Monday, August 22, 2011

Subway Art for the Nursery

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I wanted to show you one last project for my daughter's nursery before I show you the room as a whole, which I'll be doing next week. Here's a little peek.
Mygirl 1
After the sonogram where I found out that I was having a girl, I found myself humming a little song by the Temptations quite often. Can guess which one it is? It became one of the main songs that I sang to my little bump as she grew, and I still sing it to her now. I knew I'd like a little piece of this to make it's way into her nursery, as it expresses how we all feel about her addition to our family and our lives. So this is what I came up with. Do you like it?! Want the details? Read on.
Mygirl 4
I started this project by rummaging through my small stash of wood, where I found a piece of old weathered barn wood that I thought would be perfect. I measured the width and length so that I could see roughly how large the letters needed to be and then turned to my Silhouette.
Screen shot 2011 07 03 at 1 12 27 PM
I browsed the wide selection of fonts available, tried a few of the lyrics in the different fonts until I found a few that I liked, and printed them in black and white on regular printer paper.
Ltc 2
I laid the words out on the wood, picked the fonts that I liked best, went back to the Silhouette and played around with the sizes a bit until everything fit just the way I wanted it to.
Ltc 3
I got some sturdy card stock and cut out each of the words using my Silhouette SD Cutter. I laid them out on the board just to make sure that I had everything exactly where I wanted it to be, and then took a picture that I could reference once I started my stenciling.
Ltc 4399x600
I pulled out my DecoArt paint in Daffodil Yellow and White, a few of the same colors that I used for the damask stencil on my nursery walls, in addition to Americana Paint in Grey Sky.
LTC 15
I used the cut out portion of the card stock as a stencil for this project. I laid it out one line at a time on the board, using my photo as a reference for spacing and centering.
LTC 11
I used this little sponge stencil brush, loaded it with paint, blotted off the excess, and lightly dabbed on the paint.
LTC 12
I wanted a light coverage, so I purposefully didn't work the paint into all of the cracks and crevices of the wood. I removed the stencil and gave the paint about 5 minutes to dry, which was all that it needed. I worked my way down the board, doing one line at a time and was finished in a flash.
LTC 13
There were a few places where the paint coverage was too thick for my liking, so I got a coarse sanding block and lightly sanded in small circles until I got the aged look that I was going for.
LTC 2
I then used my wire brush to scrape some lines into the paint and give it a further distressed appearance.
LTC 1
I sprayed the finished board with a light coat of polyurethane, added hanging wire to the back, and popped it up in the nursery.
Mygirl 3
I love love love it! It is impossible to rock Hannah in her room and not sing this song, and it brings a smile to my face every time I see it. It is one of those rare projects that turned out exactly the way I had pictured it in my head and I'm so happy with it!
Mygirl 2
I love the contrast of the coarse rugged wood and the crisp gray paint on the walls. It is a lovely addition to the nursery and I had the hardest time deciding where to hang it. I'm looking forward to showing it to you next week along with the rest of the nursery. Please stop back and let me know what you think!
I'll be linking to these amazing parties this week, and thanks to all of the wonderful hosts!
Have a great week!
E1025F317CFB5B8E9E5C526E5CC0F475 copy

45 comments:

Patrice August 22, 2011 at 6:15 AM  

Erin this is so gorgeous. That wood looks so, so great with those washed out letters on it! I am in love!

Tiffany August 22, 2011 at 7:37 AM  

Amazing. Turned out perfect. I love, love, love it!

Shug August 22, 2011 at 8:21 AM  

Hi Erin...

A great project that turned out beautiful...Can't wait to see the whole room...have a great day.
shug

Anonymous August 22, 2011 at 8:42 AM  

That turned out darling! I love the old wood look.

Sephora August 22, 2011 at 9:29 AM  

Erin,

Thank you so much for showing your perfect little project. I am new to the blog and so addicted to see what will be posted next. I love the detailed instructions that everyone provides. I have been wanting to make a lot of things but was wondering..How do they do that with as little cost as possible?...Thank God for little blessings and your whole team of creators!

