How to Paint on Burlap

Recently I was challenged to design an entire room using only elements from a charity yard sale...

This chair was already yearning to be so much more than it was...it was already trying to shed it's old vinyl...

You have to sand a little...

Then a little more...

then just a bit more...then paint...using a primer lightly in spots, then creamy paint...sand some more to distress...Then on to the fun...

tools: fabric paint, brush, chalk, stencils (if desired!), and patience...

Note...do not use a favorite brush for painting burlap...the fibers are hard on the bristles!

Layout your design using chalk 

(that way you can just brush away any mistakes...wish I could do that with everything!)

...then paint away...I usually freehand most designs, as for the laurel wreath above 

(I do trace my circles out ahead of time using proper artist equipment...such as paint can lids!)

...but for this project I needed to give it a "stamped sack feel"... so to the stencil drawer I went...

If using a stencil, simply pounce on the paint with a heavily loaded brush, being careful to not let the paint seep under stencil edges...

then let dry...this look lets the holes of the burlap shine through...adding a vintage feel...

For more fun with painted burlap...

Hop on over to Savvy Southern Style today to register for a giveaway of one of my handpainted pillows from my Etsy site made from old industrial bags (see the cool stitching!)

These are all hand-lettered, handpainted and fun to customize!

For more fun-to-win goodies...find out about Walk It, Pin It, Win It in a fun American Heart Association Pinterest contest (my younger sister Whitney is responsible for this cool contest!)

And since it is all about family...for general fun & laughter...you could also walk on over to my older sister KariAnne's farmhouse just down the road...