made this class so much fun, besides making things side by side with fellow craft enthusiasts, was that there were several projects going on at each table. Here’s the array of projects we could make:

The supplies were provided to all participants by Poppy Seed Projects, and the MDF plaques, wood letters, and picture frames you see displayed in the image above can all be purchased on their website.

I decided to make the Burlap Monogram Sign as soon as I saw it!

I think the teal shade got me, as that’s an accent color in our home. This project can be done in about an hour. Here’s how easy it is . . .

Step 1:  Paint your MDF board with a background color of your choosing. Acrylic craft paint dries quickly on this surface, which means doing multiple coats is a breeze! I painted the front and sides with two coats of white paint. I left the back unpainted.

Step 2:  Cut your burlap into a large square that is smaller than your wood plaque. How do you cut straight lines in burlap? I’ll let you in on a little secret that my friend Laura from Pink Cake Plate taught me.

I must digress and share this picture of Laura. Isn’t she gorgeous? I love how perfectly accessorized she was each day!

And we both got a kick out of being somewhat dressed up and crafting – definitely not something any of us bloggers do in real life!

Here’s the burlap cutting trick:

Take a piece of the fringe, i.e. one string. Gently pull it out of the burlap. If it starts to bunch up, just smooth out the fabric and proceed. Remove it and in its place is a straight line for you! Repeat the process to give yourself a right angle. Do this two more times – measuring how big (or small) you want your square to be – and you can cut out your square!

Step 3:  Pull some strands off each edge of your burlap square, to get that nice fringe effect.

Step 4:  Glue the burlap to the wood plaque. Don’t use too much glue or it will seep through the fabric.

Step 5:  Using vinyl and either a cutting machine or a cutting blade, cut out the letter that will go on the front of the plaque. Keep in mind: you will have two pieces to use when finished cutting: the letter itself and the “negative space” that surrounds the letter. For this project, you’ll want to use the second option. A large letter stencil could also work. (The MDF board was approximately 10.5 inches squared.)

Step 6:  Affix the vinyl to the burlap and play with the positioning so you get it as centered as possible. Once you like the placement, smooth it down – especially the inside edges – so that paint will not seep underneath.

Step 7:  Using a craft foam brush, paint the inside of the letter using acrylic craft paint. I used the teal paint. As I got to each edge, I pounced and painted up and down (versus side to side) to make sure paint wouldn’t bleed into the edges. Let dry.

And… Voilá!

It was Day Three of SNAP, and I was tired! But I’m happy with my plaque! Holly of Poppy Seed Projects is in the background on the right – she rocks!

Once I got the plaque home, I added a metallic copper edge with craft paint.

I also touched up the letter with paint to make the color more even.

And I distressed the edges with sandpaper.

You can either stand this up on a mantel or shelf, or drill a hole into the back and hang it on the wall.

We decided to hang it in our breakfast room!

I love the way the painted K plays off the aqua Ball jars on the transom ledge, and how the burlap brings out the colors in our valences.

If you want to see more monogram ideas, visit and follow my Letter DIYs Pinterest board.

~Laura