PB Inspired Love Wall Plaque for Valentines

Valentine's Day is around the corner, and I've got you covered with a simple, high-impact wall art project that is sure to adorn any room you use it in.
I'm still working on my bedroom makeover, this time installing ceiling beams. That's a project that, surprisingly, provided the base for this Valentine's Day Wall Plaque Art.

Talk about repurposing at its finest! 

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The Pottery Barn catalog arrived, and while browsing through it, I saw this Love Plaque that I thought I could replicate. 

Enter here the many spare pieces of wood I ended up with while building the ceiling beams. 

Ha, the perfect project for Valentine's Day.


The first task: The Letters

I attached two pieces of graph paper with tape and began drawing the letters, trying to copy-cat them as closely as I could to my inspiration. 

The size of my letters ended up being 12.5" x 9".

The letters were then transferred to a piece of plywood, another remnant from the beams.

My transfer method: Using a pencil to shade the back of the lines. Then, trace the letter onto the plywood. You can also use graph paper, if you have it at hand.

Then, it was time to cut them out using a jigsaw. It took me about an hour to do that, a good time to think about what needed to get done the next day. 

Yeah. I was thinking about the laundry I needed to do, what I was going to pack my son for lunch at school, and my grocery list ... Let's say, that's how I plan my days! :)

Well, after all that thinking, the letters were out, they're not perfect, the lines weren't that straight, and maybe I should have paid more attention to the cuttings. ;)

I took a big chunk out of the O!  

But nothing wood filler and a good sanding couldn't repair.

Second Task: The Plaque Base

Since the 1x4 boards were already primed, sanding their edges was my next step to give them a worn-out look.  

All the boards were nailed to two extra pieces of 1 x 4s on the back. Painting stirrers were used to space the boards evenly.

The dimensions of the entire board are 29.25" x 36".

This is how the love sign looked so far.

I emphasized the letter O by giving it a different color. Hey, it's a Valentine's Day project, a little bit of red wouldn't hurt.

Out of my fabric remnants, I found a beautiful red polka-dot fabric. I used the letter to trace the design onto the fabric, then applied liquid starch to attach it.

Wax was rubbed on the boards and letters to age them a bit more. 

The letters were attached with Command strips, so I can use the board for something else later or display the letters by themselves.

Mounting hardware was installed on the back.

The PB Love Plaque costs $199; mine was free since the boards were all leftover pieces.

My next post will be the Valentine's Day mantel reveal. Stay tuned to see how this new project looks when it adorns the fireplace.

Check it out on the Valentine Mantel HERE.