Products Used
- 12″ x 12″ stapled stretched canvas
- Con-Tact Magic Cover (as transfer tape) from Dollar Tree
- Reynolds Kitchens Unbleached Parchment Paper
- TeckWrap Craft glitter mermaid pink vinyl (for ‘don’t give up on’ and ‘keep sleeping’)
- TeckWrap Craft peacock blue opal vinyl (for ‘your’)
- Teckwrap Craft teal starlight holographic vinyl (for banner around ‘your’)
- Teckwrap Craft hyacinth blue opal vinyl (for ‘dreams’)
- Teckwrap Craft peach yellow pink opal vinyl (for dots)
- TeckWrap Craft dark grey glossy holographic vinyl (for larger stars)
- TeckWrap Craft silver glossy holographic vinyl (for smaller stars)
Getting Started
I feel like this sign sums up my past month and a half…KEEP SLEEPING! On a bit of a serious note, I was in a pretty bad car wreck in July and have a concussion among other injuries. The wreck is one of a few reasons why posts and updates have been slow. The neurologist stated that cognitive struggles will be evident for several months, possibly up to a year. To help with healing, I should get as much sleep as possible…which is the reason for wanting to make this sign for my craft space.
I had purchased the design in one of the many SVG bundles from one of the many sites I frequent. It was pretty simple to upload it into Design Space and select colors for specific elements. Cutting was fairly straight forward, albeit a bit time consuming since I was working with seven colors this time. All of the cuts went as planned; I was able to trim each piece down and get right to weeding. The trimmed pieces will be added to the scrap binder.
Layering onto Transfer Tape
Since I was creating the design prior to having the canvas in hand, I chose to layer the complete design onto transfer tape. After a previous flub of using this technique to create the won’t quit but will cuss decal/sign, I remembered to keep a piece of parchment paper on the desk surface to avoid accidentally sticking a part of the design to it. Remembering that handy little fact saved me several minutes this time around. I was also able to use the parchment paper to help align each element before it was adhered to the transfer tape.
I was not prepared for adding the two sizes of stars and the dots to surround elements. I remembered using the light table for the layered heart stickers from a few months ago and adapted the method into something that worked for me. Keeping the design on the transfer tape upside down on the light table (sticky side up), I was able to use the parchment paper layering technique to add both sizes of stars and the dots without accidentally adhering anything to any other surface. It worked like a charm once I realized I needed to tape the design and the element being added into place as a hinge.
Application onto Canvas
A couple days later, I had the canvas in hand and was ready to apply the design to it. Since the entire design was already together, I simply had to tape it down to keep it in place, the remove half of the backing paper at a time. I used a squeegee to press the design down and make sure it was in place and secure. Either I need to do something to prep the canvas first in the future or it is just a bit more of a struggle to apply adhesive vinyl to canvas. Maybe it’s the rougher surface compared to other mediums I’m used to using for signs? I struggled a bit, but was able to removed the transfer tape with no damage to the design.
Only when I was done and proud of my work did I realize the design is slightly crooked on the canvas. SMH!!! As much of a perfectionist as I usually am, I am going to cut myself some slack this time. I like the design and how it looks all put together on the canvas. It will be hung it as is above the couch in the craft room. I mean, how appropriate is it to have a nap time sign above the place where I sometimes take naps? Heehee
