Bus Roll/Subway Sign Project - Check

The Young Family Bus Roll

Step 1: My mom adding another gesso layer to large canvas.

Step 2: Layering cream, yellow and white on the canvas with a whisk brush for a linen affect.

Hard to see in photo, but the layered colors add more dimension
than the plain white background of an unfinished canvas.

Step 3: Carefully transfer vinyl graphics to canvas. (Vinyl Graphics were professionally made by a local graphics shop. Jody from JJ Graphics did a perfect job with the requested fonts, spacing and sizing that I had outlined)!

Note:  I did not photograph the platform built behind the canvas to provide support, preventing the canvas from "sagging" when pressing the letters down with squeegie.

Step 4: Painted over canvas with Daniel Smith's Ultimate Acrylic: Lamp Black. This is a thick, slow drying paint with great brushing properties. I really wanted an unpolished visible brush stroke look.

I didn't finish all of the edges. Wanted an aged, torn look.



Step 5: The fun part, carefully removing the vinyl letters. Use an exacto knife. Notoriously impatient, I didn't even wait for the paint to dry. This made my work twice as hard as I had to be very careful to not get wet paint on the white space.
Aggressive squeegie technique paid off with crisp white lettering, just had I had hoped!

It feels like it has been months for me to get to and complete this project. It was so worth the wait.  I probably skipped many of important steps but I didn't want to bore you with too many details. If you need more information on how to complete your own family bus roll/sub way sign, please email me directly:
heather.runners@gmail.com. I would love to answer any questions you may have.

Just to recap, the gorgeous bus roll signs in this size (30" x 48) at Restoration Hardware would have set me back $750.00. My personalized version cost just over $100.

Canvas: used a 50% off coupon from Aaron Bros. and purchased for $34
Graphics: $50, purchased from local graphic shop
Paint: $18 from Daniel Smith

Felted Soap



Fiat Luxe Felted Soaps - Anthropologie

These felted soaps at Anthropologie have always caught my eye. Have you been to their store to see the huge basket filled with these beautifully colored soaps covered in felted wool? They would add such a unique touch to a guest bathroom: a couple of them on top of a basket of white towels?

Etsy.com, search felted soap for a large selection of these handcrafted items.

I have always wondered how they were crafted. On YouTube, I found this:

This project seems easy enough. With some nice bars of soap, colorful wool batting and a washboard, you can make your own? Anyone know where I can find a washboard?

Have you ever made any felted wool items, i.e. ornaments, scarves, pillows, or even felted wool soaps? Please share the details, I would love to know more. Thanks so much!

Subway Art Revisited

I haven't forgotten about the number one project on my list: 

 Large Subway Art Sign

I am actually obsessed with finding out the best and least expensive way of reaching project completion. Chris from http://subwaysign.etsy.com/ has provided me with great advice and a link to his phenomenal subway signs that can be custom ordered.  You can select printed canvas or printed paper signs for more than reasonable prices.  Unfortunately, I am looking at a very specific size for my living room. 

Thus I continued on with practicing with my original plan: 

Print lettering off word doc.,transfer to contact paper.

Cut out with exacto knife.

 Transfer to painted canvas, spray paint black and peel off contact paper.

Final product leaves me wondering. The outcome is a little messy and even for one letter this was time consuming. Back to the drawing board... Any ideas? Thoughts? Comments?  Thanks so much for visiting.

Display Hard Earned Effort

With active cross country and track athletes like these:

We were bound to amass a lot of these:

Using an existing frame that had a thin shelf insert:



 A piece of foam core board cut to size:

Ironed on white cotton twill using steam seaming:



 Cut down a few black headed straight pins:

Trimmed off ribbons, played with arrangement of medals, tacked down with pins, voila!:



A look at the framed medals hung:

As I looked at the pile of medals on closet hooks, in boxes, etc.  I was inspired by the my dad's Naval career medals and the professional display case he has them in.  This was a great hour long project.  Now our college student has his medals framed instead of hanging all over his closet.

Subway Sign Art

Recently I visited Restoration Hardware where these huge hanging Subway Signs caught my eye and have had me obsessed ever since. There is one wall in my living room that needs a large vertical hanging. I love letters and numbers and the black and white graphic aspect of these art pieces. Priced at $795 each, this is a definite DIY project. Armed with inspiration, I am hoping to figure out the best way to reproduce subway sign art at a fraction of the cost.

Sign content - I decided on names of places that are special to my family and I.

Fonts - sizing and spacing on a Word Document. This is what I have so far (this may look a bit different than the final project due to compatability issues with word and blogger):

CAPE GIRARDEAU

3630 ½ SENECA

DIAMOND HEAD

SAN LUIS OBISPO

R E D M O N D

S U G A R B E A C H

HAYDEN LAKE

C A R M E L

Today I am off to the print shop to figure out how the least expensive way for me to reproduce the exact fonts and spacing I want onto a large blank stretched canvas.

My sister-in-law, Wendy is working on this project as well. Visit her post on SimplyBrookes for her point of view. If you have any ideas, or are inspired to join in, please comment.

Hopefully I will soon be posting a terrific replica of this Subway Sign art.

