“Oh The Places You'll Go” DIY art
I love “Oh The Places You'll Go” by Dr. Seuss; the first time I read it to my daughter, I cried. I know, I know, I'm a sentimental fool. But how many of you moms can honestly say it didn't make you tear up? Ah ha! That's what I thought.
Anyway, I came across some art on Pinterest a while back using the book title and wanted to make it for my daughter's room. It was a one-day project and I am really happy with the result. Here's how I did it:
MATERIALS:
- White contact paper
- X-ACTO knife
- Canvas (11” x 14”)
- Paint & brush
HOW-TO:
1. First I painted my entire canvas yellow using acrylic paint, and let it dry.
2. Then I used Photoshop to create my word art on a digital 8.5” x 14” canvas. I used a simple non-serif font that wouldn't be too difficult to cut out using an X-ACTO knife. (You can download the word art I used here if you want to print it and use it yourself)
3. Next, I cut a piece of contact paper that was 8.5” x 14” and loaded it in my printer. Then (naturally) I printed my word art onto the contact paper.
4. This was the tricky and time consuming part... I used my X-ACTO knife to cut out each of the letters. I used a ruler for all the straight edges, and I placed thick cardboard under my contact paper so I didn't cut my surface underneath. Don't forget to save the middle pieces for the P, A and O's!
5. Once I was done cutting the letters out, I positioned my word art on my canvas, peeled off the backing and stuck it down (including those extra pieces for the P, A and O's), trying to seal all the edges.
6. Then I used white acrylic paint and a paintbrush to go over my homemade stencil. A “dabbing” motion rather than typical brush strokes works best here to ensure your paint doesn't slip underneath any lifted edges of the contact paper.
7. I was afraid to let it dry without checking how I did, so I peeled the contact paper off right away, which didn't end up posing a problem. Much to my relief, the letters came out nice and clean.
Sidenote: The most annoying part of this process was that the ink from my printer wiped right off the contact paper (no matter which side I printed on), so by the time I was done cutting out my letters, I had black ink all over my hands. Not a huge deal because it stayed put long enough for me to cut out the letters, but it was kind of annoying. Perhaps if I sprayed it with hairspray or polyurethane after printing it would have helped? Any suggestions?
Sidenote #2: I know all you people with a Cricut are laughing at me and my old school process! One day I will purchase one and save myself some time and effort...
Link Parties:
