Hi there, Megan’s friends and followers! I’m Amy, aka
One Artsy Mama, and I’m happy to be here filling in while Megan is enjoying some time with her family this week. I ‘met’ Megan through the Grow Your Blog Mentoring Program {she was one of my guinea pigs in the first session!} and have enjoyed watching her blog change and grow over the last five months.
Today, I want to share with you a fun, simple, and sentimental project that anyone can make!
I first got inspired for this when I saw some fabulous Sentimental Word Art linked up at my weekly party by Karah from The Space Between. I immediately knew I wanted to do something similar; here’s how I did it!
FAMILY NAME SIGN
Materials:
– scrap of wood {mine was from Michaels and cost less than $2}
– acrylic paint and brush
– fine tip paint pen
– printout or vinyl cutout of your name
– scissors
– painters’ tape
– sandpaper
– fabric scraps
– hot glue gun and gluesticks
– list of family favorites and memories
STEP 1: Paint your wood in desired color. Let dry.
I let my Little Crafter do this step!
STEP 2: Print out your name or whatever word you’re using and cut the letters out to make a stencil. Use painters’ tape to adhere it to your sign. I made this in the days before I had a cutting machine. If I were to do it again, I’d cut it out with adhesive vinyl instead. Much easier.
STEP 3: If you haven’t already, brainstorm a list of things your family enjoys or has in common. We included favorite vacation spots, foods, and special memories.
STEP 4: Write your memories inside the stencil using your paint pen. The bigger your wood, the more you’ll be able to write. I got a lot less on my sign than Karah was able to.
STEP 5: Remove stencil and distress sign using sandpaper…more about that later.
STEP 6: If you like, make a couple of fabric roses and glue in place.
TA-DA!
The wood was about $1.60, the paint pen was around $4, and the stand was $3, so I got it all for less than ten bucks. Not too shabby.
Here it is in its new home!
Now, don’t stop reading yet, I have a few more things to share that you won’t want to miss.
First, here’s what I learned about distressing.
1. I am the worst distresser in the world.
2. Do NOT let LC do your base coat of paint because he’s too good at it. You will be sanding and sanding until your arm is sore and that paint won’t want to come off.
3. Do NOT sit your DSLR camera next to you while sanding. You might accidentally knock it off your table with your elbow which might break part of it which will result in you having to pay an exorbitant repair fee or having to get a new one. Just saying.
Second, has anyone else ever had a conversation like this with the hubs?
Him: “What are you doing?”
Her: “I’m just distressing this.”
Him: “Didn’t you just paint it?”
Her: “yes”
Him: “Then why are you sanding all the paint off?”
Her: “To make it look weathered…you know, distressed”
Him: “Why would you want to do that?”
Her: “Because it’s shabby chic!”
Him: “What?”
Her: “Oh, nevermind.”
Well, I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! I’d love for you to come visit me over at
One Artsy Mama! I co-host a rockin’ link party on Fridays, and I’m currently running a fun crafting competition called One Crafty Contest where you can stop by each Monday to vote for your favorite entries!
Hugs and Glitter,
Amy Latta is the
author of One
Artsy Mama, where she
shares a variety of project types including home decor, kids’ crafts, sewing,
jewelry, and more. Recently, she published her first e-book, Crochet
101, to help beginners learn basic crochet
stitches and techniques. She is happiest when creating something and
enjoys making all kinds of projects with her 4 year old “Little
Crafter.” In her spare time, Amy is a professional ballroom, latin, and
swing dancer. When not on the dance floor or crafting, you can probably
find her at Starbucks.
Amy, that’s so cool! I love it when 2 blogs I adore team up- you girls are awesome!
Very cute idea, and yes, I have had that conversation with my husband 🙂