I am SUPER excited about our new wall art hanging in our dining area! This is an area I had been wanting to hang something in since before I moved in, but we couldn’t find the right thing or the more particularly the right size! We toyed with the idea of a large mirror that was Brent’s grandparents or a collage of pictures in various frames, but when it came down to it (A) we didn’t want to take the time or energy to hang a heavy mirror when we would be moving in months and (B) almost every picture in our apartment already is just “us” so another entire wall of “us” pics might look a little self absorbed!! 🙂
Then I started looking at blogs and started to become obsessed with “subway art.” Knowing I could use a cricut, and canvas and some cheap paint from Hobby Lobby was the easy part, finding the “right” words was the real work! Then I stumbled upon a wooden sign at Francesca’s in The Hill Center (Nashville). Knowing that I would not ever pay $50 for a wooden sign, I decided then and there I would make my own. I snapped a fast pic and as of now my dream has become true…
First I made a border with plain old basic masking tape! I actually pulled out an old school ruler and everything…trying to be precise, not just speedy!
Next I cut out all of the words in plain scrapbook paper so that I could lay them out on the canvas and figure out my plan of attack! I made sure to note down which words were cut in 4 in and which in 5 1/2 so that when I cut the vinyl it would all match (again trying to be precise, not speedy)! (AND I didn’t take a pic of the cutting process with the Cricut, but you get the idea)
After I had all of the letters cut out I taped them on the canvas and adjusted, then I adjusted some more…and probally a little more. I decided I had enough “precision” for the day so I left the canvas to sit for a day or two to make sure I LOVED it all (and all the words were spelled correctly) before I started the painting process. At this point it looked more like a high school poster board project than a fabulous piece of wall art!
After “sitting” on the canvas for a couple days we decided we loved the placement and I then cut out the letters with “vinyl.” The “vinyl” I used is actually old shelving contact paper my mom let me use…don’t you love the blue floral pattern!! I had originally splurged and purchased official vinyl but returned it after my mom assured me the contact paper would work!
Next I got to finally paint the big ol thing! I used an entire bottle of craft paint and did 3 complete coats! This is between coat 1 and 2, so you can kind of see the canvas coming out! I almost left it like this because in person it looks like the canvas is metal, BUT I knew I wanted my white lettering to be clean and crisp!
And TA DA! The best part, besides admiring the fabulous finished piece, is getting to pull off the tape and sticky letters!!! I only let the paint dry for about 10 to 15 minutes before I pulled it all off just in case the layers of paint wanted to come off with the tape!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this canvas! The size is perfect and the color turned out perfect!!! The only “minor” problem you can see on the bottom row of the wording. Instead of lining it up to the top of each line, the smaller letters are lined up to the bottom of the canvas. As I was sticking and adjusting I noticed something was wrong but couldn’t figure out what…of course I noticed it after I had just finished applying the first coat of paint! All in all I still love it and cannot wait to do another one!
Found on Pinterest and then on this website: http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/gorgeousgraffiti/product/personalised-it-started-with-a-kiss-canvas
Searching and searching for a letter “h!” Then I searched and searched for a number “2!” I even went to Hobby Lobby and Big Lots looking for a comparable size! Since I was painting it all white I just needed size, not color!
So…I began cutting my own letters thanks to the Cricut! I made a template out of cardstock and then cut them our of chipboard!
So I finally found all the letters and numbers I needed and got to gluing! I used hot glue, but I wouldn’t suggest it for next time! Those pesky hot glue strings got the best of me! Then I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed..and TA DA!
Love Byrds 