Get Creative with this DIY Monogram Sign on Burlap

Who wouldn't like to get a gift with their monogram on it? Monogrammed items look pretty fancy, and they can also be pretty pricey. Personalized monogram signs on burlap cost over $70!

You can make the same sign for pennies! Making something with a monogram is an ideal DIY project. I already shared the monogrammed lampshade I made for my son's room, and today, I made a monogram on a burlap sign. Mine will be a gift for friends of ours that they can display in their home.

You will need these supplies:

• Burlap (I used part of a small burlap sack)
• Piece of wood (I reused a quirky sign with a frame around it)
• Paint (I used Martha Stewart's satin acrylic paint in dark blue)
• Thumbtacks Sponge paintbrush(es)
• Painter's tape X-Acto knife
• Folder
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Optional: white paint (I used Krylon Short Cuts in Gloss White) and douple-stick tape

Monogram Sign on Burlap Tutorial:

1. Start off by painting the wood piece the color you prefer. I reused an odd frame/sign I found at the thrift store and painted over the design on the front with the white paint. Since I like the shabby chic look, I wasn't concerned with covering every spot with the paint — I wanted the other color to shine through a little bit.
2. While the paint dries, cut the burlap into the size you need. Remove a few of the strings of the burlap on all four sides to give the edge a more frayed look.
3. Hand draw the monogram letter on the folder and cut it out with the X-Acto knife. If you don't feel comfortable with that, you can open a Word document on your computer, type the letter you need, find the font you like most, and bump up the font as big as you can before you print out that page. You will still need to enlarge the letter some more, using your copy machine, to the ideal size.
4. Cut out the letter, trace the shape onto the folder, and then cut it out with the X-Acto knife.
5. Turn the folder with the cut-out letter over and place the burlap over it. You'll see the letter shine through the burlap so you can adjust its placement until you like it. Then tape the burlap into place with the painter's tape. I also secured the inside of my letter “D” to the burlap with double-stick tape.
6. Paint out the letter using the sponge paint brush and paint.
7. After the paint dries, assemble the sign by placing the burlap on the wood piece and securing it with thumbtacks.

Additional Tips and Options:

• You could first spray some spray glue on the backside of the burlap prior to pinning the burlap down with thumbtacks, but I was too afraid that would mess up the paint, so I just used four thumbtacks — one for each of the corners.
• If your sign is bigger, you could use more thumbtacks, even going so far as using one right after another, going all around the burlap.
• Work with what you have: my burlap wasn't long enough to cover the entire wood piece, so I moved the burlap up a bit and chose to glue two bird accent pieces to the bottom of the sign.

Remember the $70 sign? It shows not only the monogram, but it also says “Est. 2008.” My sign was too small to add that, but I think it's a great idea as a wedding gift, with the monogram of the couple and the year they were married. Or you could make one for friends or family who moved into a new house.                 

So the next time you see a funky, cheap painting at the thrift store, grab it to paint over it and make this pretty DIY burlap sign! Personalizing something with a monogram doesn't have to cost much, and it always makes a big impression.

Do you already have a piece of wood or old painting at home you don't like anymore that you could use to make a DIY sign like this?

Images by Dagmar Bleasdale