Stencil Boards

Today is Thursday. I know, I know. You are wondering where Take Me Thursday is. Well, today I am doing something different. Not because I procrastinated, but because I am SOO excited!

Let me start with a little story:



Several weeks ago I started thinking about my wedding and the details. The reception is at my parents house which is in the rear of a neighborhood. I started asking myself, how can I make sure my guests know how to get to the reception without having friends wave them down at every turn? Then, had an idea. I'll make signs. Nice signs that would replicate the wedding theme and colors. I started looking online at vinyl stencils and WOAH they are Expensive. I nearly fell out of my chair at the cost of having these done. I nearly gave up and just figured I would put out balloons. Enter Sarah.

I remembered a tutorial that Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick did on homemade stencils. You can check her out here http://www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-i-stencil.html

Hmm.. I thought to myself. I wonder...

So I emailed Sarah and asked her opinion on the project. At first I was thinking plywood or MDF that I would paint white and then stencil over. It would be sturdy, pretty, clearly seen from cars and just PERFECT for what I had envisioned. Sarah recommended plywood and a custom stencil to save time, but I only needed 2 signs so I could afford the time to cut out the stencils myself.

After some time spent in Michaels looking for supplies, I can across this:

Canvas.

OMG. Why didnt I think of this sooner!?!!

• Sturdy? Check


• Large? Check


• Easy to paint on? Check

PERFECT! And a pack of 2 was only Ten Bucks!

After gathering the colors I needed for the project (blue and black. I already had some white at home). I found the adorable little stencil for 3 bucks. And all that was left was creating the lettering on the computer and printing them out. I Literally went skipping out the store.

So here goes.

This is what you need:



I started with taping down the stencil on the canvas. I knew my wording would be OVER the damask stencil, so I started there.

Using a stippling brush, I used very little paint and just dabbed it on.

Our cat, Pickles, was very curious.
I just kept moving around the board until I got the effect I was looking for.

And Voila! Parking signs for our wedding that cost me a total of $15. I dont think I did too bad.

I love your comments, so please let me know what you think!