Large Distressed Pattern Block Plaque

I have a large hook shelf in the entry of my house.  I absolutely love it, but it needs something to anchor it, so awhile back I made a quick distressed board out of a 2 foot x 2 foot piece of plywood, some paint and a stencil.  I thought it was really cute, until I repainted my walls the same color as the piece and suddenly it was lost, so, enter the need to remake the board into something that will pop a little more against the gray walls.  I decided to use several patterns this time around and some lighter colors.

This is what I started with.  Cute, but no longer working with my new wall color.

I painted the whole board over with white, I wasn't too worried about getting great coverage, because I was going to distress it later.

I created three rows of stencils on my vinyl cutter.  Most of the patterns are from the dingbat font called Peoni Patterns.  They are so cute.  I made each of the blocks about 7.3" square.  Then I marked the board and applied the stencils to my board where marked.  (At this point I was thinking this looks pretty nice with the dark background, and white patterns, but I reminded myself that the furniture and carpet in that room are pretty dark, so I want something a little lighter to brighten up the room.)

I painted over the stencils with a light china blue color and let dry for a few minutes.

 I then removed the stencils. This took a lot of time.  It was the worst part of the whole project.  After the vinyl was removed,  I let the project dry completely overnight.

Finally, I distressed the board with sandpaper.  The most important thing to remember when distressing is to take it slow.  You can always take more off, but you can't put it back on.

You could skip the final distressing step, but I always seem to have a few spots where the paint has bled under the stencil, and I have a few smudges and scrapes from removing the vinyl, so the distressing helps remove those things, or at least makes them look intentional.

So, for minimal time and money, I have a fun new piece for my beloved hook shelf.  Totally happy!!

Linking up with: