Distressed Wooden Signs With Napkins!

by Junk Monkey Paint Company

5 Materials

Get ready to make some rockin' wooden signs with your leftover napkins! All you need is to pick up some of your favorite styles! I'm blogging as I'm working on a variety of signs...so you'll see different stages of the pretty napkins and how they all come together!....Let's do it! icon

Find some wood laying around...I'm using pine wood that is about 2 feet long by 1 foot wide. Find salvage wood in your basement, roadside junkin'

or even ask friends or neighbors for bits and pieces hanging around!

Then, we are going to paint it! I'm using Junk Monkey Paint. There is no sanding, priming or stripping needed with this paint. Just grab a brush

and paint with the wood grain! You want to use a paint that will stick on well! You can use any color - but my preference is a dark black or brown!

Next up, let it sit in the sun and dry!

Now we're going to give it a good slap of Mod Podge! Make sure you cover all the top surface of your wood! This helps eliminate too many future wrinkles!

Of course you will always have wrinkles, but I like that---because it is what will help give a distressed look to the wood!

Peel apart your favorite style napkins and begin laying them out on your board on top of the Mod Podge. You will only need the top napkin layer. Then do the hand press to push the napkin flat as possible on the board. Careful not to touch it too much! Then let it dry.

Here's what it begins to look like!

Now we get the distressing part! If you love worn, chipping, old time charm, grab a medium grit sandblock and start swiping with the grain of

the wood! It will knock off those peaks of napkins and leave behind a weathered look. Its ok as little pieces of the napkins fall away. This is good!

Now we can seal! And we don't have to buy anything new...just use the same Mod Podge that you have! It's a glue and a sealer! And it dries clear!

Give it a good seal and let dry again!

Here comes the fun vinyl stick part! What word would you put on yours?

Just peel apart and adhere your sticker to your sign where you want it! Or

even stencil on some words and graphics!

You can add even some jewelry wire to create a hanger for smaller signs! Drill two holes, poke the wire from back to front and then use a small

paint brush to wrap the wire around to create some end curls! It looks great AND serves the purpose of keeping the wiring from slipping out!

Which one is your favorite below? One you start, you just can't stop!

Be sure to follow me over at Sonia's Shabby Chic-Junk Monkey Paint on Facebook for more daily DIY inspiration!

(www.facebook.com/shabbychicbysonia)

Also blogging weekly at www.styleshabby.com

Shabby love! Enjoy & share this DIY! :)

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

Scrap pine wood (Local Hardware Store)
Mod Podge (Local Craft Store)
Napkins (Any Local Party Store or Online)
Vinyl Stickers (Make them or purchase at Craft Shops)
Junk Monkey Paint (www.facebook.com/shabbychicbysonia)

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Frequently asked questions

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3 of 4 questions

Ethel on Jun 04, 2017

Did you put sealer on again after the words were added?

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Con21616291 on Jun 04, 2017

Can cotton fabric squares be used in place of napkins?

1
Kim martin on Feb 08, 2019

can you do this technique on the front of dresser drawers that are stained and have a poly top coat, would monkey paint stick to those or would I have to sand them down first?

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2 of 14 comments

Linda @ Mixed Kreations on Jul 06, 2017

These are so cute! I am going to have to go find me some pretty napkins so I can give this a try.

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CarolinaGirl68 on Jul 06, 2017

Added ideas/thoughts:
1. If you need a bigger sign, you could either use the top layer of more than one napkin next to each other of the same design, or even say use a solid color piece in the middle, and surround with a print, like flowers, circles/dots, or even stripes, or vice versa! You could also alternate stripes & circles, make a zig-zag w/the stripes, &/or just cut the size napkin pieces you need to get the pattern/size you want.-w/the distressing, you could make it look almost like a handmade quilt!
2. Would be cute to do something similar, even could be holiday, season, event, or birthday-related, using holiday/birthday/event napkins, & put the wire through the top like she mentioned to hang on a door.
3. She didn't say exactly, but I would cover the entire board w/the ModPodge to seal the whole thing, protect it from dirt, rain, mold & mildew, etc. Although it dries clear, don't put it on too thick, or it will end up drying thicker, & appear white & streaky instead!
4. This would be a GREAT IDEA to use for a gift!
a. Housewarming/wedding-maybe put the family's name, yr. they got married or yr. they move in-perfect to put on a door. if you're throwing a wedding shower/party at someone's house or a housewarming party, you could do the sign, hang it up as a directional sign, then give it as a gift to the family/couple after!
b. If you're throwing a baby shower, find out the baby's name (if the couple's decided), expected date of arrival (or known b-day if mom's having a c-sect., sched. delivery, or you're having a party after the bIrth!), & you could put the proud parents' names, month/yr. of birth, hosp., city/state-take your pick of what you want to use! Use either a napkin from the baby shower, or napkins that are the colors of the baby's room! Hang it on the door or mailbox out front for the shower to direct pple., then give to the mom as a shower gift that she (whichever family/friend is available for this task!) can hang on the house front door to announce the baby's birth w/some helium-filled balloons, & then hang up in the baby's room or on the door to the nursery to decorate!
c. Esp. if this is a gift for a new baby, a newly married couple, an anniversary gift, or a housewarming gift, get a good picture of said couple/family/new baby! You can enlarge it to the size desired, put it on the sign where you want it, then Mod Podge right over the top of it when doing your final sealing layer! Do this preferably while the layer before the picture (or at least in the area where it will be) is still wet to help it stay in place, then seal w/the last coat of Mod Podge. This makes a beautiful gift for someone!
5. **If you're watching an older sibling after a baby's born, try to catch a family pic that's relatively decent at some point w/the new baby. Actually, for this part, one of the older sibling holding the baby might even be better! With or without the pic, then do the project with the older sibling's help, & let the older sibling give it to Mom (to the BABY!) as a gift wnen she gets home from the hosp. if she hasn't yet. If she has already, give it at a time when Mom has baby down, can catch a breather, & older bro/sis needs some TLC from Mom. Making it keeps the sibiing occupied, out of Mom/Dad's hair so they can maybe catch a quick nap/shower between feeds/ changes, & from waking baby up. Presenting it as a gift to/for the BABY from the Big Brother/Big Sister to hang on baby's door/in the rm. is also a great way to keep the older one feeling like he/she's a part of things, "helping", "giving", makes him/her feel talented, appreciated, let's him/her have fun/do something "special" that "nobody else gets to", learn something new, make a "special surprise for mommy & the baby", & enjoy a bit of pride in the "I did it myself!" moment (with adult help & supervision! **great for a memorable activity to do with a grandparent, aunt/uncle, or godparent!**) & love in the smiles/hugs/kisses from mom when she gets it! If the pic is of the Big Brother/Big Sister holding the baby, it can be used as a reminder to them of their love for each other, & that the older one will always be there protecting the younger one (hopefully!). The older sibling will always love showing off what he/she made, Mom will remember her baby shower if you use one of her shower napkins as the base, & she'll be so proud of her little ones! She'll also treasure the few minutes alone/tenderness with the older one when he/she gave her the gift, & smile with pride.

Sorry so long, but the ideas just came to me, & I had to share it! Wish I had known how to nust do a separate one! I did a similar project using a clear glass plate, Mod Podge, paper lace doilies, & a pic of my stepfather holding my newborn nephews (Grandpa/grandson). He loved them!!! They still sit up in the living rm. I thought the added ideas/project variation/gift ideas might be something someone else could use. Even relatively simple/inexpensive for a tween/teen/college student w/limited funds/time to make/give for a greasured gift!

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