DIY Hand Lettered Project on a Girls Night Out at Project Studio
Thank you to Project Studio for inviting me to create a project to share with you.
Hand lettering has really started to become popular. Well, it’s always been popular, but now it’s more accessible. It’s easy to grab a book, download a course onto your iPad (like I did) or even seek out in-person classes. But what I’ve learned about myself is that I haven’t been able to make it a priority and sit down and do it…because I’m not very good at it.
And then I heard about Project Studio, a collaborative workspace, creative environment, & artist market. They help you create something you are proud of with their help as the project goes along.
To be clear, they do the hand lettering for you. You do the painting and fill it in.
I knew I could create something there that I would be proud of and want to display in my home. Just look at a sampling of the projects you can create during the open studio hours.
I took at look at the projects on their website, so I had an idea of what I wanted to make and landed on this tray. And then, of course, Lindsey copied me. HA! She did pick the same thing, but we did them very differently.
We checked first, and you can bring beverages and food into the studio, if you’d like. A word of caution. You are painting hand lettering. And if you have too much of the libations, you might find that your project doesn’t look quite as good in the morning.
I had to include this picture because Lindsey is just so excited to be having some wine, and well, our assistant was a little bit more hesitant (I think I just caught a funny picture…they were nothing but kind and warm!).
First we stained our serving trays with a very light coat of stain. You’ll see they provide everything down to the gloves and the aprons. We still didn’t wear fancy clothes because paints and clothes don’t mix. If we had any questions or problems, there was somebody there to help us. We didn’t actually have any problems, but I had a lot of questions.
The really nice thing is that most of this can be done while catching up with your friend about your family, or their family or just shoot the breeze and have fun
And, when you put on your two light coats of white, nobody will look at you like a crazy person when you take a picture of yourself with your tray. (Okay, there might have been some crazy glances, but you are with your friends. They embrace your crazy!)
This is Girls Night Out, so don’t forget to stop and grab a sip of wine every now and then. And take note of the gorgeous tile wall that you would like to adorn a room in your house. It really doesn’t matter which one.
Back to the tray creation.
While the white was drying, I picked a color for the sides of the tray and they were mixed to exactly the right hue I wanted. Then it was just a light coat of that color.
For my last step before the hand lettering, Becca and I planned out what would go on the tray’s surface. I wanted something that was simple and understated, but still had something. At first, we discussed a wreath, then I saw these vines on something horizontal, and thought they would look great on the sides, so I asked her to draw them. You can see the planning process on the paper tablecloths before she started. She drew them with pencil and then showed me how to apply the paint.
Her leaves looked much better than mine, but she was very nice to compliment mine. It was okay that I wasn’t in lines perfectly because they could easily remove the pencil, marks, which had me relieved. And when Becca offered to paint the vines on for me, I was happy to accept her offer.
Then it was time for the hand lettering.
There was more planning involved. I wanted to go with Have Courage and Be Kind (grab my free printable), but it took a few testings on the paper to figure out that it would be best with “have courage” on one side and “be kind” on the other. Let’s be honest, the “be kind” will be the side that is mostly shown in our house.
Then it was time for her to first hand letter it on in pencil to make sure the spacing was good, and then she drew it on with a paint pen.
I was tasked with painting in the sides of the letters for emphasis (but not the loops in the o or the r) and I was almost done.
To give it that lived in and used look, it was sanded down to give it some personality. And my final job was to cover it with some wax to seal it and keep it safe from spills and liquids.
The one fail from our girls night out? We didn’t get a picture of the two of us together! I think we were so busy getting to work on our projects and catching up on life (and walking around looking at the other projects that were happening). Which I think was the point of doing a project together, so I won’t even complain. Plus, that gives us a reason to get together another time!
Until then, I will marvel at my very own hand lettered serving/breakfast tray and try to plan the next time I can go.
They do birthday parties, work events, kid gatherings, gender reveals (there was actually one happening while we were there), hand lettering classes, custom gifts (if you don’t have time to create something) and more.
With so many projects, it’s easy to find something that everyone can appreciate. Which one is your favorite?
Those came out so cute. I pinned them to try and make it later!
I have ideas for a couple other projects inspired by them, too. Just need to make the time!
These are really nice. I like all the signs on the wall in the first picture. I really like the shabby chic/country look.
The shabby chic is totally in. I’m waiting for shiplap in your house!
I couldn’t believe how well they turned out. Even with our skill level, the system was foolproof! 🙂 I ADORE your phrase.
Thank goodness it was foolproof!
What fun night out. Your projects turned great. I would love to do something like this.
I would love to make this gorgeous handpainted letter box. Yours turned out really cute!
Looks so nice! Great job!