Saturday, February 22, 2014

Family Initial Sign



Our main bath has been in need of an update for some time.  I wasn't ready to do a full renovation, but something new on the wall would be a welcome change.  



At Walmart I found a set of three laminated 8" x 10" burlap sheets.  I used Photoshop to create my design and had all intentions to print the design on the burlap with our laser printer.  But just before pressing the "print" button, I had second thoughts on what the heat generated by the laser printer may do to the laminate on the burlap.  I had visions of goo covering all the intricate parts of the inner compartments of the printer, and the machine never operating quite the same again - if ever.  I'm not sure if this would have really happened, but I didn't want to take any chances.  I removed the burlap from the feeder, placed my practice paper print-off behind the canvas, and using the window and the sunshine, copied the pattern onto my canvas with a pencil.  Using black fabric paint, I carefully hand-painted the design.  It really went quicker than I thought it would and thought it turned out fairly well.




I purchased a 12" x 5' pine "common" board for $4 at Home Depot.  This will give me enough wood to finish this project plus several more.  




My handy husband cut this board to about 12" x 12" with his table saw.  I didn't want sharp edges, so I sanded them and the cut sides with sandpaper.  To give the board a worn look, I hit the board with the claw side of a hammer and with a screwdriver.  I really banged it up.  Next came the stain and a coat of sanding sealer.

Using a slot-cutting router bit, my husband cut a hole in the back of the board for hanging purposes.

Now for the real techy part.  Using a glue stick, - yes, you read that right - I attached the canvas to the board.  Now you might think a glue stick is not the adhesive to use, but it was perfect.  It allowed me to readjust the canvas easily until I had it centered on the board.  The final touch was hammering the decorative nails in to the four corners of the canvas.



This was a very fun project to make.  What have you made lately?  

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