UncategorizedSummer Mantle Word Art June 12, 2012I’ve said this before, but word art just gets me. I know some of you know that I’m also a writer, so I guess a passion for the written word goes with the territory. In fact, as much as I love beautiful spaces, sometimes, the quotes and word art on Pinterest gets me even more excited! So, I love any opportunity to bring words into our home. This was the easiest project to make! The best part is anyone can do it and you could customize size, etc. to fit your needs. So, here’s what I did: 1.) Decide on a Quote – knowing what you want on it will really help you in deciding how the planks will be set up. I knew I wanted a summer quote, so I started by googling that. I found this quote pretty quickly. This part seems easy, but remember, this is something you are displaying in your home that you will see EVERY DAY! Make it something that inspires you or brings a smile to your face. 2.) Find Your Boards – salvage yards are the best if you’re hoping to find colored or weathered boards. Or, you could always get new boards anywhere and paint or stain them as you like. I wasn’t sure what color I was looking for, but as soon as I saw these blue ones, I knew it! 3.) Decide on Your Dimensions – here is where knowing your quote becomes helpful. You need to know how long it is and how you will arrange it to know how much you need. This was one board that we found and guess what, it was exactly 16 feet! I knew I wanted four boards to put a line of the quote on each, so it was perfect. We cut it to 4′ boards and took it home! 4.) Stencil or Free Hand – this is my favorite part! Once you have the quote, have the wood, and everything is cut to size, it’s time to get those words on there! I like free-handing and stenciling, but I knew I wanted a very block/stencil type letter (this reminded me of nautical/ships like most everything else for the mantle). I bought these stencils at Hobby Lobby. They retail for $2.99, but I used the 40% off coupon that they always have online, so this was a very reasonable purchase! They’re on this plastic sheet, so I can use them again and again, which I love. Hobby Lobby has many different sizes in these, but I chose 1″. I used a foam brush and stenciled each letter in order. It was a lot easier than I expected. I was afraid I would have to tape down a straight line as a guide and/or cut apart the letters and tape them down, but these boards have a groove down the center so I was able to follow that and keep them pretty straight. I didn’t get pictures while I was painting. That was difficult to do with one hand holding the stencil and the other painting. But this is a very easy part. Just make sure that you keep it going in a straight line. Also, go light with the paint. With the rustic feel of this, I was fine if it wasn’t solid paint, so I lightly applied it. This will keep paint from running under your stencil and spreading beyond the letters onto the wood. 5.) Place the Boards – decide how far apart you want your planks to be. I knew I wanted mine to be a few inches apart and not be touching. Lay them out how you want them to look on the wall. Then we cut two boards to serve as braces. This part is simple, but make sure to measure so that the boards are placed in the same spot on both ends. I wanted the braces a few inches in from the edge. That way, you could see the separate planks at the ends. Does that make sense? Once we were happy with the placement, we used a nail gun to secure them in place. And there you have it! See? So simple! I love it as the centerpiece for our summer mantle. The best part about this is the possibilities…my mind is reeling with all the different variations I could make on this. Do you think it would be too much to have wordart on every wall of our house? 🙂 Okay, I guess it would be, but I still love it!
Kristina says June 15, 2012 at 12:25 am WOW, that looks awesome. What a beautiful quote! And your whole mantle looks gorgeous. As always! But this is my favorite look so far. Reply
Kelly @ Talk of the House says June 18, 2012 at 9:29 am This is gorgeous! Love everything about it…the quote, the mantle and all the candles lit. Looks like a beautiful summer evening. Reply