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Motherhood Simplified.

“Oh The Places You’ll Go” DIY art

January 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment

oh the places you'll go art, diy art, art tutorial

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.

oh the places you'll go art, diy art, art tutorial
 

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.

oh the places you'll go art, diy art, art tutorial
 

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.

oh the places you'll go art, diy art, art tutorial

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:

  • Life Made Lovely
  • I Heart Naptime
  • Lil Luna
  • Gingersnap Crafts
  • We Are That Family
  • The Shabby Nest

Related posts:

  1. Crayon Roll Tutorial
  2. “Happiness” wooden block art DIY
  3. On my to-do list: Reusable snack bags
  4. Magnetic photo strip display

Filed Under: crafting Tagged With: art, how to, tutorial

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HI! I'M AMY.

I'M A BLOGGER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, MOM, COFFEE ADDICT, DIYER, CHRONIC MULTITASKER AND STRESSCASE, A COOK AND A LOVER OF A GOOD GLASS OF WINE.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ME

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I get it. It's a little weird. But the girls I've I get it. It's a little weird.
But the girls I've seen do it best, look adorable.

I think it looks best with an oversized tee or sweatshirt, tennies or slides, and a small crossbody bag.

You can't argue with comfort.

For the record, these are women's sleep shorts that I've had a couple of years from Old Navy. If you buy actual men's boxers, you might consider sewing up the pee pocket 😜

Don't spend a lot on this trend; these shorts are made from the thinnest of fabric and shouldn't cost much. Don't be fooled by a retailer that wants you to spend just because it's trendy.

But if you see some cute boxers and want to give it a go - then do! Bonus - if/when the trend ends, you'll have pajamas on the ready 👏

It's solid weekend wear, but I'm not going out to dinner in it...

#boxershortsforgirls #boxershort #ootd #womensfashion #styleinspiration
Another project down in my son's room! I knew I w Another project down in my son's room!

I knew I wanted some sort of built-in feature in this bedroom, but it was hard to figure out what, because we turned it into an active space where he could run and play and needed a lot of room.

So I settled on a built-in bookcase with the slatted design feature, which I'm in love with!

The best part about it is that if he ever decides to upgrade his bed, the space will also accommodate a full or queen size bed going in the opposite direction. It adds so much interest to this room and hopefully will be here for a long time!

One of the things I love most about DIY projects is figuring out how to make something - it's like a giant puzzle. I saw photos of these slotted wall room dividers on Pinterest and just figured it out as I went. All in all, I had very few hiccups and it only took me a few hours to put together. I think I only cursed once?!? And so I call that an extreme DIY win...

Now that the sports wall, the climbing wall, and the built-in feature are complete, the last thing to do in here is some additional painting. I'm thinking of using a contrasting blue color for the closet doors and back side of the built-in, and perhaps trimming out the window with it as well. Then I need to switch out the light for a fan and this.room.is done 🙌

Details: I used two IKEA billy bookshelves, screwed together and secured to the wall. Then wrapped them in white oak plywood. I ripped down 2x4s into 1.5x1.5" square dowels (heavily sanded!) and used pocket holes on the back side of each to secure to the bookshelf and the 1x4 in the ceiling. It's very sturdy!

Go back in my reels to see the other projects from this room! 

#diy #boysroom #roomrenovation #roomrefresh #kidsrooms #climbingwall #soccerbedroom #builtins #bedroomredo #girlswhobuild
This climbing wall took half a day and cost under This climbing wall took half a day and cost under $100!

We are lucky enough to have 13' ceilings in our bedrooms, so a climbing wall seemed to make sense in my son's room as we worked on the remodel.

He is a super active kid with #ADHD, so his room redo has involved lots of activity spaces! Go back in my reels to see past projects and follow to see me finish this up!

#diy #roomrenovation #roomrefresh #kidsrooms #climbingwall #soccerbedroom
Another to-do checked off my list for spring break Another to-do checked off my list for spring break room makeover!

I added very subtle striping to the wall to mimic a soccer field and keep things classy. ⚽

Stick around to see the next project - a climbing wall!

(And go back in my reels to see the sports wall)

#roommakeover #soccer #kidsroom

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