Adding Dimension to Hand Lettered Art

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     I have a very dear friend named Kelly.  We have been close friends since we were first married and our husbands served in the military together.  We went through our first pregnancies together and we have lived overseas at the same time.  Now she lives across the country from me and we see each other infrequently, but she will always be one of my most valued friends.
     I think it was while we were pregnant, each with our first child, and we each had boys, that we were having a conversation about what kind of mothers we wanted to be and what kind of home we wanted to have for our children.  We talked about wanting our children to want to be at home.  For our homes to be a place of comfort and refuge for them.  We wanted our children to want to bring their friends home where everyone would feel loved, wanted and safe.  It wasn't too long after that conversation that Kelly sent me a gift.  It was this plaque with a quote from Mary Dawson Hughes.

It has hung in my kitchen over my sink for many years now. You can see it is getting a little worse for wear. But I have read it almost every day of my life since receiving it. It reminds me of how I want my home to be. And, it reminds me of my dear friend, who is the best example of what a friend should be and of what loving motherhood looks like.

     If you can't read the words, here is what they say:

"How often thoughts and hearts return to a home that's filled with love!"
                                                            --Mary Dawson Hughes

    I decided that I would love to have this written up larger for everyone to read besides myself! I am still practicing my hand lettering, so don't judge!  But, if you have beautiful writing, you can try it for yourself.  I am not giving you a printable, but I will tell you how I did it.

• First, I used a canvas panel, I used an 11 x 14, but you can used whatever size you want.  I thought this was a really good deal on an assortment on Amazon! 

• Use a pencil to lightly write your lettering on the panel.  Also mark where the thick parts should be.  (Remember, down strokes are the thick parts!)
• Fill the lettering in with a Sharpie.  You could also use paint, but I find the Sharpie easier to control.

     I found this really great set of Sharpies in many colors on Amazon that makes me drool!  This is a great price and it would be a great gift for any of your artsy/crafty friends or family! 

     As I was working out in my head how I would do this project, I thought that I would like to add some dimension to it.  Replacing the word "hearts" with actual hearts was a no brainer! I just painted some little wooden hearts that I had and fit them into the sentence.  I placed them at angles to add interest.

     My first thought for the word home was to purchase a wooden house shape and paint it much like the one on the original plaque (only simpler).  But then, I found the little metal house on clearance at Michael's! I decided it was perfect!  It has those cut-outs in it, so I just backed it with a colored paper to make it more legible.  Then, I used a glue gun to attach it, giving it some height from the canvas. 

I thought it was kind of cool to have it say "Home Sweet Home" instead of just "Home".

     So, you could do a wooden house or another metal house, or just paint a house right on the canvas, but I like the added dimension.  
      Of course, this technique will work with any saying you love.  Just thing about if there is some sort of tangible symbol that you could use to replace some of the words.  I think it makes the piece more interesting to look at.

     Even though I am still a little embarrassed by my uneven lettering, I still love the sentiment and hope you do, too! 

Oops! Almost forgot to give credit where credit is due!

I put her name on the bottom!

     Thanks Kelly for this reminder to fill my home with love over the years!  I feel like we are seeing the fruits of those labors.  
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    PS- You can see that I love to add dimension to things!  Here are a couple of other posts you might like! 

A Frame Filled With Love Wedding sign-in.

Hand Lettered Movie Quote

Interactive Thanksgiving Count Your Blessings Frame

Framed Vintage Christmas Art