Typewriter Keys

I have been blogging for a little over three years now which is kind of hard for me to believe!  One of my first projects which still happens to be one of my most popular blog posts is the tutorial I wrote on how to make this Pottery Barn look-alike Typewriter Keys Artwork.  If you go back and look at my original post you can see how I made it.  This one pictured here today is painted on a piece of wood.  My original post shows how I made it by painting a piece of premade art canvas.  To tell you the truth, I like the one I finished today on the piece of wood.  I like the colors better and it looks more “vintage” to me.  It also was a bit easier in that it eliminated a couple of steps and it was less expensive.  

 

To start, I stained a piece of wood that I purchased from Lowe’s and it measured about 24” by 24”.  It’s important to use a square piece so that all four sides are equal because you are going to divide it into 36 equal sized squares.  One square for each letter and number.    So one evening I stained my piece of wood, front and back with a wood stain color that I liked and I let it dry outside overnight.

The next day, I used a yardstick to divide my piece of wood into 36 (4” x 4”) even sized squares.

Then I was able to paint my circles by hand with black acrylic craft paint.  Find yourself something round like the rim of a drinking glass for your circles.  Trace around the rim lightly in pencil and then fill them in with paint. 

After all of your circles are painted, let them dry.  Now you are ready to stencil in your letters and numbers. 

I have the best success stenciling when I don’t use too much paint on my brush and when I use a “pouncing” motion.  Make sure your stencil is secure so that it doesn’t shift because you don’t want to smear your paint. 

Now comes the fun part.  I dipped the rim of a smaller size glass in some parchment color acrylic craft paint, made sure it was not too “gloppy” (keep some paper towels handy and do a couple of tests before you start on your actual project) and I carefully brought down the rim of the glass inside of the painted black circle being sure to encircle the letter or number.   Apply unequal pressure in a unique way to each circle so that the paint grabs in some places and not in others and is different on each key. 

    

I used two paper plates.  One with a circle of paint squirted on it and the other for dabbing the rim on to get any excess paint off. 

 

Et voila!  Here it is finished!!  It turned out better than I expected! 

I am also excited to announce that I am going to be selling some of my projects, including this one over at the delightful shop that just opened in Greensboro called Rustic Romance!  If you live in the area, stop by and take a look at all the great items for sale there.  In case you missed my last post on this great shop, you can click here on Rustic Romance and check out what the shop is all about. 

 

The paint on this one is still drying but I should have a price tag on it and have it hanging over at the Rustic Romance shop in the next few days. 

Thanks to all of you who read my blog.  I may not say it often but I appreciate every one of you!!

Have wonderful Labor Day weekend!!