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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Picture Letter Art

*Editorial Note* Yay!  It's back.  This post disappeared when Blogger went down last week, but popped up this morning in draft.  I had been planning on rewriting it today.

Picture Letter Art is all the rage right now.  It's finding the beauty of Alphabet form in everyday objects.  You can buy stock image Picture Letter Art at places like HomeGoods with words like "Faith" or "Hope."  You can also order personalized pieces from places like Simply Personalized.
Personalized Wine Letter Art via Simply Personalized.


I wanted something truly personal for my Picture Ledge Gallery Wall, so I dug through my picture files looking for letters to jump out at me.  I found an A in one of the supports holding up the boat canopy.  I cropped the photo to just larger than the "A."


I then enhanced the picture using a duotone filter.  This is slightly warmer than a black & white, but not quite a sepia tone.


I set out to create the word "Family."  You have no idea how hard it was to find an M.  I'm sure if I went out to take new pictures, it wouldn't be that hard, but I was grabbing my images from my picture files, and it took quite a while.  When each of my letters had been cropped and filtered, I adjusted their sizes to a height of 215 pixels, and copied them into a new file to arrange them into the word "Family."  It didn't matter that the 215 ended up being too big, because in the print preview, I clicked on "Fit to Available Space."


CG cut some spare MDF in the garage to 10"x14" and routed the edges with an ogee bit.


MDF tends to be very thirsty.  It'll suck up way more paint than you think it will, and cut edges are particularly thirsty.  Here's a trick to save your paint.  Pull out your Elmer's glue and thin it with a little water.  Use a 2 parts glue to 1 part water ratio.


Paint the glue mixture on the cut edge.


I then sprayed on primer and flat black paint.  Once that was dry, I attached my personalized Picture Letter Art, and freehanded a quote in silver sharpie.


Here's our Picture Ledge Gallery Wall as it stands today.


Thanks for popping in and DIYing with me.  I'm linking up to Thrifty Decor Chick's Spray Paint Party.
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13 comments:

  1. Tammy@Beatrice BanksMay 12, 2011 at 11:17 AM

    That looks great! I actually have one of these that I bought at Hobby Lobby. I've always loved the picture art.

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  2. Kaysi @ Keeping it SimpleMay 12, 2011 at 1:16 PM

    I LOVE it!!! That is so funny :)

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  3. Carol@TheDesignPagesMay 12, 2011 at 1:38 PM

    OMG, I totally love that. I am laughing at your chosen phrase and might have to steal that one from you:)

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  4. RenéMay 18, 2011 at 7:30 AM

    How fun! I love that picture of your son diving in. The perfect summer image.

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  5. DebbiedoosMay 18, 2011 at 8:19 AM

    That is fantastic. Looking so creative!

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  6. Poppy @ With a Dash of ColorMay 18, 2011 at 9:04 AM

    Wow, your picture ledges are looking so gorgeous... loved seeing them all decked up. The picture letter art is so well done and such a wonderful idea. Thanks for sharing the tutorial. Have a great week!~Poppy

    http://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

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  7. Red Door HomeMay 18, 2011 at 12:14 PM

    Love your creative and clever idea! These would make great gifts. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Carol@TheDesignPagesMay 18, 2011 at 1:30 PM

    I told my husband about this idea and how I plan to "steal" it for our family. He had a good laugh. I love your picture ledge!!

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  9. Patricia LMay 19, 2011 at 5:29 PM

    Love it! Thanks for linking back to it in my comments. The quote is a nice finishing touch!

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  10. TiffMay 21, 2011 at 7:21 AM

    Wow! What an amazing piece! I love how it is so personal too! What a great treasure! X

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  11. SusanneMay 21, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    Your gallery wall is fantastic! How clever of you to use your own pictures to personalize it. The letter "I" is my favorite, very cute. The alphabet picture is unique as well.
    Susanne.

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  12. Courtney ~ French Country CottageMay 21, 2011 at 11:07 PM

    How neat is that!? I love your gallery wall- such creative photos too~ really fantastic! Thanks for sharing this at FNF- have a wonderful weekend!

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  13. RoeshelMay 26, 2011 at 8:12 AM

    I LOVE the family sign! Awesome! Your entire wall is gorgeous! Great job! :)

    Roeshel

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