Hello everyone! So I've been on a slight hiatus but let's waste any time getting specific about what "slight" means in this case. Maybe I'll talk about that in a future post, but for now, the point is....I'm back and I'm crafting and it feels good!
Let's flashback to February, early February, when I receive a text that goes something like this:
Angela: Hey! Do you think we have time to do something like this??? (attached are pictures of wedding aisle runners)
Me: Like for your wedding??? (scheduled for Saturday, February 22)
Angela: lol yes
Me: Let me do some research and get back to you
Once my panic subsided, I kicked it into gear. My fears of not having enough time, my fears of not being able to "pull it off", my fears of not being Martha Stewart-ey enough...they took a back seat to my friend and her wedding. I researched the bejeezus out aisle runners, made a timeline and texted my friend that I would give it a shot. Yes, I made a timeline. I have OCD. Don't judge me.
The first thing that I did was design a few logos and asked Ang to pick one. She did....like super fast and the first step was done! I appreciated that she picked a simple one because I knew this was going to be hand painted and the less detail, the more likely it would be done in time for the wedding! Don't worry, I eliminated the "shutterstock" watermark. It just didn't compliment the wedding like it should :)
With the logo decided, it was time to get started. There were a couple of challenges, like trying to figure out how to print the logo in in the size I needed, approximately 32 inches wide. I had to do it 1990's style and print it in sheets, cut the sheets and tape it together...like one of those "Welcome Home" banners we printed on our dot matrix printers while watching Beverly Hills 90210.
I placed the large, taped printout on the floor, laid the runner over it and traced the design with a pencil...just a regular #2 pencil. The runner itself was super transparent so it was easy to see the printed words. I didn't take a picture of this step, but you can see below how easily it is to see through the runner.
With the traced design finished, I grabbed some black acrylic paint and a paintbrush and started hand painting the names. This was probably the most challenging because painting straight lines on fabric isn't always easy. I knew it wasn't going to look perfect, and it took several coats to look dark enough for my taste, but I think it turned out ok. As long as no one looked too closely :)
The next step was painting the heart. We decided to go with a champagney, gold glitter because we wanted it to stand out. Painting with the glitter was interesting because it didn't always paint on evenly. I had to make sure that the glitter was even and not blotchy. Note: you can see the pencil outline in the picture below.
And then it was done...just like that! I took a close-up so that you can see the glitter. I love it! It was a challenge but it was fun...and it was great to get back and gear and start creating again.
It was even more beautiful at the wedding...
And more beautiful than the runner, was my friend Angela and her new husband, Josh...
The man who finds a wife, finds a treasure and he receives favor from the Lord
Proverbs 18:22
