DIY Artwork with Sparkle!

I am in the process of making a few special gifts for some family and friends this holiday season, so I wanted to share one of my projects with you all!  This project is not as complicated as you might think, and it produces a beautiful and gift-giving worthy result :)

Supplies:

-Sheet of watercolor paper

-Computer & printer

-Mod Podge or glue

-Glitter

If you are painting the letters (like I did), you'll want these additional supplies:

-Watercolor paint

-Paintbrush

-Container of water

-Tray for paint

To start out, you'll want to create a template for your print.  Decide what words/saying you want to include on your paper.  I went with the saying "Never Let Anyone Dull Your Sparkle" on this print.  You can create your template on word, photoshop, or whatever software program you would like to use.  I typed out the words using Chalkline font, but feel free to use whatever font suits you!  I made the font large enough to fill the whole paper, and I changed the font from black to a golden color to reflect how I am decorating it.  Here is what it looked like on my computer:

Once I created my template, all I had to do was print it out.  Since I have a heavy duty printer, I was able to print the words on a nice sheet of thick watercolor paper measuring 12" x 9."  If you don't have a printer that will print on watercolor paper, you can take your template to a printing store and they will print it for you.  If you aren't painting or doing much decorating to your print, regular printing paper should work just fine :)

Looks pretty good so far, right?!  

Next I wanted to spruce up my print by filling in the letters with watercolor paint.  I (obviously) like the effect of watercolor paint,  as it creates a lovely, hand-painted quality to the work.   But you can use whatever art medium you would like to spruce up your print.

Once all the letters have been painted, let the paper dry. 

Once dry, you can add glitter or whatever fun decorations you would like.  If you would like to add glitter around the letters like I did, just paint some mod podge around the letters and then throw a hefty amount of glitter on top of the glue.  

Let your lovely sparkly print dry, and then place it in a mat and frame for the lucky recipient :)

Are you making any handmade gifts for others this holiday season?  If so, feel free to share some of your awesome DIY gifts ideas here!

Jennifer