Thanks to Plaid Crafts for sponsoring today’s post; all opinions are honestly my own.

Who else is totally in on the letter board craze? After seeing about seven million of them all over my Instagram feed, I finally grabbed myself one and have been absolutely loving it! I change out the saying every week or so, and it sits on a table in my entryway to entertain my family and friends when they come in the front door. The one problem I had with it, though, was that I had no idea where to put all those little letters, numbers, and symbols that I wasn’t using at the time. Seriously. Where do y’all keep them? I had them sitting in a little tupperware-style container for a while, but that wasn’t particularly stylish. So, I grabbed a little wooden box and decided to make it a pretty letter holder for all those little pieces. Here’s how I did it and you can too…

You’ll Need:

an unfinished wooden box
FolkArt® Stencils
FolkArt® Home Decor Chalk paint: Adirondack White
FolkArt® Brushed Metal paint: Antique Gold
FolkArt® Home Decor Wax: Clear
FolkArt® Paintbrush and Stencil Brush
Painters tape

Painting Your Box

Give the entire box, outside and inside, a coat of white chalk paint. I like to use a large brush, like this 1 1/4″ one for base coating. Because my original wood was very light in color, one coat of paint was plenty to give good coverage. If you’re painting over a darker wood, you may want to add a second coat. You can, of course, use any paint colors you want, but I am currently obsessed with all things white and gold for fall.

Let your paint dry completely before moving on.

For pro tricks on getting a smooth, beautiful base coat, check out this Painting Tips post!

Choosing Your Stencil

There are tons of FolkArt stencils to choose from, including patterns, leaves, animals, phrases, and more. The one I decided to use is one of the many brand new designs available now in Michaels stores. I liked the pattern, and the largest of the images was the perfect size for the top of my box. You can also find layering stencils and a new line of Lily and Val stencils that will give you a chalkboard lettered look when you pair them with FolkArt Erasable Liquid Chalk.

Stenciling Your Box

When your base coat is dry, position your stencil where you want it and carefully tape it in place using painters’ tape. Washi tape will work too, if that’s what you have on hand. You’ll want to make sure to tape over any other exposed areas of the box top too, like where the stencil ends, so that you don’t accidentally paint anywhere but inside the cut-out design.

Use a stencil brush to fill in the design with Antique Gold paint. When you’re stenciling, remember that less is more. You want to offload your brush onto a paper plate or paper towel until it’s almost dry before applying it to your project. Most stenciling problems occur when there’s too much paint and it bleeds underneath the stencil. Tap your brush gently up and down in the cut out areas rather than using brushstrokes to keep the paint exactly where you want it. Remove the stencil by lifting it straight up while the paint is still wet.

For more pro tips on getting a clean stenciled image, check out this post.

Sealing Your Box

When the stenciled area is totally dry, apply a coat of FolkArt Home Decor Wax using a wax brush or a soft lint-free cloth over the entire surface of the box to seal it. This will help protect it from everyday wear and tear. Once the wax has dried, you can gently buff it to your desired sheen.

That’s all there is to it! Now you’ve got a pretty little box for storing your letter board alphabet…or anything else your heart desires that will fit inside.

Ready to make your own? Find the new FolkArt stencils, including FolkArt Lily & Val Stencils at Michaels.

For more stenciling and crafting inspiration, be sure to check out the other Plaid Creators websites, and to follow Plaid Crafts on Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest! I’d love to see your latest stenciled projects; stop by the One Artsy Mama & Friends Facebook group and share what you’ve been creating.