I love you because...

First thing I need to update you on... the sick mommy is almost all better!  The oxygen mask has been completely removed, she has been up, walking around, and has taken a shower.  She ate real food.  She will be going home sometime in the next 48 hours (probably very soon!)  Thank you so much to those of you who have been praying.  The Lord is good!

Now, on to today's project--which I am completely stoked about!!!!!!!!

Here is the inspiration...

found here via pinterest

Now drum role please here is my version and the steps to get you there.

I was wandering around Hobby Lobby's frame section when I spotted this

Oh how perfect!  I had been debating in my mind:  I want the finished piece to be larger than 8.5x11.  Could I piece together two sheets of printed cardstock side-by-side to make this?  Would that look cheap and slightly ghetto?  What frame would it fit?  I wonder how much it would cost to professionally print the image?  Probably more than I want to pay for something that seems so simple because I'm super cheap.  So when I saw this it was perfect.  Buy a piece of 12x12 scrapbook paper, create the image myself, and the frame is the perfect size!

So, I had a plan, time to implement!  Oh, and by the way, 50% off at HL made the frame a whopping $4.98--definitely my style.  Add one sheet of textured scrapbook cardstock for $.059 and I was set!

I messed around with fonts and hearts until I found what I liked and printed it off on my everyday printer

Grab our handy dandy x-acto knife and get to work making my stencil.  

This is definitely the slow and steady wins the race step.  I found that on the really curvy letters like o, s, and e the ole move the paper not the knife method works best.  Just take your time, it's really not too bad.  Now I have a predicament, should I laminate the stencil or something?  It just seems too good to throw away and too flimsy to store.  Maybe I should have printed it on cardstock?  Duh, tip for you or next time I try.

Next align your new stencil on the scrapbook paper and lightly tape it down so it won't wiggle around.  Trace each letter lightly with a pencil in case (heaven forbid) you mess up.  Then go over it with permanent markers of your choice colors.  And if you mess up during the marker stage?  Flip the paper over and try again!

After you are satisfied with your work let it dry completely!  We don't want all that hard work smudging on the glass.  Speaking of the glass, clean it really well before putting everything together.  This will remove any residue and help the markers erase more cleanly.

Put everything back together and hang it on the wall  :)

And yes, dry erase markers work perfectly!  In the picture above I had already written and erased a few times and still, look how clean. 

Oh I just love this project...  And what a sweet way to leave notes to each other, right there on the wall  :)  Does mine look as prefect as it would if I had printed it?  Of course not!  But I kind of like the handmade less-than-perfect feel.  I think it goes well with the idea of loving each other despite our imperfections and bobbles.  So go ahead, for a grand total of $5.57 and about an hour, make one!