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Home » DIY » Home Decor

DIY Distressed Wall Art with Paper and Paint

August 12, 2016 By Anika Gandhi

If you have been around for a while you know I have been slowly updating our master bedroom one DIY project at a time. It has come a really long way from where it started – just a mattress and box spring on a bed frame. Check out the Pottery Barn Knock-off and X-base nightstand, Ikea dresser hack and headboard tutorials.

The space above the bed was too blank and it was time for some bedroom wall art. We live in earthquake country so a mirror or anything heavy was out. I wanted art with meaning without being too soppy. One day while driving, I heard the Lifehouse song  “you and me” and it got stuck in my head – I knew we had a winner!! Here is the final distressed wall art. I love how it adds a pop of color and a feminine touch to the entire decor!An easy DIY Wall art perfect for the bedroom! Layers of paint and pretty wrapping paper distressed for the most amazing effect.

***This post contains affiliate or referral links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services. Please read my full disclosure here ***

Materials for DIY Distressed Wall Art –

  • ¼″ plywood of desired size. I used a 24″ x 36″ size to fit above my headboard
  • Three color paints of choice. (I used red stain, blue and white paint)
  • Pretty Wrapping paper (I got mine from TJMaxx, but here are a few nice choices)
  • Mod podge
  • Wood Ampersand cut out
  • Silver spray paint
  • Paint for painted letters (I used a metallic red craft paint)
  • Finish sander

How to make DIY Distressed wall art –

I have detailed instructions for you down below but if you want to catch a quick tutorial, take a look at this short 30-second video!

Step 1 – Start by painting the board in various colors. I started with the red stain followed by blue paint. Last was white paint. It is not necessary for the coverage to be perfect.

Painting board in various colors for a cool multilayer distressed effect!

Step 2 – Now bring in the pretty wrapping paper,destroy it by ripping it into pieces and decoupage it to the board using mod podge.Decoupage pretty wrapping paper over layers of paint for a fun effect

Step 3 – Add another thin layer of white paint on top of the decoupaged paper. This layer is very light with a few thicker spots.

Decoupage pretty wrapping paper over layers of paint for a fun effect

Step 4 – Go to town distressing the edges. Make sure it is uneven so that all the layers are visible in various areas.

Distressed paper and paint wall art

Step 5 -Now it is time for the lettering. I printed out the words “You” and “Me” in Laser cut font at  300 pt.

DIY distressed paper and paint bedroom wall art - "You and Me" - Full tutorial

Step 6 – Transfer the words onto the board. I used the same technique like in this “love” sign. Fill in the letters with metallic red paint. Also, on the side, I spray painted the wood ampersand cut out in silver.DIY distressed paper and paint bedroom wall art - "You and Me" - Full tutorial

Step 7 – Give the painted letters a light pass with the sandpaper to “blend” it into the background. Glue the ampersand on.

DIY distressed paper and paint bedroom wall art - "You and Me" - Full tutorial

That’s it!! The sign is ready! I used little hooks and picture wire to hang it up.

An easy DIY Wall art perfect for the bedroom! Layers of paint and pretty wrapping paper distressed for the most amazing effect.

Here is a close up look at the distressed edge. I love all those layers showing through!

An easy DIY Wall art perfect for the bedroom! Layers of paint and pretty wrapping paper distressed for the most amazing effect. The wood ampersand gives it a nice three-dimensional touch and adds a little sparkle too which ties in very nicely with the nailhead trim in the upholstered headboard.An easy DIY Wall art perfect for the bedroom! Layers of paint and pretty wrapping paper distressed for the most amazing effect.

But my favorite part is that flower pattern peeking through! What is your favorite part of this sign!

pin it buttonAn easy DIY distressed Wall art perfect for the bedroom! Layers of paint and pretty wrapping paper distressed for the most amazing effect. Full tutorial!

If you enjoyed this DIY bedroom wall art, you might also like –

The DIY magnetic chalkboard for the kitchen. It is super fun to doodle on it and add reminders too!Make an easy DIY magnetic chalkboard for the kitchen with basic tools.Or these simple DIY frames that are unique and work perfectly in every decor!Easy Simple DIY photo frame with plywood and plexiglass!

 

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susanne

    August 20, 2016 at 6:17 pm

    Anika this is super cute!!! Another beautiful project!! Thank you for sharing at TaDa Thursday!!!

    • Anika

      August 21, 2016 at 8:08 am

      Thanks Susanne!

  2. debbie

    August 24, 2016 at 3:54 pm

    You have such great vision and imagination. What I love most about your home…even more than the beauty…is that you make it with such love! As always your tutorial is extremely detailed and the result is so cute!!!

    • Anika

      August 24, 2016 at 10:00 pm

      Thank you for your kind words Debbie 🙂

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