Even though we are all still hunkered down waiting out the Coronavirus I decided to use the extra time to do some things I never seem to get around to. Deep cleaning the forgotten parts of the house, organizing, baking, and of course crafting. Especially since there is no such thing as “enough time” to play with the laser. This is a great project for laser beginners. (No laser? No worries! You could basically substitute vinyl for the laser cut wood.)
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Easter is April 12th
Easter is just around the corner and I thought it would be fun to create a customized Easter sign for my daughter’s door. My daughter loves the farmhouse look so I wanted to create something for spring that would complement her existing decor and not compete with it.
I found a cute “shiplap” style wooden egg that was on sale for cheaper than I could laser one up for myself. This is the closest I could find on Amazon. So, I bought it and set to making my sign.
Let’s Begin
Aqua gel stain was used to varnish the egg. Then I went back and added some Ultra Dye streaks in a deeper teal hue. I allowed that to dry while I prepped my birch plywood for lasering.
Step 2 – Prepping the Birch
I haphazardly squirted a few lines and dots of the products below. The pickling wash I used was by Folk Art in the shades Stormy Sky and Driftwood and a basic white acrylic paint. A foam type applicator was used to apply and streak the colors together to create the weathered look you see in the picture. The streaked, weathered wood was the complementary look I wanted for the letter “S” and floral motif cutouts to mount on the aqua colored egg background.
Step 3 – Tech Time
Next, I went into Inkscape which is a totally free graphic design software and uploaded the flower SVG that I purchased off Etsy and the letter “S” in a pretty font. Then I saved my file and opened it in the Glowforge User Interface. Standard proof grade settings for medium basswood plywood were used to cut my pieces. Self adhesive paper masking was applied next to prevent charring and soot build up on your finished piece.
One Caveat…
My mistake was rushing into masking the birch wood before it was dry and found out that when you do that your masking doesn’t properly adhere. That resulted in the masking lifting and coming loose in the bed of the laser. When that happens you need to promptly shut off your machine or you could start a fire. The moral of the story…be patient. Allow your paint to dry BEFORE masking.
Patience Is Still A Virtue
Since I didn’t want fire and I hadn’t learned the “patience” part yet, I removed the masking and ran the cut again. Charred, sooty edges were not the look I was going for so I decided to give the patience thing a try. Lol. Guess what? The third time was the charm! I got the delicate flowers with the perfect rustic wood edge I was looking for. I promise to always share my mistakes and mishaps so you don’t have to. Haha
Finally it is time to assemble and glue it altogether. Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue is my favorite and I have tried a few. It is my “go-to” because it is easy to apply dots of the thick glue to the backside of the biggest parts of the design and prevent seepage around the edges. If you do see some glue, use a damp rag or Q tip to remove the glue before it dries. Make sure you have a way to hang it. This one came with a twine loop as a hanger but I removed it and replaced it with a sawtooth hanger instead.
See the Process Below:
Now You Show Me Yours!
I hope this inspires you to try something small, simple and perfect for spring. Maybe you’d like to see how to put a new spin on your family Easter egg hunt with this post. I’d love to share it with the tribe so if you send me a pic I will post it on our reader’s project gallery page. If you prefer use the #kimsdiytribe on Instagram and be sure to tag me. I can’t wait to see all the creative and colorful variations you come up with!
