DIY Grain Sack Inspired Wall Art

Today, we’re sharing how we created DIY Grain Sack Inspired Wall Art for the dining room!

As you guys know, we’ve been working on the dining room makeover on and off since late January.  We were making great progress on the space until I got totally hung up on the antelope print curtains and the color of the hutch and buffet.

Honestly, I struggled with it for weeks because I just couldn’t get the color combination and tone right. I finally gave myself permission to use the antelope print curtains in a completely different space, repaint the hutch (a third time) and it made all the difference.

Once those items had been settled, I was able to fully concentrate on tying up the final details and the wall décor.  It’s amazing what giving yourself (and your brain) a little white space can do ?

As you walk into the dining room, the buffet and hutch stand out almost immediately based on their sizes so I knew I wanted to keep them the star of the show.  In fact, I was SO close to leaving the space on either side of the buffet and hutch bare.

After realizing there would be almost 5 feet of empty wall space on either side of the buffet and hutch, it just didn’t feel right though.  The other factor I had to consider was what style of wall décor would complement the buffet and hutch without competing with the collections of ironstone and brown and white transferware.

I searched all my favorite places for wall décor and art work that had a seasonless yet neutral meets vintage style vibe for a few weeks but didn’t find anything I really loved. So, I set about making my own with materials you can find at almost a craft supply store.  Here’s a look at all the details…

DIY Grain Sack Inspired Wall Décor Supplies:

• 2 Large Framed Pictures with Wood Backing
• Paint (color of your choice for picture base)
• Paint (color of your choice for letters and stripe)
• Paint Brushes
• Alphabet Letters (font of your choice – we found these script letters at Hobby Lobby)
• Wood Board for Grain Sack Stripe (size will depend on the size of the frames/pictures you’re using)
• Wood Appliques (optional)
• Hand Saw
• Strong Hold Adhesive Glue (we used E6000)
• Tarp
• Ruler/Measuring Tape
• Sandpaper
• Pencil

DIY Grain Sack Inspired Steps:

Step #1: Paint the base color on your picture and allow the paint to dry completely before moving onto the next step.  We used the tobacco framed pictures my dad had previously made for the laundry room and painted the base with 2 coats of Valspar’s Ultra White to keep things consistent since all of our trim is painted in Ultra White.

Step #2: Decide how wide you want the grain sack stripe that will run down the middle of your wall art to be.  The easiest way to do this step is to buy the monogrammed letters first so you’ll know which size/scale/proportion stripe will look best.

Obviously, if you’re cutting the wood for the grain sack stripe yourself, you’ll need to use caution, care and proper safety precautions as hand saws and tools are extremely sharp.

Step #3: Once you have the letters chosen and the stripe ready, paint all three pieces and allow them to dry completely.  This is also where you would paint the wood appliques if you’ve decided to use them.

We used Deco Art’s Chalk Acrylic Paint in Primitive, which is the same color we painted the buffet and hutch in, then we lightly sanded/distressed each piece.

Step #4: Now that you have all the pieces for your DIY Grain Sack Wall Art ready to go, measure out the spacing of each piece.  I thought this was THE hardest part of the entire project because of the varied shapes of the letters.  Make sure you measure, multiple times!

Step #5: Lightly outline or mark where each piece will go with a pencil. Believe, me this step will save you so much time when you’re ready to apply the letters to the picture.

Step #6: Attach the letters, the appliques and the grain sack stripe to the picture with strong adhesive glue.  If you choose to use E6000 like we did you’ll need to do this step in a well-ventilated area and make sure to read the label of the E6000 for proper safety precautions and care.

We attached the wood appliques to the corners first,

then the grain sack stripe,

and lastly, the letters for the monogram.

Step 7: Make sure to keep your wall art flat and allow the glue to dry for at least 24 hours.

Step 8: Hang and enjoy your DIY Grain Sack Inspired Wall Art – you nailed it!

Part of what I love most about the dining room wall art is just how personal it is.  It uses the frames that my dad made framed with tobacco sticks, which is a nod to my mom’s family farm, and the letters on the monograms are from our grandmothers.

Bonus, they’re super neutral which means we can use them throughout the year, no matter what the season.

I can’t wait to get these hung up in the dining room and to put the finishing touches on this space. It’s taken a lot longer to come together than I had originally planned. But looking back, I’m glad we’ve taken our time to carefully choose items we love instead of rushing through to complete the makeover with pieces we like for right now.

Have you guys changed up your wall art or DIYed anything lately? Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo