Ballard knock-off Vintage Ticket Plaque

Am I crazy??? (okay… those close to me can’t answer that question) 

I’m working on projects for the “Teen Lounge” that is only in the pre pre pre design stages.  I’m currently agonizing selecting wall colors and patiently waiting for some electrical work to be done so that I can get the ball rolling.

Without going over the top and getting to “themed”,  my daughter and I have selected a few theater items to use in the room. 

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Inspiration piece from Ballard

I had this left over piece of MDF board (most likely from the Pottery Barn Inspired Beds) in the garage.   Sketching on the actual board helps me to determine the size of the fonts.

Next I layout a design in SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot). 

Does anyone else have trouble selecting a font from the small pop up windows like I do?  I decided to take the time to make a “font notebook”.  Ahhh….. so much easier when trying to select or even match up a font.  Give it a try!  

Note:  It becomes increasingly difficult when working between the desktop and the laptop.   Any time I install a font, I make sure it’s installed in both places.

I had the Cricut cut out a template on brown craft paper.  Remember when I  bought this HUGE roll almost a year ago!  I’ve really have gotten my $3 worth and then some.

I stopped the Cricut in the middle of cutting because I only needed the outside edges.  That is why the numbers on the side are missing.  I’d say my sketching and the finial design are pretty close! 

A light mist of spray adhesive will keep the template in place.

Using the template as my guide, I trimmed the MDF board using a table saw (straight edges) and a band saw (for the curved edges).  You could also use a jigsaw to cut the curved corners.  Sand all the cut edges.

My Dad has several work tables set up with routers! (I don’t ask why…. I figure if he doesn’t ask why woman have so many shoes then I shouldn’t ask why men have  so many tools) 

This table has a small round-over bit which is just the right size to take off those hard sharp corners.  You could always soften the edges with sandpaper, but this literally  takes less than a minute to do!!

If you ever worked with MDF, then you know that painting over cut edges is very difficult.  The paint, or even primer,  just soaks in and doesn’t want to stay on the surface.   Here is a method  to cure that…… “Glue Sizing”.  It’s very simple. 

Before priming and painting, mix wood glue with water and brush over the entire board.  There are so many recommendations for sizing ratio but through some trial I have found a 1:3 ratio of glue and water to be the best.  Apply two coats, allowing the sizing to dry completely between coats.

 

Next I randomly mix up some creamy taupey paint color as my base. Around the edges, I  inked and glazed.

Add black vinyl to the top.  I thought about stenciling but vinyl is just so quick and easy!

I couldn’t find any fonts with the little diamond in the middle so I created my own in SCAL.

I couldn’t be more pleased at how it turned out!  Oh and for the ticket number, I thought it would be additionally fun if it represent something instead of just random numbers, so I entered the ages of my three kiddos! 

Knock It Off contest