Singaporebrides | Essentials
November 2011
DIY of The Month – It Is A Sign!
Think you’re a hands-on kind of bride and want to make something really special for your wedding? It doesn’t have to be something elaborate; think small, simple yet significant. It could be a personalised Save-The-Date card, or a memorable wedding favour. You don’t even have to be very good at arts and crafts to make these wonderful mementos. SingaporeBrides shows you how to Do-It-Yourself.
You’ve found the perfect location to your outdoor wedding but there’s one problem: it’s just a little bit out of sight. You want your guests to leave with the memory of how beautiful your wedding was and not how difficult it was for them to find the secluded spot. We solve your problems with a tutorial on how to DIY a signboard.
Creating one is not as difficult as you think it is, with all the pretty do-it-yourself shops available, even if you’re on a budget! With a little creativity, patience and can-do attitude, plus a little guidance from us, you’re well on your way to having a one-and-only signboard. So what are you waiting for, let’s gets hands-on!
Here’s what you need:
- A piece of patterned/coloured paper
- A signboard
- Wire-ring hearts
- Wooden block letters
- Gold-rimmed transparent thin ribbons
- Pink, squared rhinestones
- Big and small rosettes in varying colours
- Small gold bell
- 2 mounting hooks
- Scissors
- PVA glue and super glue
- 3M mounting tape
Time taken: One whole day
Average cost: $40.50
1. Begin by gluing hooks on the back of the signboard using super glue for a more secured hold. Hold until it sticks firmly onto the signboard.
2. Flip the board over and place the patterned paper over the pop-up surface of the signboard and gently bend the paper over the edges. Press down hard until an outline of the surface shows on the patterned paper. Remove it and fold along those lines until you have a distinct outline. Repeat for the sides of the signboard.
3. Carefully cut along the lines with a pair of scissors. Don’t worry about uneven edges; you’ll be covering them up in subsequent steps.
4. Apply PVA glue on the surface of the signboard before laying the paper above it. Here’s a tip: to prevent clumping, you should cover half the surface with glue first and carefully smooth the paper over it before proceeding with the remaining half.
5. While the glue dries off, measure the ribbon along the length of the plaque and cut it out. It should be long enough for the ends to slightly fold over the edge of the signboard.
Cut out more strips of ribbon to cover all four sides of the signboard. Each ridge should have 3 layers of ribbon to fully cover it, so make sure you have sufficient ribbons.
6. Use PVA glue to attach the ribbons one layer at a time to the border of the signboard. Be sure to even out the glue using the mouth of the bottle and to hold the ribbons down until it sticks. The ribbons should partially overlap the previous layer. Repeat until all the edges have been covered with ribbons.
The trick is to work on small portions at a time and to have someone help you out by holding glued portions of the ribbon down while you work on the remaining ones.
7. While waiting for the sides to dry off, pick out your and your partner’s name from the selection of wooden letters. With faux rhinestones and white pearls, bedazzle them by using glue and an art-and-craft pincer to place the beads onto the letters.
Repeat until all letters have been bejeweled. My suggestion is to get someone (preferably your partner) to help you out with this, as it is quite time consuming.
8. Set the letters aside to dry and return your attention to your signboard. Glue the wired-ring heart in the center of the pop-up surface by applying a thin line of PVA glue along the underside of the heart. Press and hold until it sticks.
Here’s a tip: Before you stick the heart down, ensure that you have enough space on the signboard for the wooden letters.
9. Once the heart is attached, glue the bell below it by applying super glue on the hilt of the bell. Press down firmly and hold until the glue dries.
10. Cut out small strips of 3M’s mounting tape and stick it to the underside of the bejeweled letters for a pop-up effect. For a more prominent pop-up effect, use 2 layers of tape.
11. Remove the protective paper on the tape and stick the letters firmly on either sides of the heart.
12. Position the rosettes on the two opposing ends of the signboard and glue them down using PVA glue. End off by tying a strip of ribbon to the two ends of the hook.
Don’t let the number of steps scare you; it’s actually quite simple. Play around with the size and design of the signboard according to your liking. A signboard with a bigger surface can accommodate longer names and more designs, even the date of your wedding. Remember, the sky is the limit!
You can even recycle the signboard by hanging it on the door of your new home after the wedding is over.
Perfect for Outdoor garden weddings, Vintage weddings, Pink, gold, champagne colour-themed weddings
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