Some Pinteresting Stuff & 20% TPT Sale!!

Free Flower Graphic to grab...Please read my TOU before using (-;

So much to tell: Pinterest Craft, Free Graphic & 20% off TPT sale!!

My Daughter, Manessa, Turns 15 on July 23rd, 2012!!!  Every year I make her a hand-made gift, but I was running pretty low on ideas this year. I thought and thought and thought....
then I thought of a great thought....the thought of hopping onto the Pinterest Brain Board and letting it do my thinking for me...hehehe...works every time!! Lo & Behold...what shall I find, but this perfect and seemingly simple name craft!!!
The second I spotted this floating around Pinterest, I fell in love and knew this would be the gift to give my daughter. (which pretty much happens to almost everything I see on Pinterest, but anyway...) LINK: http://pinterest.com/pin/176062666653223039/
When I clicked on the link (thinking I would be directed to a blog that would give me simple directions), I was directed to an Etsy store...but the item no longer existed...I was on my own...
How hard could it be to make this???? Looking closely, I will need the following craft supplies:1. Canvases for each letter of my daughter's name (cinch...they come in packs of 2 at Hobby Lobby for $5)2. Wooden craft letters for each letter in her name (easy....)3. Scrapbook paper (which I have a ton of...so that shouldn't be a problem)and maybe a few other items (YEAH RIGHT)
Well Ladies and Gents,Let me tell you a little secret about Pinterest craft inspiration - it always seems much simpler when I complete it in my head than when I actually complete it in real life!!
3AM Teacher Hint #1: Always take a friend or family member with you on a trip to the craft store
Here is what I got at Hobby Lobby ( I would have got more stuff I didn't need, but my son forbade me to even look at the art supplies.)
Canvas, glue, sponge brushes, cute letters, scrapbook paper (I know....they were on sale for 40% off, so I couldn't resist),  I set everything up that I needed; including a few pieces of large cardboard to place sticky stuff on (-;Things you will need: I chose the colors schemes that I wanted to use, decided that I would Mod Podge the paper to the canvases and the letters and I was sure this would all take me about an hour at the most (YEAH RIGHT). 
Once I began the process of gluing the paper onto the canvases, I quickly had to make some adjustments to my technique as the paper continued to lump and bubble when drying.. I chose to smooth out the paper little by little until it began to dry enough to stay flat.  I used a glue stick to attach my scrapbook paper pieces together before attaching it to the canvas. I made sure that the paper overlapped the canvas enough to cover the side edges before gluing the paper to the canvas. Mod Podge glue is great, but it can be difficult to work with at times sue to its thickness. I used the sponge brushes to coat the canvas (front and back) before adding the paper. I coated each of the canvases with a layer of glue, allowed it to fry and then glued on the paper. 
The letters were an entirely different story!! I traced each letter onto the desired paper, cut out the paper and then glued the piece onto the front of the letter. However, I still had to figure out how to evenly cover the edges of the letters....I chose to cut thin strips of the paper to glue onto the edges. This was the messy part. I had to use my fingers to add a coat of glue, attach the strips of paper to the edge of the letters, add another coat of glue, and smooth it until it stayed in place.
I was too sticky to take pictures of the entire process and too frustrated to even care...(-; I started the project at about noon and finished about 4am the next morning...but here are some of the finished pics... To get the curly designs, I cute strips of the scrap paper, dipped them into the glue, attached one edge to the canvas and slowly curled the paper until I had the desired look. This was fun, but you will have layers of glue on your fingers; forcing you to wash your hands frequently...be ready.
Okay, so my finished project looks NOTHING like my inspiration, but I am definitely happy with the result. I attached the canvases to each other with glue, then used a wooded support board that fit across the back of the canvases for support. I will post a better picture once I hang it up in my daughter's room. My dog, Roxie, would not get out of the shot either...I moved her several times and every time I was ready to click...she plopped down....

 

In honor of my daughter's birthday, everything in my TPT store will be 20% off all day tomorrow!!!(I am putting everything up for sale right now)
Thank you for following!!!