Hello, hello! I can’t believe this is already my 44th blog post. I only started in March of 2021 and have been sharing my favorite projects, recipes and life events! Today, I’d love to share how to make state pallet art. I did this project a few years ago and it’s still alive and living on in my house as awesome, meaningful wall décor!
44th Blog post!
As I mentioned, this is my 44th blog post! I started fast and strong with three posts a week for a few weeks to get some content out there, then I moved to two posts a week. Now that I have a good bit of content out on the world wide web, I’ll keep the cadence of posting one time a week … so set your calendars for Monday mornings around 10 AM to catch up with me and my latest blog posts … or just subscribe and I’ll send you a reminder!
2021 thus far …
This year started out pretty good for us. Not as wild as 2020 and a pandemic and a new baby … but quiet and normal. Then Sawyer turned one and SO MUCH HAS CHANGED FOR US! Our Miles got diagnosed with HSP disease, which he is doing well with right now. Sawyer hasn’t been able to clear his ear infections. My husband’s long-time co-worker at a tight knit company left and then a week or so later his boss died. So, both of his mentors are gone ….
It’s been an interesting ride, but I know God’s plans are best and He has something good in store. We will remain faithful to Him! Whatever is around the corner is exciting!
And speaking of exciting, we had some family photos taken while were were in Montana. They turned out amazing! Check out my favorite family one below!
State art brings feelings of home …
With all this change, one thing always brings good feelings … that is HOME. My home state is Montana. I was born and raised there, and as some of my prior posts have mentioned, we spent a lot of our summer there this year. The feeling of seeing my home state makes me happy, which is why I initially made state pallet art.
Then, I saw how awesome it looked and I decided to also do Alaska, since that’s where my husband was born. And if I was doing Alaska and Montana, I might as well do Georgia … since that’s where we met and live! So, here’s how to make state pallet art!
Supplies, supplies, supplies!
Before getting started, always make sure you have the appropriate supplies!
- Pallet or wood scraps
- Gray paint or stain
- White paint
- Paint brush or foam brush
- Disposable Cup
- Printed outline of your state
- Scissors
- Chalk or pencil
- Screws
- Drill
Getting started with how to make state pallet art …
First, grab your pallet, or some pieces of wood, that will be used to put together as the “frame” or “background” of the art. To do one state art, you’ll need four 14” pieces and two 12” pieces. The 12” pieces will go on the back to hold the four front pieces together.
Stack your four 14” pieces with the nicest sides on the bottom. Then, on the back place your 12” pieces and screw them into the 14” pieces. Make sure the screws don’t go through to the font, as that’s the side you’ll paint on your state!
Stain or paint your wood …
Now that you have the framework together, it’s time to stain or paint your wood. I did some of mine with watered down stain and some with watered down gray paint. To do this, simply put some paint or stain in a disposable cup and add some water. Stir a bit and then use a paint brush, or foam brush, to brush the liquid mixture onto the wood. Wipe off with a paper towel or rag and let dry.
Make your State printout …
While the wood is drying, go to your computer and print off a large outline of your state. I typically Google the state that I want and copy that into Microsoft Word, then I size it as big as I can for an 8.5” x 11” page and print it out.
I cut the state printout and center it on top of the wood. You can trace around it using a pencil or chalk. Either works beautifully!
Time to paint your State on!
Now get a small paint brush and your white paint and paint the entire outline and inside of the state white (or a color of your choosing … definitely doesn’t have to be white!).
Once you paint your state white, you can do a second coat or you can sand it a bit to make it more weathered. Really, do what works for your décor and the look/feel you are going for in the room you plan to place this state art.
Hang and enjoy!
Now that your state is painted on, you are officially done! Find something to help hang it on the wall. Command hooks always work well for me.
As you can see, I painted many of these. Some for gifts, some to possibly sell and some for me! You can also do this on a block of wood instead of pallet boards. The possibilities are endless!
Here are what my three currently look like. They are in my entry way that I recently refinished. You can check out that post here. These three states have a lot of meaning to me and I love seeing them every day. As I mentioned above, they represent where I’m from, where my husband’s from and where we met/live … which also equates to meaning HOME, HUSBAND and HAPPILY EVERY AFTER!
Do you plan on trying out these steps on how to make State art? Let me know in the comments below.
Be blessed!