Karen August 22, 2011 at 9:50 AM  

I love the weathered look! The barn wood is gorgeous. Great job:)

TBonesMom August 22, 2011 at 10:04 AM  

Super cute!! The song I've always sung for my daughter (who is 18 now) is Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely?"

These days I don't sing it often to her like I did when she was little, but it constantly plays in my head whenever I find myself in one of those moments where she makes my heart stand still. :)

Lisa August 22, 2011 at 10:49 AM  

This is adorable! I love the quote you chose and it's so cute on the wood!

Bellenza Wedding Bistro August 22, 2011 at 10:51 AM  

Love the line you chose...from "My Girl," right? And such a charming piece of art to keep you humming it!

Kathy August 22, 2011 at 11:53 AM  

That turned out really cute! Now I want a silhouette more than ever!

Ali Richardson August 22, 2011 at 12:23 PM  

This is so gorgeous!! I really love it!

Maggie Lamarre August 22, 2011 at 2:20 PM  

That turned out perfectly, I can use my Cricut to recreate this easily...
I will be honored if you will share it with our readers in our linking party at
http://www.passionatelyartistic.com/2011/08/11-million-visitors-with-new-london-eye.html
Thank you,
Maggie
http://passionatelyartistic.com

Ashley J @ MommyByDayCrafterByNight August 22, 2011 at 7:17 PM  

How cute is this!?!? I seriously love it! I would love it if you would link it up to my link party starting tonight! http://mommybydaycrafterbynight.blogspot.com/2011/08/ta-da-tuesday-link-party-1.html

xoxo, Ashley J @ mommybydaycrafterbynight.blogspot.com

Shirley August 22, 2011 at 8:54 PM  

This is really beautiful, I love the yellow color for "sunshine"!

Unknown August 22, 2011 at 9:07 PM  

This is just adorable! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous August 22, 2011 at 9:41 PM  

Neat! Definitely going to try it myself! Thanks for sharing.

Unknown August 22, 2011 at 9:50 PM  

That's gorgeous! Love the colors and that wood tone! Great job!

Amanda @ The Little Giggler August 22, 2011 at 11:25 PM  

I absolutely loves this!! SO CUTE!

Jennifer @ PigskinsandPigtails August 23, 2011 at 7:22 AM  

Thanks for the tips on how to make the worn/faded letters! This is so neat.

Jessa Smith August 23, 2011 at 10:45 AM  

This is so cute! I love the colors and everything about it!

~Jessa
www.jessajill.blogspot.com

Teri August 23, 2011 at 10:51 AM  

This is adorable. You are inspiring me to get busy! I linked to you from Made by You Monday. Thanks

Amy August 23, 2011 at 5:38 PM  

I saw this on sugar bee, I am so glad you shared. That sign turned out so well! I especially loved how you aged it. I am going to have to get one of those machines!

amyscraftbucket.blogspot.com

Anonymous August 23, 2011 at 7:02 PM  

Love this sign! I wanna do this in my own bedroom! Thanks for sharing!

http://www.denydesigns.com/

LrSchwtz August 23, 2011 at 8:18 PM  

This is such a cool decor element for the babe's room. I love the rustic feel of it and the sweet saying. I'd love for you to stop by www.laughloveandcraft.com and link up to my Share the Wealth Wednesday Link Party!

Whit August 24, 2011 at 8:43 AM  

ok this is so stinkin adorable I think I could die. I pinned it of course and that is what I do when I am just so in love with something. Thank you so much for sharing. I would LOVE if you would hop on over and link this up to my party.

http://tyandwhitneyulrich.blogspot.com/2011/08/show-and-share-linky-party-2-co-host.html

A mommy's life...with a touch of YELLOW
tyandwhitneyulrich.blogspot.com

Amy Meyer August 24, 2011 at 9:47 AM  

I love it! It is too cute! Thanks for sharing!
Amy
C.C. Bugs

The mum of all trades August 24, 2011 at 10:32 AM  

I love this! You make it look so easy.

