DIY Subway Art Idea For the Silhouette-less
Can’t believe it is Thursday – this week is speeding by and I can’t seem to get caught up as I was too busy entering all the Silhouette giveaways. Of course, I didn’t win, but it was worth trying.
I work in display and I use “vinyls” or “VATS” as we call them in the display trade – every day. No fun projects, only brand and product names – which got me to thinking of “logos”.
If you know me by now, you know I like to find creative ways to re-use stuff we normally throw away – which brings me to what I just finished making. It is my version of subway art for those of us who do not own a Silhouette, don’t stamp, or have any letter stencils. I have seen a lot of subway art ideas, but none using paper.
For my creation, I used shopping bags – you know the ones you get at the mall when you buy a shirt from the Gap or candles at Pottery Barn. I save these bags, as some of them are so pretty. For the most part I use them to carry my lunch to work in style or to protect book covers, but I had quite a few in my stash and played around with all the logos printed on the bags. I am calling it – LogoArt.
supplies needed:
- Shopping bags with store or product logos
- Scissors, spray glue, a protective spray matte sealer, staple gun and staples, straight edge/T-Square
- Thick Fom-Cor or a plywood board cut to desired size
- Ribbon about 1/4″ – 1/2″ wide. You will need ribbon about as wide as the thickness of your board
- Picture hanging hardware
“Be kind to the earth- recycle, reuse, re-purpose. Be creative with your stuff”
Before
1. Gather your shopping bags.
2. Cut foam or plywood board to size desired. I used a Fom-Cor board that I rescued from the compactor at work.
3. Cut out all the logos on the bags. I initially cut each logo out on all sides, I should have kept them long on the sides. This way as you add the logos to the board you can cut them to the length needed to fit the width of the board.
4. Work outdoors if you are going to use spray glue. I made this out on my deck. Arrange the logos on the board, playing with the colors and sizes to create visual balance. I placed the larger logos on the bottom and the smaller ones on top. Leave about a 1/2″ on the sides, top and bottom to overlap the edges of the board. Once you like the layout, start from the bottom and begin spraying the back of each logo with spray glue. Let the glue get tacky before placing on the board. Smooth each piece with your hand.
5. Using a staple gun, staple the excess of each piece to the edge of the board.
6. To protect your logos, evenly spray a few light coats of a protective finish. I used this sealer. I didn’t want a shiny look. Let it dry thoroughly.
7. Measure the perimeter of the board and cut ribbon a few inches longer than that measurement.
Decorative tacks
8. Starting at the top, fold one end of the ribbon over about an inch. Press a tack into this starting place. Wrap ribbon along edge of the board and place a tack into the board at even intervals until you get back to the starting point. You can remove the first tack and place the opposite end under the starting end, then press the tack back in. This will give you a finished look.
9. Place picture hanging hardware on the back and hang.
After
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