One of my favorite components of the monthly Happy Mail delivery of A Beautiful Mess that I receive is the typographic artwork included in the delivery. Sometimes big and sometimes small, illustrations tend to be minimal in background design and abound with quotes and calls to action printed on them. I display them at home and in my office; It's safe to say I'm going to run out of wall space soon!
A Beautiful Mess is not the only company that knows a good trend. Paper Source offers various art prints that are also all about words. If you like this type of art, but have your own phrase in mind, it doesn't take much to customize this idea for your home. The background design is up to you (you can follow my lead and spend some time with a set of watercolor paints), but the smear-turning gold foil transfer letters turn your favorite quote into art. Check out the scrapbooking aisle of your local craft store to find a variety of fonts, sizes, and styles to make your finished piece one of a kind.
To prepare your canvas for adding your favorite phrase, paint the background. With watercolor paper I covered my entire piece with shades of blue.
Once your wallpaper is painted, let it dry completely. Once my paint was dry I stacked books on top to flatten the paper as flat as possible.
From your set of letters, cut out your quote. Remove the paper backing from the transfer sheet and place it on your design. Lay out all the words you plan to use, and then start rubbing each letter with a bone folder or wooden stick.
Be sure to check each letter several times to make sure you have fully adhered the transfer to your paper. Remove the original transfer to reveal the letters. With those letters on the page, your artwork is ready for framing.
