Think Crafts Blog - Craft Ideas and Projects - CreateForLess

By General Craft Contributor, Amy from the blog “Mod Podge Rocks!”

Nothing tickles my fancy more than Halloween.  It’s my absolute favorite holiday, and one of the reasons is the bright colors and bold statements.  What other time of year can you yell “BOO” at someone?  In celebration of this wondrous time of year, I bring to you this festive hanging plaque. 

To create this Boo! Plaque, you’ll first need to gather these supplies:

• Walnut Hollow Basswood Rectangle 9″ x 12″ Plaque
• Plaid Folk Art Extreme Glitter, Orange
• Acrylic paint, orange, 2 oz.
• Acrylic paint, black, 2oz. with tip attachment OR black paint pen (fine tip)
• Mod Podge Gloss, 8 oz.
• Halloween scrapbook paper - 1 sheet
• Wood Letters to spell “Boo!”
• Craft Knife and Mat
• Craft Glue
• Buttons - 4 coordinating
• Flat Paint Brush
• Offray Black Grosgrain Ribbon (7/8″) - 1 foot
• Pencil
• Ruler

I started by laying out the wood letters on the plaque to get an idea of how I wanted to space everything.  I know - at this point it is hard to visualize the cuteness.

Time to add some color!  I poured out some orange acrylic paint and began with the plaque. I painted around the four edges and the back.  You don’t need to paint the entire front because you are going to put the paper down and cover it up.  I painted just two coats for good coverage.

You’ll need to paint the letters too.  Give the letters two coats of paint as well - don’t forget to paint the sides!  Allow the plaque and the letters to dry.

Grab your Extreme Glitter and paint your plaque and letters.  Anywhere that you painted with orange acrylic paint will need a coat of Extreme Glitter.  Notice that it goes on milky but dries clear.  Paint one coat and then wait 15 - 20 minutes to dry.  Apply another coat.  I actually did three coats total and set my plaque and letters aside to dry.

While everything was drying, I cut my paper.  My paper sheet was 12″ x 12″, and so I used my ruler and craft knife to trim the paper down to fit the plaque.  It’s relatively easy - just be careful with the knife!

When the Extreme Glitter is dry (about 20 minutes), you can Mod Podge the paper to the plaque.  Begin by applying a medium layer of Mod Podge to the plaque.  I usually start on one side (in this case the right) and lay my Mod Podge down with the brush.  Make sure to get the corners well!  I coat the plaque with a strip of Mod Podge and begin laying the paper down - adding more Mod Podge and smoothing as I go.  It’s hard to paint such a large area with Mod Podge at one time because it begins to dry quickly - so try my technique.  It works!

When the paper is completely adhered to the plaque, either smooth with your fingers or roll with a brayer (like I did above).  You want to work back and forth around on the paper, smoothing thoroughly.  You can’t smooth too much!  If Mod Podge comes out the sides, its okay - wipe it away with your brush.  Let this dry for 15 - 20 minutes.

Seal the paper by Mod Podging over the top.  Apply a medium coat just as you did previously.  Allow to dry for a few minutes and then apply another coat.  Don’t worry if some gets onto the Extreme Glitter edge.  Just wipe that away with a brush.  Allow your plaque to dry for 15 - 20 minutes.

You’re in the home stretch!  Glue the letters down to the plaque with craft glue.  I put the letters at funky angles to add interest to the project.

Here’s where you can have some fun embellishing!  Feel free to get creative.  I added about a foot of ribbon at the top to hang.   I also decided the letters needed a little something, so I grabbed my trusty black paint with a tip pen.  For those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s an attachment that goes at the end of a 2 oz. paint bottle to give it a writer tip.  Don’t have one?  NEVER FEAR!  You can use a paint pen to get the same effect.  Just make sure it’s a fine tip.  Outline the letters with lines and dots.  Don’t worry if your lines aren’t perfect - neither were mine - it just adds to the spooky effect!

I finished my plaque with four buttons in the corners for a little added “flair.”  Feel free to embellish with whatever you have in your stash that you think works.  Don’t be afraid to get creative.  Remember to allow your project to dry for 24 hours before hanging.  Happy Halloween!