>When I started looking for decor for the new baby nursery, I did what anyone would do – headed to Pinterest for inspiration! There are so many adorable ideas out there, but one of my favorites was a wooden plaque with a simple quote and image. I thought about just purchasing it, but then decided I wanted to make a special one for my new little boy 🙂
>And I knew exactly what to write … that never happens for me.
>There is a small book that my mom used to read to me and my siblings when we were little – >Wonderful You >by Kate Gleeson. When I graduated college, she gifted me the original copy – the very book she read to us – falling apart, bite marks all around the edges, and clearly very well-loved.
>So I used my favorite quote. The same line my mom repeated to us every day. The same quote I want my little boy to know by heart:
>>“One day Big Bear said to Small Bear, there’s something you should know: I made a wish and you came true and now I love you so.”>It’s simple and beautiful and honest. Perfect for the nursery.
>If you have a special quote or are looking to DIY some nursery decor, this project is easily customizable. If you’d like to use the same quote and image, download the free printable here.
>Without further ado, here’s the step-by-step.
Materials:
- Scrap Wood
- Wood Glue
- Stain
- White Acrylic Paint
- Paintbrushes
- Krylon Acrylic Spray
Step 1.
>To start, I cut a scrap piece of 1×4 into two 8″ (approx) pieces and collected two scrap wood shims.
>Next, I lined up my two scrap boards and attached them at the back using wood glue and the wood shims.
>Just glue the wood shim to one of your boards, position the second board, and glue the shim to the second board to hold the two boards together.
PS – ignore the stain on the back of these boards. They were test pieces from a different project 😉
Step 2.
>Once the wood glue dried, I sanded and stained the boards with Varathane Dark Walnut.
>I like smoother boards most of the time. However when I sanded these boards, I did it by hand and the sandpaper left some scratches on the wood. I loved the scratchy look, so there ya go!
>Accident turned blessing-in-disguise!
Step 3.
>Once the stain has had plenty of time to dry, it’s on to the image transfer.
>Honestly, this did not go exactly according to plan. But things worked out in the end, so everything’s ok!
>Let me explain:
>I tried to do a chalk transfer since that usually works fairly well on dark backgrounds. However, I didn’t have any normal chalk. All I had was sidewalk chalk … let’s just say, I ran out of time running errands and the hardware store didn’t carry normal chalk … So there I was, with my large sticks of sidewalk chalk covering the back of my image so carefully and then tracing it onto the boards.
>But when I removed the printed image from the boards … no chalk 🙁
>I think the sidewalk chalk stuck to the back of my paper a little better than normal chalk, so it didn’t transfer to the wood.
>Nonetheless, I was afraid that might happen, so I made sure to really press hard into the wood when I traced the image. It was worth the time and pain.
>When I removed the printed image there was no chalk, but there was an imprint! Yay 🙂
>If you’re trying to repeat this process: either use normal plain white chalk or just go for the imprint!
>Chalk Method: Create your image, resize it to fit the boards (mine is about 8 x 10), and print out on plain printer paper. Cover the back of the paper with chalk. Make sure to get a good cover of chalk wherever your image is! Position and tape the image onto the finished boards. Trace your image. When you remove the printed image, there should be a chalk outline. Fill in with paint! A paint pen would work wonderfully here, or you could just paint it with acrylic paint.
There’s a great tutorial for this method over at Salvaged Inspirations.
>Imprint Method: Create your image, resize it to fit the boards (mine is about 8 x 10), and print out on plain printer paper. Position and tape the image onto the finished boards.
>Trace your image, pressing firmly to ensure you dent the wood.
>Remove the printed image and fill in with paint!
Step 4.
>Let it dry and then coat the board with a sealant. I used Krylon Acrylic Spray to make sure the image doesn’t smear.
>And that’s that!
>I love how it looks in the new baby room 🙂
>As always, please leave any questions or comments you may have!
>
And, for the first time ever, I’ve uploaded this post to link parties over at Between Naps on the Porch, Dwellings, Thrifty&Chic, Remodelaholic, and Our Crafty Mom.
Follow the links to see all the other great bloggers at the parties!
