Monday, December 5, 2011

Subway Art Challenge

Subway Art...so popular right now. If you look on Etsy to buy one they range from $50-$150 each. AHHH. So why not make your own? I'm not talking about vinyl on wood, I am talking hand panted beautiful subway art. Sounds too good to be true or too hard? Don't worry, it is simple with a little practice.

Here is what you need:
-piece of wood. You can go to Home Depot and buy a piece or reuse and recycle like I did using some old book shelf pieces.
-a die cut machine and vinyl or you can do it by hand using freezer paper or vinyl and an exact o knife.
-craft paint

I started by painting my piece of wood. I didn't even sand the piece because I like the brown highlights under the black paint. Make sure the paint is completely dry.
Next cut out all your letters. You are going to use the vinyl on the outside of the letter, not actually the letters so save those for another project. This was really the toughest part. Make sure you get clean lines and I would suggest the smaller the letter cut outs the better it will look.

Place your letter cut outs on your board in whatever form you like. The vinyl is easy to shift and move if you don't like the placement. Make sure you have all the words on your board before you move onto the next step.
Once your words are placed, paint your letters using nice even strokes. I did too coats because the white paint didn't show up well on the black.Let dry overnight. Then peel off your vinyl and admire your work. You might have to do a few touch ups on any messy sections.
Honestly, this was my second try. The first time I used too big of letters and it looked sloppy. You might want to practice a little before you do the final project.

On another note, this was the last project using my Cricut, Yep, I sold it to buy a Silhouette. Get ready for some great die cut projects in the future!

8 comments:

Michele said...

I love it! Great DIY project! Nice message to! Thanks!

http://mrsgardengirl.blogspot.com/

karah said...

This came out great! Love the project and all the wording you chose. Nice job!
Karah @ thespacebetweenblog

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Wow! You girls are might talented! Stopping by for the first time and had such a great time perusing many of your posts! I saw so many things that I just loved :)

Nice to meet you both!
ps.... Heather, I met my husband on a blind date too. 36 years ago :)

Kindly, Lorraine

Holly @ Bella Nest said...

I love this!!! Especially the LOVE JESUS part! I'm your newest follower! Please check out bellanest.blogspot.com if you get a chance! Blessings to you both!

Melanie @ bear rabbit bear said...

Looks great! Thanks for linking to Things I've Done Thursday!

Melanie
Sew Rugged @ bear rabbit bear
bearrabbitbear.blogspot.com

Kindra-At Home With K said...

What a fun sign you created! I love the message as well!

I'm your newest follower! Stop on by sometime! If have a weekly linky party called Terrific Under Ten Tuesdays. It's for projects made fr $10 or less. I would love to have you sometime!

Unknown said...

Beautiful! Love the layout and especially that you made your horizontal instead of vertical! Thanks so much for sharing with the Pink Hippo Party.. can't wait to see what you share next!

Elizabeth said...

Thank you so much Jessica. I am so inspired by your work and now want to get started with Christmas projects right away, with some encouraging Christ-centered sign art! You made my day! Elizabeth