DIY Wood and Metal Wall Art – Rustic metal flower backed with wood boards

I was browsing the aisles at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago, looking for some inspiration to pop out at me when I saw this large metal flower wall decor.  It was about 18″ in diameter and had a rustic chic look to it.  But best of all, it was on sale as part of their Spring decor 40% off sale!  Score!  I knew this flower would look awesome hanging on a piece of dark stained wood on my living room wall! So I purchased it to create a wood and metal wall art piece.

Here is how I made this pretty piece:

 

Materials:

• Large metal flower wall art (mine is 18″ in diameter, purchased at Hobby Lobby)
• 1 – 1×12 @ 4 ft
• 2 – 1×4 @ 8 ft
• white paint pen or white paint and small paintbrush
• Printer and paper
• Kreg jig and 1 1/4″pocket hole screws

Cut List:

• 1 – 1×12 @ 30″
• 4 – 1×4 @ 30″

 

First, cut one 1×12 board to 30″ in length, and four 1×4 boards to 30″ in length each.

Next, using the Kreg Jig,  drill three  3/4″ pocket holes into the 1×12 board and into three of the four 1×4 boards:

Using wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws,  attach two 1×4 boards above the 1×12 and the remaining two 1×4 boards below the 1×12.  Once all boards are attached, your project should look like this:

Sand the boards until smooth, and then stain with a stain of your choosing.  I went with my go-to and favorite stain, Minwax Dark Walnut.

I then marked a spot on the board that in the center of the board and inserted a small screw (to hang the flower on).

I wanted more on the wood board than just the metal flower, so I searched Pinterest for ideas on “flowery” sayings that I thought were inspiring.  I came across one saying “Live life in full bloom” and thought it was appropriate for my new wall art.  I typed it into a Word document and found a font I liked, and made the word “Bloom” slightly larger and in a different italicized font so it stood out.   I also found some leaf twig and flower pictures on PicMonkey that I liked.  I printed the saying and the leaf and floral pictures on my printer.

 

I taped the saying to the top of the board, and using my usual technique, I traced over the letters with a pen to leave indentations in the wood so I could paint over them. (The indentations keep the paint from running outside the letters as much).

 

For the letters, I used a small, stiff paint brush to fill in the letters with white paint.

I then repeated this process to add the leaf designs and the floral designs to the board.  I used a white Sharpie paint marker to fill in the leaves and floral designs that I had traced onto the board.

Once the white paint had dried, I hung the metal flower on the screw in the center of the board and hung on my wall.  I must say, I do love it! 🙂  Here are some more pictures of my new wall art: