Give Thanks Craft: Designer Tutorial

Hi Friends, my name is Kerrie and I am a designer at WOOD Creations. Today I’m going to show you how to do our new Give Thanks word set that we sell here in the store for $19.99. 

We sell our crafts all packaged up with all the needed wood pieces and vinyl. When I am finishing my projects, I like to lay it all out and brush off my pieces with a rag so I don’t get sawdust everywhere. Then I sand the edges with a piece of sandpaper to make sure they are nice and smooth.

Before I paint my wood, I make sure to trace out all my letters or any blocks that need paper on them. That way you aren't making pencil marks on the wood after it’s painted. When I trace my letters,  I put the side of the paper that I’m going to  use on my craft face down. I then lay my letter on the paper, also front facing down. This way when you cut out your paper, the pencil marks are on the back of the paper and will not show on the front of your letter.

I then base coat all my wood with the colors or stain used to finish the craft. On my Give Thanks, I stained all the letters and the pumpkin using Early American stain. It’s best if you use plastic gloves while staining so it doesn't get all over  your hands. I tried to only get the stain on the sides and back of my craft, but stain runs pretty easy. So it’s likely you will get stain on the front of the craft. If you do, it’s ok. If I get stain on the front of my craft that I’m putting paper on, I use a light coat of paint of any color and paint over top of it. That way, the stain won’t seep through the paper. On the two letters I painted instead of using paper, I just painted them the two colors they were originally going to be.

After I am done staining, I paint my smaller pieces and also my two letters that were painted on front instead of paper. While my paint and stain are drying, I cut out the letters that were traced on my paper. This way I’m not just sitting watching my paint dry!

It’s now time to apply the paper onto the wood. I like to use Mod Podge to glue on my paper. I use my brush to paint the Mod Podge all over the front of the letter. You will want to make sure that the whole piece of wood is covered with Mod Podge so there are no dry spots. Once I have put the paper on the letter, I take a little scraper and scrape all around the letter over top of the paper. This is to make sure that you get any clumps out so there are no bubbles in your paper.

There are usually 3 reasons that your paper will bubble. Here are a few tips to keep that from happening:

1. Make sure that there are no dry spots on your wood. I lather my piece of wood with Mod Podge to make sure I have plenty on there. Then I take my brush and smooth it out to make sure there aren't any clumps.

2. If there are clumps of Mod Podge that don’t get smoothed out, this will also make your paper bubble. After I  have used my scraper to smooth out and make sure my paper is applied all over on my wood, I take my finger and make sure to feel that there are no more clumps.

3. Before you put a top coat of Mod Podge over top of your paper, make sure your bottom coat is completely dry. Let it sit and dry for about 15 to 20 minutes before you apply the top coat. If the Mod Podge is still wet under your paper, this will cause your paper to bubble.

After my paper is applied, if there are any spots that are hanging over the side of the wood, I take a piece of sand paper and lightly sand it off.

Once I've applied the paper,  I now take my dark brown chalk and chalk the edges of my letters. (Chalk is a little stamp pad that gives it a little shadow. The chalk comes in several different kinds of colors and we sell it in the store).  You just rub the chalk around the letters to give it a little distinction and a finished look. You can see the difference on the two N’s of how this makes a difference.

Next I applied my vinyl to my pumpkin. I peel off the back of the vinyl and lay it on my pumpkin where I want it. I then take my scraper and lightly scrape across the tape (This helps it stick to the project when I peel the tape away). Once I have ran my scraper across the top, I peel that tape away and my vinyl sticks to my little pumpkin.

The next step, to give my craft a finished look, is to apply Mod Podge over top of all my letters and the pumpkin. This is not a must, but it helps seal the paper to the wood and also adds an extra coat to help protect the projects. It also makes it easier when dusting them as well. Which I personally love.

Once the top coat has dried, I use white wood glue and glue my leaf and my turkey face on. Once that is dry, you can add your ribbon and your project is done.

How satisfying it is to have completed your very own home decoration. Really, it wasn't too hard, was it?

Thank you so much for stopping by our blog. You can purchase all of the supplies I used, along with your wood, at WOOD Creations. We have a large stock of paper, paint, ribbon, glitter and lots of embellishments that will go great on any wood project you choose.

Hope to see you soon!