Yet Another Silhouette Project

I saw a picture of this plaque at Moore Minutes.  Honestly, I did the hop, skip, and click to get to her blog...I had never been there before, but this plaque grabbed me.  Lisa had hung her Barn Owl Primitives plaque as a way to motivate her to face her own personal challenge.  I liked the plaque and I liked the idea.  So, I pinned it and, eventually, copied it.  It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  I certainly believe so and hope that Lisa will agree.

I can't think of anything more motivating than remembering that we can do "hard things". Crossfit teaches me that very thing day in and day out...I am reminded of it whenever I stall and look back to see how many things I can do now that I couldn't do even three months ago. Manning the home-front while Superman works overseas reminds me of that very thing every day. Plumbing problems, automobile problems, etc., don't get to wait for Superman to handle...I've got to step out of my comfort zone and deal.

As soon as I saw the plaque, I knew I needed one for myself.   Still, I challenged myself to make it for myself (rather than buying one), as I figured the sense of accomplishment I would derive from the project would imbue the plaque with even more significance.   (After being a follower of Gail at My Repurposed Life for quite some time, I was sure I could do it.  She's so good about explaining things she does, one step at a time.)  I was right and I am thrilled to show you what I've done.

Remember when I was painting the lollipops?  Well, I painted these two plaques, too.  Simply plywood rectangles with decoratively routered edges.  Easy peasy.

 After primer, I painted three coats of white paint on them. 

Then I added Silhouette-cut vinyl of quotes I wanted.  I painted over them once more with white to minimize seepage under the vinyl.  (It was much more successful under the vinyl I sourced from Expressions Vinyl than with the Silhouette-brand vinyl, I have to say.) 

After the white paint was dry, I painted two coats of black paint and let it get almost dry.  I decided to peel the vinyl off before the paint had fully dried, as I didn't want to bring paint up with the vinyl.  It was a good decision and I had very little grab from the vinyl.  (I did use an exacto knife to start each piece of vinyl...)

I still had some seepage, so I decided to embrace the distressed look.  Sanded them down with some fine-grit sandpaper and then added a coat of Johnson's paste wax.

This is how it looks in the room.  I love it!  And this one?

This one is a gift.  I'm really pleased with how they turned out.  (Sorry for the not-so-terrific photos...a photographer, I'll never be!)

So, have I mentioned how much I love my Silhouette machine?  I really, really love it and am finding more and more things to do with it.  This vinyl project was so much fun.  As for the vinyl itself, I'm still experimenting, but have had the best luck with the Oracal 631 I get from Expressions Vinyl.   Even better, I love the people at Expressions Vinyl.  My most recent order was for iron-on vinyl and they shipped it out the day they received the order because they knew their customers were trying to beat Christmas deadlines.  That, my friends, is customer service I am willing to brag about!

SUPERMAN TRACKER UPDATE:  Superman is scheduled to fly out of Seattle at 8:00 a.m. this morning after getting a good night's rest in a Seattle hotel last night, so hopefully we'll have him home in time for a late breakfast.  Keep your fingers crossed!