4th of July Sign


Around Memorial Day this year, I cut a couple of designs out of blue vinyl to make into signs. The first was applied to a Dollar Tree metal sign, the extra design cut through the backing, so it was set aside (I wasn't sure I'd be able to weed it without it coming to pieces). So, with the 4th of July holiday coming up, I thought I better try to salvage the vinyl.


Both of the patriotic designs were freebies in the Silhouette design story at some point. I found them in my library and cut them on some blue permanent vinyl. I set it to the standard glossy vinyl settings in Silhouette Studio but upped the force to 11. Usually, this works well to make sure the design cuts cleanly without having to increase any other settings on my old Silhouette Cameo.


The extra force worked fine on the other design on cut on this same sheet of vinyl, but parts of this design cut through the paper backing. The outside vinyl came off the design cleanly and easily.


But I had to be a bit more careful with the interiors of the letters.


In the end, it all came apart pretty easily except for the dot on the "R" in stars. I was able to save the dot and stuck it on the paper backing


Next, I grabbed a wooden plaque that I picked up at Dollar Tree. These are a bit rougher than the ones at JoAnne's and Michael's, but it sanded up nicely--so not too bad for $1.25. I used some white craft paint to create a contrasting background for the blue vinyl.


I applied the paint to the wooden plaque with a foam paint brush. After one coat, the wood was covered, but the wood grain was still visible.


So, I let it dry and came back and painted another coat. I left the second coat to dry overnight to avoid any peeling from the transfer tape.


I cut a square of transfer tape the size of the design and removed the misplaced dot from the R before applying the transfer tape. Then I peeled off the paper backing and applied it to the wooden plaque.


After the decal was rubbed down and the transfer tape removed, I placed the little dot from the R into place, doing my best to imitate the placement in the other R.


I was able to save the decal from the brink of an overzealous cutting, though I think this sign needs some stripes somewhere. :)

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