A "hybrid" name plaque I made as a baby shower gift
to coordinate with theme of the baby's nursery !
I am excited to give it to the mom-to-be this weekend :)
The photograph above shows the dimension.
The project was originally an all digital piece
(shown below)
that I was going to print out to frame,
but my old printer doesn't do a very good job.
I think it turned out better making it dimensional anyway :)
I did not take step by step photos, sorry.
I will try to explain how I made it
HOW TO:
The letters cut from decorative paper were
adhered to white "chipboard" that I cut to fit.
Although I have an old Cricut Create cutter,
I do not have a cartridge that would work
for my project. I was using an old 4" x 10" frame
in my craft supply stash, bought at Target years ago.
I used my standby, time consuming process to create "die cut" letters:
a computer font sized to my project than hand cut out with scissors and an Xacto knife.
I reverse the text image before printing
because I like to print on the back of my papers, that way if a little bit of
ink is left behind from my trimming, it isn't showing on the front.
I add a black drop shadow, centered, around each bold letter
and make the font itself white. This uses less ink and
creates an outline to cut around with scissors to
make letters sized for a particular project.
I used the Impact font at 550 in the My Memories Suite 7 program.
Sometimes I will sponge ink on the edges of the letters
or add texture with embossing folders, stamped images, etc.
After cutting out the letters, I carefully trace around them
onto lightweight chipboard then cut them out.
I like to line up the papers with the chipboard, making sure there are
no little bits that need trimmed before I glue them together.
I brush on a light coat of a clear drying glue to the chipboard
letters, line up the paper letters on top, give them a good press
then lay something with weight over the top while they dry.
I like to layer lightweight decorative papers over card stock
to make them more sturdy, especially if I am adhering them over
a textured background. It keeps them smooth.
It also gives them a bit more depth than just the paper layer alone.
The animals were created with elements from the new
I resized them, decided to add digital drop shadows,
printed then hand trimmed with small scissors.
They are attached with pop dots / dimensionals.
The textured Espresso Coredinations card stock was run through
a Fiskars texture wood grain plate then lightly sanded.
I also took the time to "fly speck" it with black paint,
but it doesn't really show.
I would have preferred the wood grain design to run vertical
to the elements, but due to the length of the background paper
and the way the design is on the texture plate,
it had to be run horizontally.
I also needed to go back in with a stylus to try to fix
the unavoidable lines it made in the center of the embossed panel.
This photo was taken to try to show the "spacers" I made
for the frame to keep the artwork away from the glass.
This creates more depth for the dimensional elements.
I used strips of chipboard with corrugated cardboard glued on top.
They were trimmed to fit then stuck in place with heavy duty double stick adhesive.
Yes, this was a tricky procedure, but it sure makes a difference.
Thanks for looking !
I'm entering my project in the following challenges:
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes
PDE Linky Party - Anything Goes
2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes
EDITED TO ADD:
My project was featured in their online
community gallery
