I’ve been sitting on the couch nursing a severe ankle injury ALL WEEK.   Seven days and counting.  Bored…bored…bored.

It was time for an intervention.  Or a project!

I had a little 8″x8″ canvas (perfect for painting on whilst sitting on the couch!).  I wanted to make a unique family monogram: G for our last name, 7 for the number of family members.  Here’s the finished product so you know what I’m talking about:

 

This is what I did to make it.

1) I cut pieces of newspaper the width of my frame (this particular canvas is 2″ thick) to decoupage the edges for extra interest.

2) I brushed modge podge all over and affixed the newspaper to the edges, then brushed another layer over the top to secure it.   If you don’t have modge podge, you can make your own!  Just mix equal parts white school glue and water.  Presto!  It works beautifully.

3) While the decoupage dried, I printed my monogram.  I created an 8″ text box in Word, then typed in my G with the 7 as a footnote.  I used Baskerville Old font, blown up to 450 pt.   The text box was helpful because I could easily cut out the monogram in the exact size of my canvas and position it exactly where I wanted it with no measuring required.

4) I needed to transfer my monogram to my canvas, but didn’t have any transfer paper, and I can’t walk.  Or drive.  So, no last-minute craft store runs for me!   Fortunately, it’s easy to transfer images simply by covering the back of the image with pencil.  You can even have your kids do this part!

5) Flip the image back over, tape it to your canvas, and trace along the outlines.

6) You can’t see it very well in this picture, but the outline of my monogram transferred easily.  All I had to do was fill it in with black paint!  I used a small, angled brush and black acrylic paint.  Super easy.  Take your time and it will come out perfectly.

When the paint dried, I added a few extra layers of newspaper to the edges for interest.  That’s it!

Eventually, this will be hanging as part of a photo collage I’m working on.  I wanted a bold graphic to unify all the images of our faces.  But for now, it’s opposite a large clock with Roman Numerals where it looks quite nice (although the nail is a little high, but I can’t stand long enough to hammer a new hole, so it will have to stay there for now).  I couldn’t get a picture of the whole wall, so you’ll just have to take my word on it.   I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.  Not bad for an invalid!

Better yet, the entire project cost less than $4 and took about an hour to complete (drying time not included). 

Planning to make a monogram like this one?  I’d love to know how your project turns out!