Those who are wise will shine as bright as
the sky, and those who turn many to
righteousness will shine like stars forever.
Daniel 12:3
The fabulous Amy Butler showcased some lovely canvases (seen here) and ever since I saw them I have been eager to make some for our home.
This project would be perfect for your
your last name,
your child's name...
Plus it can be totally no-sew if you so choose.
Yay.
Let's go.
Supplies:
12x24 canvas (grabbed at Michael's with a coup for $6.)
Staple gun
One simple background fabric bigger than the canvas
Large fabric scraps
Heat N Bond UltraHold for no-sew version
Heat N Bond Lite for Iheartto-sew version
(Got both at the Walmarts)
Printed letters from you word.
I used Pharmacy in 700pt. and printed it with the most ghetto printer in the entire world. As I was printing I wondered how long it would take for me to start hating Pharmacy. It is inevitable. Every font that I love soon turns into my nemesis. Hoping this one hangs on for at least a year...
Roughly cut around each letter.
Lay each letter on top of HeatNBond.
Cut out the same size piece of HeatNBond for each letter.
Here are your letters with the HeatNBond underneath.
Arrange your fabric pieces in a way that doesn't make you crazy.
Using the wool, no steam setting, iron HeatNBond shiny side down on each piece of fabric in the proper non-crazy order.
Pin each letter to the front of the fabric.
We don't want backwards letters.
Grab smallish sharp scissors and turn on some brainless TV.
Then cut out each letter carefully.
Boring.
Time consuming.
ADD.
Thus the TV.
Lay your fabric wrong side down on the table.
Lay the canvas on top of it.
Cut around the canvas leaving enough room on each side to staple it evenly.
Loosely wrap the fabric.
Flip over the canvas.
Lay out your letters so they are straight and even.
Gingerly bring the whole canvas to your ironing board.
Carefully transfer fabric and letters to said ironing board.
Using the wool setting again, carefully iron down your letters one at a time, keeping them straight and evenly spaced.
When this step is done and you are a total overachiever (me.) you can topstitch each letter with a fun contrasting thread. It only took me around 20 minutes. Fussy, but worth it if you have the skillz.
But if you don't sew, the Ultra HeatNBond will work wonders and your cuteness level will still be at like a 9.78.
Or, if you are a super overachiever, you could hand stitch it with embroidery thread. Oh the cuteness. But then I would promptly come over and steal it. Just saying. The hand stitched cuteness level would rise to like 1,495,282.
Put your finished word masterpiece on top of the canvas.
Check that it is still straight and even.
Carefully staple each side down and gift wrap the corners.
Done and done.
Hang it up in your girlie's room above their sweet name canvases and then try to think of your own personal word for the year.
Can mine be COFFEE?
Because I sure would like it to be.
Can't really think of a problem it can't solve,
or a scenario it couldn't improve.
Coffee for me.
Shine for my girls.
What is yours going to be?
So stinkin' cute! I love it and it does look so easy. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou amaze me every day! By the way, thank you for introducing me to the two "cracks" in my life. First is the toffee crack I made for all my friends and family for Christmas and then there is the baby crack known as Yo Gabba Gabba... I seriously could not figure out why you liked that show until my son became addicted to it last month... ok ok, now I will admit that it's not so bad and Jack Black coming to town on his minibike today was pretty cool... and the Roots... and I could go on and on. :)
ReplyDeleteAdorable! Can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteFUN! I want one!! Along with about a million other projects I want to complete! Too bad I can't stay up past 8:00 at night and can't get out of bed before 6:00 these days! :)
ReplyDeleteMy word: SIMPLIFY. My one and only real goal this year. I think I need it on canvas to remind me to breathe each and every day!
Hoping you are fab my friend!
OK...I am so with you on the coffee thing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have a bad day I like to grab a coffee and sit, it unwinds me
And for some reason, meeting my girlfriend for coffee makes me feel special.
Last year we splurged on super duper semi automatic coffee machine the makes coffee (duh) lattes, capuccino, espresso shots and more. It is amazing. I even named him - Giovanni (Gio for short).
You need a cricut to cut those letters!
ReplyDeleteHow cute!! Definitely gonna make some of those as gifts for my nieces. =D
ReplyDeleteWow! Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteMy word is Dance.
:)
LOVE the blog and the informative post. MAYBE I'll make one....you make it look easy.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year from Houston, Tx
So AWESOME... That scripture is the one my mother claims over my husband and I... It is near and dear to my <3...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
OH I LOVE IT!!!!!
