Why do short work weeks always seem longer? That’s how it feels anyway! Well, at least it’s Friday finally! If you follow me on social media, you may have seen this little family sign I made:
I remember asking my Mom one day how to spell family. She said she always remembered the i-l-y by saying “I love you”. As she put it, there is always an “I love you” in family. My love for words started early, so I can only imagine this took place during one of my spelling homework sessions. I retained the lesson, not the circumstance! Anyway, this was the inspiration for my little sign that I turned into a fridge magnet. Now my family can always be reminded that I love them!
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Supplies
I had all these supplies on hand, being that I’m a craft hoarder collector.
- paint – I used acrylic paints in the color(brand) below. I’ve had these for awhile, so I was only able to find the FolkArt colors. There should be something similar at a craft store near you!
- Cloudless (Apple Barrel)
- Caribbean (Apple Barrel)
- Deep Ocean Blue (FolkArt)
- Metallic Inca Gold (FolkArt)
- gold paint pen – I used this oil based pen by Sharpie.
- stippling brushes – If you don’t have these, you can use a kitchen sponge – preferably a clean one!
- old fridge magnet – Don’t have one? Try these!
- e6000 glue – this was probably overkill, but I want it to stay put! You could use super glue as well.
- scrapbook paper – This was from a bag of different size cuts of paper and it’s about 6″ x 6″. You can use an old gift box as well, it just needs to be able to handle the paint.
- heart template – You know the cardboard on the back of tracing paper pads? That’s what I cut this template out of! It’s been used before, as you can see.
- cardboard or paper plate for holding paint
Let’s Paint!
Using a stippling brush is easy, if you know the technique. Starting with the darkest color, dip the brush into the paint then wipe most of it off. Hold down the template with one hand and dab the paint loaded brush around the edges. It’s kind of therapeutic!
There is no need to wait for it to dry or clean the brush between the blues. This will help it blend better. Next color please!
Now, add the last blue! This picture is a little fuzzy…
I did use a different brush for the gold. I didn’t want it to get muddled by the blues. Gild those edges!
Let’s see what it looks like without the template.
I used the paint pen to get a more defined edge around the heart.
These words were trouble! I made about five of these before I was pleased with the layout!
I added a second piece of scrapbook paper to make it a little stiffer. That was attached with stick glue. Using some e6000 glue, I attached an old fridge magnet to the back.
This is now on my fridge, which my family visits every day. Now they can always see how much I love them! This would make a great card as well! I really like the colors and I’m already thinking of another project using this technique. Stay tuned!
Have a great weekend and I’ll see y’all on Monday with some Autumn inspiration!
