book page art

I am a sucker for a fun project with meaning.  This one is just that:  book page art with J's silhouette.

I got my inspiration from the fabulous Jones Design Company.  My baby sis and I have a thing for her blog.  It really is lovely.  I used her book page canvas tutorial (here) and decided to add J's silhouette to it.  She also has a tutorial for doing a silhouette (here), but I used the version in my head...which of course is much less sophisticated.

Since I did this project last fall before I started my blog, I do not have pictures of a tutorial.  But, here are a few tips:

Book Page Art
 

Supplies:

canvas or old wood {I used some spare plywood from our basement}

old book with pages you like {I got a old children's book at Goodwill}

scissors

Mod Podge

small paintbrush

masking tape

sawtooth hanger for the wall, with nails

 

Silhouette Version Supplies:

camera/printer

copier {local copy store}

pencil

black paint

small paintbrush

Time Commitment:

Approx. 2 hours total, plus drying time and errand time out getting an enlargement of your photo.  Also, it depends on how long it takes to snap a profile picture of your child...so mine took roughly 17.56 hours. 

 

Cost:

book   $1.57

Mod Podge   $3.49 {used a coupon at Hobby Lobby}

{the other supplies I already had in our home, and a friend did my enlargement for free}

Total:  $5.06

 

Use this tutorial to make your canvas/wood/board:  Jones Design Company.  One additional thing I did was to use masking tape to attach the pages to the back of the plywood, just to secure them better than the Mod Podge could do.

 

Allow your piece of art to dry until all of the tackiness is gone (no puns, please, Dad).

 

Silhouette:  Take a profile picture of your child as best as you can.  I did this while J was playing.  It did take quite awhile, but he thought I was playing with him...so there you go. 

 

Print it off on your standard computer printer.  Hold it up to your piece of art to see if the sizing is to your liking.  If not, take it to a local copy store to have them reduce or enlarge the picture. 

 

Cut out the silhouette of your child and trace around it onto the spot you would like on the art.  Fill in the traced silhouette with black paint, or any paint of your choosing.

 

Attach a sawtooth hanger to the back, and hang it up!

 

 

This piece of art for J's room has a few special meanings: 

   I love to look at his sweet little profile, something I always want to remember. 

   He was approximately 1 year-old when I did this project, and there was a 'chapter one' page that I used.

   The book pages go well in the corner with his books.  Andy made this bookshelf for him out of old apple crates from the apple orchard we go to with him.

   It seems somewhat vintage to me.  And well, I love vintage things.  And when he outgrows this art for his room, his mommy will keep it for herself for another room.
 

 

My baby sis also liked this project idea, so she made a piece of art for her room on an old canvas. 

 

 

Isn't it so cute?  She, along with our other sister and me, love the beach.  So her room is decorated with a beachy, vintagey vibe.  She has good taste.  And this fits perfectly in it.

 

 The fun part about this project is that there are so many possibilities as to how you can switch this up or personalize it to fit your style or something special in your life.  Enjoy!