ReplyDeletelike really really really love that!
and i still can't think of a word.
but shine is a great one.
julie...this is so good.
I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS!!! It's so cute and looks so easy to do too! I'm totally giving this one a shot...maybe a "dream" for the bedroom or a "clean" for the bathroom or laundry closet or an "imagine" for my home office/craft room...or maybe I'll do them all! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhy? Why did you do this to me? Now I have ANOTHER project to add to my ever so growing list. I already have an idea for "coffee" using my cricut. Thanks! :)
ReplyDeletemine's gonna say, "omg i wish i was julie carson"
ReplyDeletehahaha, i crack myself up.
that is so stickin cute, i can't get over it. now I have to go make one tomorrow. i love it, but i don't have those cute amy butler fabrica, darn it. l.o.v.e. i.t. !
This is a really great idea! Very cute and it looks pretty easy to make.
ReplyDeleteMy word of the year
ReplyDeleteis Aleve.
As in, the drug.
Love it!! I too have been "defaulting" to the Pharmacy font for months now for all sorts of projects. It rocks.
ReplyDeleteI love it! Sounds a little tedious, but I'm already thinking of the 20 kajillion different things I could do with it. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love it! Sounds a little tedious, but I'm already thinking of the 20 kajillion different things I could do with it. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteFan-tast-tic.
ReplyDeleteThat's my word for this tutorial.
Love it.
My word for the year?
So far: 'simplify'
Because I need to do that.
~Keri
Holy cuteness, Batman! Love, love, love this! I bet you have the cutest house in the world!!
ReplyDeleteI heard the Lord distinctly say "Courage" was my word for 2010. It was not exactly what I wanted to hear.
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of how I knew it was from Him. sigh.
The letters are adorable! Thanks for the tutorial.
What a FABULOUS tutorial!!
ReplyDeleteThis idea is so great! I've been thinking of doing something like this. I think I'll do mine on my Cricut though... I'm not very patient.
ReplyDeleteMy word for this year is appreciate so I think I'll do that one.
Also if you're looking for new fonts check out Fonts For Peas (aka- kevinandamanda.com). They have some great handwriting fonts (probably too small for these kinds of projects) but they also have some thicker "scrapbooking" fonts that might work. Have fun and thanks again for the project!
This is absolutely adorable!
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike. I've been working on something just like this for my house....I thought it would be so cute as Valentine decor!! I just ironed mine on though, didn't think to stitch it (too lazy) :) Yours turned out so cute! I love it!
ReplyDeleteone little ink saving tip: when you're printing, switch to "outline" rather than printing the whole thing and it will save you a ton! love this project - looks great!
ReplyDeletethat is adorable--I've saved it. I am not a sewer or anything (like i'm not sure where to get those cute fabrics...) but I would love to try it for my kids bathroom with the word "clean". thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThis is ADORABLE! We just redid my daughter's room and I have been lamenting about the fact that we don't have any cute artwork or anything for her very bare walls... NOW I have an idea. I'm curious what her word of choice will be...
ReplyDeleteMy word for the year is Enjoy.
Love it! And, don't be jinxing pharmacy font....I love that font..ALL my business cards & etsy shop banner are done with pharmacy.
ReplyDeleteAnyways...great word, my word for 2010 is Intentional. Here is my post about it:
http://thelarsonlingo.blogspot.com/2010/01/intentions-for-2010.html
What a cute idea and it looks pretty easy...except for the part about occupying the children while you work. Did you know that you can print out the letters in reverse? That way you can tape or glue them to the back of the paper. It makes it a little easier to cut out. I am thinking of a good work for my boys.
ReplyDeleteI just love this :)
ReplyDeleteNow, that I can do. Ironing, cutting,stapling.. bring it on. Love it. the whole stinkin thing...
ReplyDeletegreat job Julie - LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteOooh, looks a little challenging for me. I don't even have a staple gun. Love the idea and I want to break out of my "scared-to -craft" phase, so maybe one day I'll do it. I've bookmarked this link for the future. It turned out really great. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLove this! I can't wait to try to make one of these for each of my kids. My question, which is probably silly what program did you use to make your letters so big?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
This looks great! What a wonderful way to showcase your word! My word, I think...is Become. I need to do a project with it to set it in stone, though! LOL!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea Julie! I have a friend who is having a baby in a couple of months and that would be the sweetest "congratulations" gift when the baby gets here.
