Moonbeams & Fireflies: word art

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Jump on the Subway Trend

Ever need that a special piece to anchor a mantle vignette, a little something to add spice to a bookshelf or a final piece for the wall arrangement puzzle? Consider subway art.

Call me Rip Van Winkle, but I only recently awakened to this visually impactful typography art form. Thank you Pinterest. After months of looking past all types of word art, this piece from Mary at Very Merry Vintage Style caught my eye and now I'm hooked.

I have so much on my plate right now that I have been avoiding creating something for myself. So, when I got a wedding invitation, the light bulb went on: I could now create some nice subway art and wouldn't have to feel guilty about putting other things aside just for my own amusement.

The young couple needed art for their small apartment, so I decided to go with sort of a seasonal collection. I picked a nice fall piece they could hang now, a holiday piece they could replace it with and a third piece for the remainder of the year. Here's a peek at the fall art:

I found each of the subway art pieces as a free printable online. Bless the talented artists who can create these beauties and who are willing to share with others. Their creations and generosity are truly appreciated.

Using my inkjet printer, I printed the images on craft muslin and put them in three different, but coordinating frames. And, let me tell you, timing is everything, as I found the frames at Michael's for 50 percent off and had a coupon for an additional 25 percent off. Few things are more exciting than stumbling into that kind of bargain.

Here's the first in my trio of creations. Andy at Poppies at Play created this beautiful subway art for fall. I love the crow silhouette in the background.

Now, for the second piece. I love this frame, which is perfect for the horizontal goodness of this nice word art. You'll find this and its coordinating printable holiday banner art at eighteen25. Thanks for letting me grab it, gals.

To round out the trio, I looked for summer subway art. I found a few nice images, but then I came across the perfect art for the bride and groom. Both are members of the Army National Guard.

I like the way this turned out. This special piece pays tribute to the sacrifice the bride and groom make for all of us. This summer, both were deployed for several weeks to assist with flood control along the Missouri River and returned home only a couple of weeks before their wedding.

And, the sentiment of the third piece is timeless. They can put it up just for summer or leave it up year-round. I want to thank Blooming Homestead for this heartfelt printable.

After venturing into the world of subway art, I researched tutorials for making the art myself. And, while that wasn't a good option for me in the short time I had to produce my trio of framed sentiments for the wedding, I do think I'll try my hand at it sometime in the future.

I'm sure there are many good tutorials out in blogland, but I found a couple that seem to be all you need to get started making your own word art.

Kate at Centsational Girl gives a thorough step-by-step that even I understand. She made the cute art above using the method she describes. See her tutorial here.

Now, to get a closer look at this entirely different method for word art, check out Wendy's how-to for creating stunning images on wood, canvas or other surfaces at The Shabby Nest. Her white-on-black treatment creates a big wow factor. What an impactful creation.

I'm thrilled to have discovered the creative possibilities word art provides. Up next? I'm going to do something for me. I have just the perfect thrift store frame and the perfect spot to hang Mary's pretty, printable Paris poster.

Make it a great day!