Name Plate Tutorial

       I recently wrote up a tutorial for Embrace Bed Rest, a blog dedicated to making life easier and more manageable for mommies-to-be who have been put on bed rest. Here is a copy of that tutorial, remember it is geared for someone who has to do only a little physical activity.
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        To get started you'll need to acquire your supplies. Where possible I'll site online resources where you can get the supplies. Where I couldn't find the proper item online I'll site the store(s) at which I found them. I'll give a detailed enough supply list that you can send hubby, parent, or friend after!

So let's get started!

You'll need:

A wood plaque, mine was 7x2 and 3/4 inches thick, you can use any size you'd like though- Bought at Michael's in a bundle of 20 for about $5 but couldn't find it online.

Acrylic paints- Can be found online at Michael's Arts and Crafts

Paint brush assortment- Can be found online at Joann' Fabric and Crafts (it states online only actually!)

Pencil

Paper

Scissors

Tape

Two containers to hold water, one to wash paint off of brush one to rinse it off

Paper towels or dry rag

Computer and Printer, optional

Now, before you begin, send your plaque with hubby or someone to sand down the corners and edges. They just need to be smooth and flat, nothing fancy, unless you want it to be!

 

While your plaque is being sanded, go ahead and find a font you like! I use Microsoft Word for this step. Once you find a font you like type out (twice) what you want on your plaque. Resize it to fit the plaque and print out a copy. For my plaque a 72 point Brush455 BT fit wonderfully because I added some design element. If you just want it to be a name make the font bigger to take up the plaque. (PS after using this font I had thought I might want to use a less detailed one next time!)

 

Take your pencil and cover the back of the paper behind your print. Make it pretty dark, you're pretty much making it into a carbon paper wannabe! But make sure you don't rip it, this was the reason for two prints!

If you don't have a printer available you can carefully draw your wording on by hand.

 

Once you get your plaque back cut out your print and tape it into position.

 

Outline around the outside of all of your letters, transferring them onto the plaque.

Remove one side of your print and peek under to make sure it's transferred well. If not place it back into place and go over the spots that are lacking. Go ahead and take the print off of your plaque.

If you're adding a design element, draw it on now. Don't press to hard, just enough to make a light outline. You can do little flowers, cars, fish, animals, shapes, letters numbers, whatever goes with your personality or room.

Now it's time to start painting. Start with your lightest color. Be careful to stay in your lines but don't fret if you have a boo boo! Paint is easy to deal with as long as it's wet, just blot it with the corner of a dry paint brush until it's gone or very light. If you went onto a color put a little more of the right color so it looks right again.

 

Continue with the next color.

 

And so on, until you're done!

 

Now it can be set up on top of a dresser, you can put a hole in the back to hang it from a nail, you can get a picture hanger to put on the back. Whichever you want to do for where it is going!