ReplyDeleteLove it. Look how fabulous it looks in their room too.
ReplyDeleteI love it, I need one for the new baby to say Madeline :) HOW FUN!!! And cheaper than the wooden block letters!
ReplyDeleteOh, I LOVE it!! At first I thought it was one of your supercute signs, but no, even better!!
ReplyDeleteElise
love it. love it. love it.
ReplyDelete& I'm with Em about the toffee crack. It may have changed myh life. no really.
you=soooo awesome:)
Great tutorial - got all the supplies to give it a try - "CREATE' is my word for 2010 ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love how easy and adorable this is! I would love to link to it if you didn't mind.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love this. I live in the world's worst rental, so maybe. . . this will help.
ReplyDeleteLove this!! Would be perfect to use all the "little" scraps of fabric leftover from other projects...now I just have to get off of work so I can "play"....
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!! and I have been looking for simple wall hangings for my boys room. They just moved in together to make room for baby #3 in April. I am thinking of making three that say "boys" "brothers" "best buds" and than hanging some black and white photos of them around them...does that defeat the purpose of the one word? I just couldn't decide on one...maybe just "brothers". (Sorry to ramble on your comments).
ReplyDelete:-)
Holly molly guacamoli! This is absolutely awesome!
ReplyDeleteI love it!!!
Too bad I'm not crafty at all.
You are amazingly talented Julie!!!
Great idea Julie - I have made my version today. Please drop by my blog and have a look.
ReplyDeleteI can see that I willbe headed to Michael's today on my Girl's Day Out! :) I love this!!!!! :) I need one for my sewing room and one for Maddie's room ... now to figure out the words .. I love that font as well. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteQUESTION ... Did you stitch around the letters before you attached to the canvas?
Love this and LOVE the Pharmacy font!! Thanks for sharing! Quick question - where did you find that fab green zebra print fabric?? LOVE that, too! :)
ReplyDeletei love this! thank you for giving me a project for today. :) it's so cute.
ReplyDeleteThis is an adorable project! Thanks for the step by step instructions. We would be BFF's...my word is ALWAYS coffee!;0)
ReplyDeleteThis is so fun! Now I'm just trying to decide what word to use...Do you think I could fit "Clean up your rooms. I am not your maid!" on a canvas. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial!
---Tif
Love it!
ReplyDeleteI just listed a "shine" necklace yesterday and hadn't seen this post yet. 2 Smart blondes, we are...
Love it! My word this year is THRIVE. My friend said to me that life should be more about thriving than just merely surviving. This last year has been about just surviving - with a 3 year old, a new baby, and 1 year old I watch everyday - it was about surviving :) But this year I'm ready to THRIVE!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm anxiously awaiting for your cute Etsy shop to reopen :)
ReplyDeleteI made one for Valentines!! Julie, thanks for making a tutorial that was soooo much less complicated than the Amy Butler one (and a better font)-you're awesome!!
ReplyDeletehttp://vermillionrules.blogspot.com/2010/01/love-love-love.html
Beautiful, I'll have to keep this in mind when we start decorating for a nursery.
ReplyDeleteWhat a FANTASTIC idea! Thank you so much for the tutorial!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your heart, your funny and your talent. Thanks for putting yourself out there. I, a fellow Jesus follower in Katy, TX get it. Blessings, Gillian:)
ReplyDeleteadorable!! and it's something that looks totally do-able!! Yeah! I'm gonna try this one! but first...hmmmm...what word should I use?
ReplyDeleteWow ... I really need to start making a list of all the projects that I want to do that you have shown us! I have to tell you that you have totally inspired me to want to sew - and my head is full of all the dreamy projects I want to make. Thanks for another great one.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea!!! I have a blank canvas and I'm gonna do this today!
ReplyDeleteAsh
a perfect idea for a handmade and personal gift :) Great post!
ReplyDeleteJoy... loved this post and this idea....
ReplyDeleteIf you link to my blog post from today "Neglected" you can see my final product.
http://lookingfromthesides.blogspot.com/2010/02/neglected.html
My letters ended up just a little crooked (I think it adds character...) but I LOVE it.
I did hand embroider around the letters... I found that to be the best part of the project... very calming. I haven't embroidered for a LONG time... and this was fun.
Thanks so much for the idea and all the support. Love your blog. :)
Carrie
Just found your blog from Blue Cricket link. I love your crafts (and your humor!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great ideas!