family rules

I loved this post from the Pleated Poppy and can't wait to make one for my family.

September 23, 2009

you all remember this one, right? or maybe you’re new here and visiting from just a girl or jeannett’s blog. if so, welcome! i get sooo many emails asking for more details on how my best friend nicole did this, so i thought i’d just post it again with a few more helpful hints and some more detailed pictures. i have had a canvas all ready to do this project, i even have the wall for it picked out, but i haven’t taken the plunge yet. maybe this’ll help me finally get to it!

Here is how she did it (in her words, with lots of my own added in that are italicized)…

1. get a huge canvas. nicole’s was 30″ x 40″. mine is a little smaller, but not much. get it on sale please. Paint the canvas (you see the paint on the border and on the sides). its best if the canvas is wrapped all around the edges rather than the exposed wood. just paint it sloppily – no need to be perfect, just make sure all the edges are covered.

2. Spend a whole lot of time at the paper store picking out paper you cannot resist. nicole felt some of her papers, although she loves them, were maybe a bit to dark or had too much contrast in them for the final writing to come out really clear. so remember: less contrast, not too dark. got it?

3. Write your rules. Be careful of what you put. My kids often refer to the canvas. My favorite is…”Daddy, hug mommy”. A rule is a rule, ya know? I should have put HUSBAND- MASSAGE YOUR WIFE’S BACK DAILY. check out the links above to the blogs. they also have a few suggestions for rules. i think i will steal most of mine, but add in things like, “tummy to the table”.

4. Now, cut that beautiful paper into strips. I varied the widths, used “torn” scissors, scalloped scissors, and so on. Use glue, mod podge, or spray adhesive to lay it out on the canvas. i would definitely recommend mod podge the most on this.

5. I then went on to the computer and typed all the rules in different fonts. I am a font junky thanks to lindsey’s sister, Jennifer, showing us how to download free fonts. Do it…get hooked! It is easy and wonderful! just google “free fonts” and you’ll get more than you’ll ever need.

6. I printed them and “eyed” or copied them onto my papers with black and white paint pens.
and here’s where all the questions come in: “the canvas is obviously wider than standard 12 x 12 paper. how did she fit this in the printer/get the words on?” she cut her paper in half – it’s not actually one long strip. you can kind of see it in the pic below where it says “forgiveness is mandatory”. maybe she taped them together in the middle? i’ve done that a bunch, and if you are really careful it will work and you can still carefully take the tape off when you’re done. just make sure to change the settings on your computer for your page layout before you print to allow for a larger paper size. when she says she “eyed” them, she did just that. she’d print out the rule in a font she wanted on plain paper, then look at it and copy it with a paint pen directly onto her fancy paper. most of us can’t do that. she’s just good. but i would still print it on one long strip of paper and go over it again with a paint pen just to thicken up the font’s lines. just a thought – i think that’s what she did.

***edited to add!!!: do a layer of mod podge on your canvas, add paper, smooth out, then let dry. then add another layer of mod podge on top to seal. let dry, then add another. it will still probably be a little bubbly.****

7. Cover that baby in mod podge and make your man hang it! do a couple few layers of mod podge. did you know there are different sheens of mod podge? i think nicole prefers matte, but there are also ones with more gloss to them.