Numbers

I was at the Dollar Tree the other day looking for something and I saw these "canvas" coloring things. They are 8 in. square and I grabbed 6 of them thinking I could use them for something. A few days later, I went back and grabbed 4 more for this project.

I picked all Lightning McQueen ones just in case my boys ended up using them instead of me (it was that or Disney Princesses). Here they all are waiting for my first step:

Next, I picked out my scrapbook paper. I bought a stack at Joann's a few months ago and these all came from it. I also laid them out so I could see the order and know what numbers go with which colors.
Because you could see Lightning McQueen through some of my papers, I painted two quick coats of white paint over the black stuff. I didn't cover it completely, just enough to not notice through my paper.
Next, I painted the sides with burnt umber craft paint. It took 3 coats for good coverage and I sealed it with an acrylic varnish. Here they are all drying.


I cut my 12x12 scrapbook paper down to 8 inches and used my Cricut cutting mats to cut out my numbers on my vinyl cutter. If you use an actual vinyl cutter (not a craft cutter, like the Cricut) I recommend cutting each number twice to really get it cut all the way through. I liked that better than increasing the cutting pressure.

Here's all my papers laid out and ready for mod podge last night.
I mod podged scrapbook paper down and just used stick glue to glue the numbers to the page. If I had it to do over again, I would just have used mod podge the whole way. Also, I learned after my first one to use very little mod podge and rub it down quickly so the paper wouldn't soak up the glue and get all wrinkly.
Here they are drying earlier today.

I borrowed a laser level from a friend (thanks Morgan!) to hang them tonight. Sorry about the poor lighting, I was just too excited and wanted to post this. They don't take up as much space as I wanted, but I still really like them. Not bad for $10, right?

I know I said that my next Loft project would be the toy bins and I'm working on them. I've gotten 4 finished and I only have 10 more to go. What with Kindergarten starting and all this week, I took a break from sewing. I'm hoping to get them finished early next week. Until then, here's a sneak peak at my first bin and Son #3.