Have you ever wished you could create unique baby gifts for those sweet little people in your life? Personalized or monogrammed gifts are beautiful and memorable but often expensive. If you're like me, I enjoy the challenge of creating my own gifts, that are still beautiful and memorable, but are more friendly to my wallet! However, I realize there are many folks out there who say, "Yeah, that's a nice idea, but I have no artistic talent!" No worries... this particular project requires only a bit of courage, a few hours of time and NO artistic ability.
In this article, I will walk you through the process of how you can create a personalized baby gift for that next little baby who needs a "welcome to the world" gift! What makes this project both simple and professional looking is the proper use of kids decals. These decals give the appearance that you've spent hours tediously hand painting the gift, when if fact, it only took minutes.
In case you are not familiar with kids decals, let me catch you up to speed. Decals are a rising trend in the world of interior design and are nothing short of amazing! They are thin, flexible, but durable, vinyl stickers that are capable of being removed and repositioned multiple times. They leave no sticky residue behind and they won't peel paint. Most people think of using kids decals simply on walls or furniture, but they really offer endless possibilities for decorating children's living space, making art and gifts. Kids decals come in all shapes, sizes and themes.
So, let's get started! First of all, you have to buy your kids decal! Truly there are so many options and themes available. I suggest looking for a grouping or set of smaller decals. For little girls, there are fairies, flowers, butterflies, etc. For boys, you may be interested in a baseball, ship, jungle animals, etc. Also, keep in mind that you can cut decals to fit the size project you're working on. Now for the "Project"!
Step 1: Gather your supplies and make your plans. You'll need a wooden plaque. These can be purchased at your local craft store. I suggest a size bigger than 8 x 10, otherwise, you'll start running out of room till you get to your decal. The rest of the supplies you need are primer, acrylic paints, brushes, pencil, chalk and a paper plate. Pick your paint colors to coordinate with the colors of your decal. I suggest only using 1-3 different colors to avoid it becoming too busy.
Step 2: Primer your plaque. If the colors you plan to paint your plaque are light, then go with a white primer. If the colors are darker, you'll save yourself time by using a gray primer because you won't need as many coats to get a true color.
Step 3: Paint your plaque with the background color of your choice. I suggest 2-3 thinner coats of paint or until you get a true color and you can't see the primer through the paint anymore. Let the paint dry!
Step 4: I like to create a boarder on the plaque, either with stripes or a scallop edge. Stripes are pretty straight forward to create. Just make sure you use a ruler to keep them straight. For a scalloped edge (looks beautiful on a girl plaque), sketch in your scallops using a round object. Trace the top half of the circle around the outside edge of your plaque. A few tips; roughly measure out your circles, so that you don't run out of room at the end of the plaque. Try different round objects around your house until you find one that works. I used the bottom of the paint bottles and they worked perfectly.
Step 5: Paint your scalloped edge and the center of your plaque - that is if you're using a scalloped edge. Again, I suggest 2-3 thinner coats of paint or until you get a true color and you can't see the primer through the paint anymore. Now, let the paint dry!
Step 6: Create the monogram or name. First, print out the letters and date from your computer. Pick a font that you like and print it out in the size you want. In order to copy it onto your plaque, rub chalk on the back of the printed paper. Place the chalked letters onto your plaque. Now with a ball-point pen, trace over the printed letters and date. When you're done, you'll have a chalk outline of the letters and dates to paint over. The great thing about this is, if you don't get your letters or date centered the first try, you can just wipe the chalk off and go for try #2.
Step 7: Paint in your letters and date with a coordinating color. Use a fine point brush for the lettering! Don't worry, if you mess up, keep some background color handy and you can fix up your mistakes with a little of that paint.
Step 8: Add the kids decals. Simply peel them off the backing they came on, stick them to the dry plaque and press down the edges! Because these childrens wall stickers are removable, you don't have to worry about getting it right the first time. If it's off center, just peel it up and reapply it!
Let it all dry and cure for a few days, wrap it up and deliver with love!
I hope this article was helpful and inspired you to create a baby gift that is affordable, beautiful and timeless! As you can see, by reading through this process, you don't have to be an artist to create special, one of a kind gifts. Really, the options are limitless and I hope you use this article as a springboard for many other projects using kids decals!
