I’m just about done adding the finishing touches to my kitchen. There’s maybe one or two spots I could add things to, but really, it’s fine as is. I wanted to create a simple project, and have been experimenting with epsom salts lately, so this textured bake sign was the final result. Anyone can make this sign. If you can print letters, cut them out, trace and spray paint, you can do it. Ready?
Want to see my kitchen makeover? I posted all about it on Craft Gossip! Head over to My Kitchen Facelift for a short tour.
First of all, I opened a Word document and chose the font Century Gothic. I typed the word BAKE and changed the font size to 630. That way each letter would fill up the page and when printed, each would have their own page. After printing them, I carefully cut the letters out.
I purchased four 8×10 canvases from Hobby Lobby, they had 2-packs for $3.99 each. Use a pencil and lightly trace the letter onto the canvas, tracing about 1/4-inch around the edge to make the letter larger.
Repeat for each letter. I used a ruler to line up the bottom of each letter to make sure they flowed properly.
Dump out some epsom salt onto a flat surface. A cookie sheet or a piece of wax paper works great so you can easily pick it up when finished.
Add some glue to the letter and spread it with a paintbrush. Tacky Glue or Elmer’s Glue All works great. Turn the canvas over and gently press it into the salt. Lift and check it, if any spots were missed, press it back into the salt. Don’t tap off any excess.
Set them aside to dry overnight. When dry, gently tap off any excess salt and place the canvases onto a drop cloth outside. I used Krylon Ivory indoor/outdoor spray paint in satin finish. My kitchen cabinets are not stark white, so I chose the ivory instead of white to avoid a major color clash. Spray the canvases with an initial coat and allow them to dry for about 30 minutes. Your pencil marks may still show through at this point.
After the initial coat, add more coats until the pencil lines are no longer visible and you are happy with the coverage. Allow to dry completely before hanging!
Hope you liked them! Don’t forget to head over to my Craft Gossip blog to see my kitchen makeover as well as links to ALL of the kitchen projects I have on display!
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Lisa @ Stop and Smell the Chocolates says
What a great idea! I love how these turned out! I do think it’s something I could actually do (and I’m not very crafty). :)
Amanda says
You can do it Lisa!
Ronda says
I love this idea and thank you for the free tutorial! It looks so easy….my kind of craft! My only question is: When you spray painted them…was it just the letters you painted and not the whole canvas? Was wondering how difficult it is to keep the paint only on the letters. I apologize if it’s a silly question.
Amanda says
Hi Ronda! I know that it may look like I just painted the letters as they appear to be a different color, however I DID paint everything, canvas and all. Because of the salt the color of the paint seems a bit darker :)
Kimberly Mangan says
Be happy for the ads. It means that another woman, in this terrible economy, when so many are still out of work, is able to put food on the table. Plus, she is doing it by creating and doing what she obviously loves. Bring on the ads, and keep doing what you are doing. Maybe you can do a tutorial on how to get place to advertise on blogs :)
Amanda says
Kimberly. Thank you so much for that amazing comment. I really do understand where people are coming from, I only ask that they understand where I am coming from too. In fact, I have asked the ad company to limit the number to 4 photo ads per post so that we can reach a happy medium between revenue and user experience. Your comment about women being able to put food on the table in exchange for free craft tutorials touched me. Thank you!
Tanya H. says
What a cute project! I could see it working in a bathroom (maybe a starfish?) too.
Amanda says
Hi Tanya! Yes, actually I had considered doing a starfish and a sea horse, but wanted to use all 4 canvases and wasn’t seeing anything else at the time. LOL Starfish, a shell or two and a sea horse would work. I also though that the words surf and sand would be good for the bathroom, and cook, herb, and even salt would have been cool options for the kitchen :)
Missy says
What an easy, but cool idea! I don’t mind the ads because I know that we get the tutorials for free. Thanks for what you do to inspire us. :)
Amanda says
Thank you Missy! I appreciate that (all of it) :)
JILL S. says
I really like this project. I’m with Wende, those ads popping up really are distracting. They get in the way of your reading and trying to comprehend your instructions!! Other than that, I really enjoy your blog!
Amanda says
Hi Jill. Thanks for your feedback as well :) Currently the ads that are on the actual images should not get in the way of reading the instructions as they are only on the actual images, not the text. There is also an option to close the ad by clicking the X in the corner. I just went through the post and clicked the X on each one, then scrolled my mouse back over the images and the ads were gone. Once they have been X’d out one time, they will not appear on that page again, unless of course you leave the site and return later or refresh the page. :)
Wende says
I really like this project and your blog. But, the ads on every photo are distracting and quite bothersome. It made viewing this project annoying.
Amanda says
Hi Wende
Thank you for your compliments and your honest feedback. I know that the ads can be distracting, but this blog and my other blogs are my means of income, therefore they are a necessary evil. I do appreciate your honesty and hope that you will find the free craft tutorials that I provide are worth the small amount of hassle of the ads. I don’t charge a subscription of any sort and do try to provide easy to follow instructions with step by step photos whenever possible. My hope is that readers are happy with the projects and are able to look past the ads, much like they look past commercials on the radio or television. :) Thanks for visiting!