Alpha Sticker Art: A Handmade Baby Space
In an effort to fill up a small and temporary space in our room that we're designating as the baby's space, I've been working on little handmade pieces that I can finish in one sitting and that don't require a lot of running around town for supplies. I kept with our gender neutral color scheme of black and white and reused a frame from IKEA and a small clipboard from Staples that I already had on hand to display my two projects.
1. Supplies: For this first project I used a small clipboard, cardstock that I cut down to fit the clipboard, flat alpha stickers (similar stickers are usually found in the scrapbooking section of most hobby stores but you could also use vinyl stickers from a hardware store), a smooth rolling pen, a straight cut of cardboard to help me line up my text (you can use a ruler). I do want to mention it's good to test this out before you commit. If your stickers are too sticky they may rip your paper when you pull them off. If your pen isn't smooth enough it can ruin your lines. 2. Once you've cut your paper to fit your clipboard or frame, carefully place your alpha stickers so that you've got things centered. I like to start with the outter two letters of each word and then space things evenly in between with each line. It's helpful when you have words that are similar in length. I used my ruler to make sure I was evenly lining up my text as I placed each letter.
3. Once I was happy with my layout I pressed my stickers down to be sure they weren't going to lift up as I started drawing lines. Then I started from the center of the page and carefully drew lines over the letters and out to the edges. It can get a bit tricky drawing one continuous line with the bumps from the stickers so just do your best to line things up as you go. This is also something you may want to practice doing before committing. 4. After finishing all the diagonal lines on one side I started in on the diagonal lines in the other direction. They don't need to be perfectly straight but you could probably use a ruler. I like this security envelope pattern it creates as lines slightly bend and curve. 5. Finally, carefully remove your alpha stickers to reveal your negative white space. Trim the edges of your cardstock if you need to to make sure your text is centered. Attach to a clipboard or frame.
When choosing alpha stickers, keep in mind the size and font that will work best for these projects. I have some black alpha stickers that I love but there isn't a lot of defined room for lines to be drawn in the middle of e's and a's, etc. Other fonts might not fill a page to the right proportions. If you're a scrapbooker you probably already have a stash of alpha you're not excited about anymore. This may be the perfect project to use them up!
The second project was just a late night experiment. I got out some chipboard and some raised alpha stickers (Thickers from American Craft, available at most hobby stores) and just centered them and cut the chipboard to fit my frame. It probably took 15 minutes.
I like the graphic nature of the two of them and how they coordinate with each other and the other projects I've been working on for this baby's space. You can find the God's Eye here and the Mini Banner here. The cross afghan is still a work in progress but you can get the full tutorial for making your own Abstract Crib Quilt here.
