Wooden Framed Canvas – The Word of Wisdom

Ooh I am excited to share this tutorial with you! This Word of Wisdom sign was so much fun to create!

First, a couple of things you will need:
Access to a Silhouette Cameo (or Portrait)
Spray Adhesive
Acrylic Paint
Foam Board
Solid-colored fabric
Paint brush
Cardstock or Vinyl
Wood (for the frame)
Hot Glue

I really wanted my sign to have a canvas background, but I wanted a custom size. I also wanted it to be light weight and framed in wood. I decided to use foam core poster board  and white canvas fabric I found at Hobby Lobby.

I used a box cutter to cut the poster board to the size I needed. Now here is my secret sauce for so many of my projects: Spray Adhesive! Seriously, this stuff is amazing and works for EVERYTHING! I have used it for everything from card-making to upholstering furniture. Secret sauce folks!

So now that you have your foam cut to size, spray your new BFF – spray adhesive – on the foam. Next lay your fabric on top of the foam and pull it around the edges tightly. I used a few sprays on the back side to hold the fabric folds down on the back.

A brief Silhouette Tutorial:

Now here is where your Silhouette Cameo comes in. I picked my favorite typewriter font (tons to search from on Dafont.com) and made my stencil. You will want to make your “paper size” the size that you want your sign to be and set your wording to fit (i.e. 30″X20″). To change your paper size, you’ll need to click on the icon (outlined in red below with the #1 next to it) and adjust the size.

You may have to play with the text size a bit to make it fit your sign. I did this primarily by setting my text to ‘Justify’ and adjusting the character spacing (outlined with a #2 next to it – ABOVE). You may even want to make each line of your text a separate text box to get it just how you want it.

When you actually cut the stencil, you will break your digital sign down in increments to fit your Cameo mat (mine was 12X12, but I recommend 12X24). You can see in the Silhouette software picture (ABOVE) the outline of my 12X12 mat. I had to “cut” and “paste” the text as I moved it around for each 12X12″ stencil.

I used card stock as my stencil since it is a fraction of the cost of Vinyl and easier to handle. After your stencil is cut, spray the back of your stencil (if you used card stock) and lay it on your canvas. You will have to get the the little “insides” of the letters and spray them as well. I often use tweezers to hold the paper while I spray the little pieces (otherwise the tiny papers go flying everywhere).

Now you will want to start painting (I recommend doing a little test run on a scrap piece of fabric before you start on your actual canvas. Just make sure you get the hang of it first)! I used a very small paintbrush and paint sponge. You will want to go light on the paint. If you put too much paint on the wording it will bleed underneath. So do a couple light coats of paint and you should be golden!

After I finished stenciling, I made cookies for my awesome neighbors and begged them to help me make a couple 90 degree cuts in my wood for my frame. One day we will take the plunge and buy a miter saw :).

My wood is about 3/4’s inch thicker than my foam board. This little wooden lip is what I use to hang my signs on.

Here is another secret about these signs… I hot glued the frames together! I originally tried wood glue but quickly lost patience. Each frame is less than 3 pounds, so the hot glue has worked just fine and you can’t tell that I cheated! I made these over a year ago and haven’t had a problem with the frames.

I put a little brace in some of the corners of the frames to help hold my canvas and frame in place.

 

I made my sign in two parts because I originally wanted them to hang on the bulk head above my kitchen table, but they were too large for the space so I relocated them (a couple of times) until I finally put them above my kitchen cabinets. I LOVE them up there. They were a clean, un-cluttered solution for that awkward space.