Today, one of my favorite recent projects: a family rules subway-style wall plaque, custom made for my sister. And, I'm sharing the Silhouette Studio cutting file, too!
My sister sent me a photo of a similar piece of art and asked if I could make her one like it. She didn't care which words or colors I used, just so long as it was a specific size to balance out the art she had hanging on the opposite wall.
Family are great clients to work for :)
I used the same reverse stencil process that I had used on previous canvas projects (which I haven't shared yet, shame!), with just a couple modifications for this since it is on MDF particleboard (cut to size at the store) instead of a canvas.
1. Paint the canvas or board the color of the LETTERS. I had to do a couple coats of paint since the MDF was thirsty and soaked up a lot of the paint.
2. Stick on the cut vinyl (or contact paper) letters, smoothing down all of the edges and burnishing really well with a credit card, popsicle stick, or other tool.
3. Seal (optional) the edges of the vinyl letters with a coat of clear matte ModPodge or other sealant. I only do this if there are very thin portions, such as the serifs of the letters and the thin divider lines. It works like a dream to keep the edges crisp!
4. Paint over the letters in the BACKGROUND color. Mine took 3 coats, but I could have probably done it in two if I was patient and let each coat fully dry.
5. Peel off the vinyl letters carefully to reveal your beautiful subway art!
I got creative and used a flat egg carton to prop my board up so that I could paint the front and the edges at the same time:
We hung it with 3M picture hanging strips so that it would be both flat against the wall and secure, since it hangs by the ping-pong table:
Ready to make your own family rules subway art? I'd love to see!
Hop over here to download the Silhouette Studio file (.studio format)
File is for personal, non-commercial use only. Please subscribe to get more free printables and files!
A few notes about the file:
The fonts of each section are listed in the file, and each piece of text is converted to path so you won't need each font. However, if you'd like to make an alteration, here are all of the fonts I used, linked to where you can download them. I have personally downloaded each font from each of the sites I link to, but, as always, you download at your own risk.
- be yourself/be thankful: Litos Script
- work hard: Surface
- say please/do your best: Janda Stylish Script (thickened/offset)
- relax/each other: Long Island
- tell the truth/count your blessings: FoglihtenFr01 (line drawn manually)
- clean up: Fang Song (thickened/offset) - no link because it's a Microsoft standard font
- love: Stars From Our Eyes
- encourage/appreciate: Aovel Sans (thickened/offset)
- apologize/forgive: Universitas Studii Salamantini
- laugh/listen/learn/smile: King
- pray: Janda Siesta Sunrise
Let me know if you have any questions, and thanks for reading!
