It started something like this:
I stained a 6 x 7.25" piece of pine with a wash of black and brown tone acrylic paint and lots of water. When it was dry I rubbed it a little bit with an old white candle, being sure to catch the high points of the grain and the edges. This will come into play in a couple of steps.
Next I gave the board a coat of white paint, tinted with some brown.
I cut out a freeform design from card stock to use as a background stencil. I don't have pictured of it, but I stenciled the design with a deep coral color, similar to the color used as an accent in their invitations.
Once the coral was dry I sanded the plaque with 180 grit sandpaper. Places where I rubbed the candle came off super easily, revealing the stained color of the wood below. Using this wax method is far easier than sanding directly through layers of paint and produces a great uneven and worn texture. (Once again, I slacked on taking photos of this part). After this was sanded I rubbed the candle over the distressed image again.
Next I scaled the monogram to the size I needed. You can see the 6 x 7.25" outline on my sheet of paper so I knew exactly where I wanted to place the stencil. I carefully cut the positive space out, leaving the letters and outside paper. This isn't always easy, especially with kids running around. I had to go back in with some tape in a few spots to fill in places that shouldn't have been cut.
I stenciled it in with a matte black and then used a typewriter font to stamp individual letters and numbers along the edge of the monogram. Once the paint and ink was dry I went back in with the sand paper and distressed the black part of the image. A little matte Mod Podge as sealer and a saw tooth hanger on the back and this Rustic Monogram Plaque was complete!