Krista-Artista August 24, 2011 at 11:42 AM  

I love this! What a great idea for custom artwork! Very creative and fun. I found you via Southern Lovely.
Krista
http://www.krista-artista.blogspot.com

The Anderson Family August 24, 2011 at 9:45 PM  

LOVE!

ritajoy August 25, 2011 at 9:26 PM  

Beautiful job!

Melanie August 25, 2011 at 10:02 PM  

Thanks for linking this up at this week's party! Love it so much! I'll be featuring it tomorrow on my Fab 5!


Smiles,
Melanie

Reasons To Skip The Housework {The Blog}
Tinker B Boutique {The Shop}

{skipthehousework@hotmail.com}

Mrs. Brittany August 26, 2011 at 10:17 AM  

CUTE CUTE CUTE! We're due in January! I'm looking to make a fabric quote with mod podge soon! :) I can't wait to see the rest of your nursery!

Stacey August 26, 2011 at 10:49 AM  

Loooove it!! I use my silhouette to make signs a lot, but the opposite way, paint the letter color, lay out my vinyl (contact paper!) words, spray paint the background color, remove letters! Lately I've been envisioning staining some rougher pieces of wood or leaving them the color they are and stenciling instead! I'm always scared to mess up with stencils! Love your technique here and "pinning" for future reference!

The sign is completely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your tips! The wire brush- genius!

Kim@todayismysome-day August 26, 2011 at 10:49 PM  

I'm a follower, and this is one of my favorite projects so far. I LOVE the weathered wood. Great tip taking a pic before the stenciling. I always have to eyeball it. Just did a a little stencil project on a rug myself. Saw you over at TT&J.

Korrie@RedHenHome August 27, 2011 at 1:26 PM  

This is delightful! Love it.

Stacey August 28, 2011 at 7:39 AM  

That is so pretty! Nice job and the distressing is perfect.
Stacey of Embracing Change

Katherines Corner August 28, 2011 at 9:50 AM  

Wow, love it, what a great job of distressing too. Well done. Hugs!

Care Free Jen August 28, 2011 at 4:08 PM  

Wow Erin! That is so beautiful. I can't wait to see how your nursery turns out. I love how it has such sweet memories for you.

April and Allan August 28, 2011 at 9:25 PM  

Wow erin this looks fantastic! we came across a similar sign in a furniture shop here in Sydney just yesterday so to see your tutorial here today has given me the motivation to try it myself!!

thank you!!

Chef in Training August 29, 2011 at 8:21 PM  

OH. MY. GOSH. I LOVE this! This is so cute!

I would love it if you would share this and/or any other projects you have been up to at Tuesday Talent Show at Chef In Training Tomorrow! Plus there is going to be a fun giveaway too! Thanks so much and I hope to see you there!
-Nikki
http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/

Sweet Peas and Bumblebees August 30, 2011 at 9:07 PM  

I LOVE how your nursery art turned out! We'll be featuring your project tomorrow at our {{What I Made Wednesday}} highlights. Thanks for linking up and come grab a featured button!:)

Briana
http://sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com/

Kayla and Andrew September 5, 2011 at 2:14 AM  

Another amazing project. YOU ARE AWESOME!

Bonnie@TheFragileXFiles September 18, 2011 at 9:30 AM  

AWESOME! I found this on pinterest!

Lisa Grass Schultz November 5, 2011 at 10:46 AM  

LOVE those lyrics, too! Danced to the song with my dad at my wedding.

Loved it so much I made a nursery print for all of my girl friends that were having daughters...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81416025/my-girl-custom-baby-name-nursery-print

-Lisa
grassgreendesign.blogspot.com

35th&Park January 17, 2012 at 3:33 PM  

I would love this 'sunshine' sign. Do you sell these on etsy or would you consider making and selling one?

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