2010 Graduate

June rolls around and our mailbox begins to fill with lovely traditional graduation announcements from children we've watched grow up. We could hardly believe our own son was 18 and graduating, let alone the kids who used to come over for play dates, swimming adventures and walks to the park.

A friend had sent a unique announcement in 2009, his card motivated me to try something different too. While a fan of the traditional, I wanted my son's announcement to be personal (his own sentiment), include senior photographs, and be informative (he attached a card with college and new contact information).

And I confess, my timing is off if you wanted to consider using this idea for a spring graduate. If inspired, tag this post to use next year, and in the meanwhile compile great photos for the project.

I typically use Shutterfly to print photos. Their site is simple to use and offers many different card/stationary project options. Considering price, value and layout, I chose to use 4 x 8 photocards. This layout allowed for a 3 image upload with text variations below. Shutterfly walks you through the upload steps as well as sizing the images to fit the project. Edit, finalize and pay and the postcards arrive in home roughly 5-8 days later.

This grad photocard has received rave reviews from friends and family. I hope this post inspires you to consider unique options for the class of 2011!

Awesome Etching

Ever since Wendy posted about numbering stemware at SimplyBrookes, I've had this project in mind. And while wine charms are well, charming, I like the simplicity of numbered stemware.

Step-by-step directions:
Basic stemware from CostPlus, 12 glasses for 24.99. (I am constantly breaking wine glasses,thus, I keep to the basic inexpensive finds).
Carefully mark off a square, I used a 2in.square. This can be tricky as the glass is not flat, bend the tape to keep outline square. Press it down firmly to prevent uneven lines.
Center number sticker. Stickers can be found in the scrapbook section of craft store.
Using gloves, apply a thick layer of etching cream. This cream is highly caustic, use care and be sure to read the directions before applying.
After 5 min., rinse off etching cream, removing tape and sticker(keep your gloves on). I used a large bucket of water outside for rinsing.
Repeat steps to number all your stemware. Once the stemware has dried, the etching appeared darker, looks perfect.
Love how they turned out!

This was a simple project requiring an hour of time and resulting in unique, classic stemware. For a recap, to etch your own glasses, you will need the following items:

• Stemware or glassware
• Etching Cream
• Painters tape, I like Frogtape
• Number stickers
• Gloves
• Inexpensive paint brush
• Heavy paper for square stencil
• Water for rinsing

If you decide to etch your own glasses or other items, please send me photo(s). I would love to see the results.

Thanks for visiting!

Piles of Pears

Artist and Mom, Pat Brookes
Did you know that my mom, Pat, is an artist who continues to evolve in her craft by the day? She and my dad live nearby on Whidbey Island, about an hour plus a ferry ride away. I speak to them regularly and just today my mom was ecstatic over her latest art endeavor: pear cards! For the past few months she has been successfully exploring texture, shape and design with her unique pear paintings. The originals have become so popular, she had the best selling reproduced 4 x 6 art cards sold in an assorted package of 6 for $16.00. Visit her Etsy page or website: PatBrookes.com to purchase or view more.

Now the bargain shopper in me can see these note cards framed individually with a wide matte border and sleek, simple frame. Grouped in a kitchen or dining room, they would make a strong impact with flair. I have always liked pears. I appreciate their beautiful shape, varying shades of color and simply satisfying sweet taste. Now captured in my moms' art work, I can appreciate them as her inspiration too.

Card Making Party

Most of us probably spend more time on the computer than we'd like. We tend to live within this box with a screen in front of our eyes and a keyboard at our fingertips. While this has become a necessary part of daily life, switching gears and working with your hands and creative side is so healthy and fulfilling.

A few weeks ago, I hosted a card party at my home. I invited friends and asked them to bring card stock and any card making supplies that had on hand (stamps, paper punches, paper,etc.). This was a great way to join creative forces as well as share in crafting supplies. If you've ever been down the paper or stamp aisle in the craft store, you know it can be difficult to keep your inventory streamlined.

Hopefully you are inspired by this collaboration of supplies, friends and ideas. It was truly successful on all levels, we are planning another one for this month!

Lime & Cilantro

I am over winter soups, roasts and casseroles. As we near the warmer months, our dinner menu evolves into simpler and fresher, summer inspired meals. Lime and cilantro are summer flavor musts. A bag of limes and a couple of bunches of cilantro may last a week in our house. You may have already heard of my abundant use of limes for tart and tasty cosmos. Here is one of my favorite dinner recipes using lime and cilantro:

Thai Chicken/Vegetable Noodle Dinner:
1 package cooked spaghetti (cook al dente and then chill)
2 chicken breasts (cooked, chopped and chilled)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 chopped green onions
a ton of chopped cilantro
fresh squeezed lime to taste
dash of salt and pepper to taste
2 T natural chunky peanut butter
Trader Joes Spicy Thai Peanut Vinaigrette

In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together. Whisk peanut butter and vinaigrette in a separate bowl, pour over noodles, chicken and vegetables to coat.

When serving, I add a sprinkling of chopped peanuts and chopped green onions.

Carbs, protein and vegetables all in one dish. Lime and cilantro perfect this dish.