Monogram Push Pin Art

It is no secret that I spend a majority of my time on Pinterest (I am addicted!). So just recently I was browsing Pinterest in search of some affordable and creative decor ideas for my apartment back at school. As I was browsing I stumbled upon a blog post that showed you how to make artwork using push pins! I thought to myself what an amazing idea! I decided to go off the blog post I found and put my own little spin on it. 

I have always wanted a wooden monogram above my bed but the only problem is they can be kind of pricey! So I decided it would be cool to create a monogram using push pins.

This push pin monogram art took me a couple hours to complete (might have taken me longer if my mom didn't help! Thanks mom!) but it was well worth it. The finished project came out better than I had expected! 

 

What you will need

1. Gold Thumb Pins--You can buy these basically anywhere! I bought them at my local grocery store for $1 and they came in a pack of 100. (I used around 500, just depends on how big you want to make your monogram)

2. Fabric-- I suggest using fabric that has a little more texture to it but isn't too thick because you want your push pins to stay in. (I used old curtains laying around my parent's house)

3. Foam Board-- I bought my foam board at my local A.C. Moore store for about $2.99! They have all sorts of sizes but I used the 20 by 30 foam board! 

4. Hot Glue Gun and Hot Glue Sticks--You will need this to glue the fabric to the board.

5. Scissors--You will use these to cut your fabric if you need to!  

6. Pencil-- You will use this to trace your monogram!

7. Ruler-- It is important to be precise when doing this project! You don't want your monogram to be uneven.

8. Tissue Paper--You will use this to trace your monogram on! I suggest using white tissue paper but I used a baby pink and it worked out okay for me! Just make sure it is somewhat of a light color.

9. A picture of your monogram-- You will use this to help you get an idea of what your monogram should look like. I used one of the monogram apps called "Monogram It" I have on my iPhone to help me design my monogram. I drew mine free hand but if you want you can always print your monogram off and trace it!

Shall we begin?!.......

So to start off I laid out some of the items I will be using for this project on the table just to get a general idea of all the things I need and plan on using. That way I don't have to stop midway through my project to look for something! 

Next you are going to lay out your foam board and cut a piece of tissue paper to the desired size, you can make the tissue paper as big as your foam board or you can make it smaller (I made mine the exact same size of my foam board).

Once your tissue paper is laid out you are going to begin to measure the sides as well as the top and bottom of your monogram letter so they all come out even, this will help you get an idea of where to stop and start the monogram letters (I did my "L" and "M" 3 inches from the top and 3 inches from the bottom, I did my "B" 2 inches from the top and 2 inches from the bottom so it would appear bigger, and as for the side of the "L" and "M" I made them 2 1/2 inches from the sides). *I forgot photos for this step*

Once you are finished measuring out your monogram, place the tissue paper onto the foam board. 

 You can now begin to trace your monogram. Like I said above I drew my monogram free hand but you can always trace it if you want. 

Once your monogram is complete you can now take the tissue paper off of the foam board and begin to place the fabric onto the board. Once you have fit the foam board with the fabric as desired you can use your hot glue gun to glue the fabric to the foam board (The picture below are what the back of your foam board should look like). 

Once you have glued the fabric to the board you can place your monogram tissue paper back onto the board and begin pinning the key points of your monogram letter (Such as the top of the "B" or a curve on a letter, it should look like the image below once you are complete).
This will act as a guide when you begin pushing the pins in.

Now you can begin pinning your letters! I will warn you that this will take time and patience but take your time! The end result will be well worth it! (It took me around 2 hours to complete this project) You will probably mess up a few times but you can always go back and fix it if you need to. 

 

Once you are finished pinning your letters you can start removing the tissue paper. Be very gentle while doing this so you don't pull the pins out. Juts slightly pull it like you would if you were tearing a piece of paper in half. 

When you have finished tearing the tissue paper off your letters, it should look very defined, now is the time to go back and fix what needs some fixing! 

Of course mine did not come out perfect but it came fairly close and I am very happy with the result! I plan on hanging this above my bed when I get back to my apartment!