I just can’t choose the most appropriate adjective to describe this project! It’s easy, inexpensive, fast, fun and yet the result is original, elegant, and sophisticated! Really, a one of a kind wall art that you’ll enjoy making and displaying in your home! The monogram is entirely made of a simple stationary item: paper fasteners inserted, next to each other, on a painted canvas!
Even before I started working on it, when I was still trying to figure out which materials to use, I could tell that it would turn out beautiful. I’m so glad I’m sharing it today with you, and I really hope that you’ll make one (or maybe a couple) yourself!
Start with a white canvas. Mine is a 12 x 16 inches (30.4 x 40.6 cm) heavy duty canvas, meaning that its texture is a little thicker and rougher. Paint the canvas in the color of your choice. I narrowed it down to four shades and finally decided to do one in a dark gray and one in a grayish brown. I used acrylic/craft paint, only because it dries so much faster than oil paint.
Then choose a font you like and print the letter. Enlarge it if you have to. I was too impatient to enlarge mine at the store, soI did it myself on my home copy machine – it was quite large so it came out in pieces which I taped together. I placed the letter on the painted/dry canvas and adjusted a sheet of carbon paper in between. Make sure that the letter will not touch the frame, otherwise you won’t be able to insert the fasteners. With a pencil, I drew the outline of the letter using a ruler for the “F” and being careful to be as accurate as possible with the curvy “a”. The letter outline transfers easily onto the canvas.
With a seam ripper, like this one, I made a tiny hole on one corner of the outline and inserted the first paper fastener. To secure it in place, I separated its legs in the back. I continued inserting more fasteners along the line, until the whole perimeter of the letter was covered. It goes pretty fast!
In no time, I had a second one ready with another monogram in a new font.
Both of them are equally beautiful!
They look nice on the wall mixed with other picture frames…
or standing alone on a fireplace mantel or on any piece of furniture by the wall.
I originally thought that it would be nice to place both of them in the master bedroom closet. But I like too much how they blend with the other frames and might end up placing them somehow like this, on one of the master bedroom walls. The larger of the two drawings is a sketch of the Prince of Wales on board of the H.M.S. Serapis ship, departing from the Greek harbor of Piraeus around the 1800’s and I’ve had it for many years. The smaller one pictures the Vecchio Bridge in Florence, Italy (which I’ve visited as a kid) and was purchased at Goodwill a couple of months ago for $1.99.
I chose a canvas with a thicker frame which is a little more expensive but it’s worth it. The thicker the frame, the more the artwork pops off the wall. In addition it’s heavier so it doesn’t move around while being hung on the wall (I’m an artist’s daughter, so I know what I’m talking about!). The sides of the canvas are also painted in the same color, so there’s no need to add a frame, but you could definitely do so if you wanted to dress it up some more.
I used paper fasteners that are rather small. They have an 8 mm round head and I ordered them online as the ones I found in the office supply store were larger, and not exactly what I was looking for.
The letter “F” was created by tracing the outline with the ruler. You would think that inserting the paper fasteners on a straight line would be easier than the curved “a”. But the back of each paper fasteners differs a little, so the line doesn’t come absolutely straight. Also, the capital “F” was my first letter, and I got better with practice. If you look carefully, it shows in more than a couple of spots. But does it really matter? The final result remains pretty amazing!
Choose the color canvas that would fit best your style and you home, and make one too!
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