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Pantone’s 2015 color of the year, Marsala, has been met with some mixed reviews, and I will admit that when I first saw the color, I wasn’t super enthusiastic. But when Valspar and Porch.com (a great site for finding home professionals and DIY inspiration) challenged me to make something using the color of the year, I was definitely excited to give it a try.
I hit pinterest for some marsala inspiration, and the more I looked the more I was willing to give it a shot. I decided that Marsala looks particularly good with some texture or sheen – like on a velvet throw pillow or silk drapes (totally luxe). And I liked the way it paired with the more muted pastel-y colors that have been growing in popularity. I wanted to come up with a color scheme that would bring out the best of Marsala, and I decided to pair it with a pale blush pink and copper:
Oh dear – I love that. Am I selling you on Marsala at all?
Back to the challenge – Valspar sent me that lovely paint and Porch sent me a stencil to incorporate into the project, and I put them all together to make a big piece of hand-lettered plywood wall art.
Here’s what you need to make your own:
- Plywood
- Paint
- Round Brush
for lettering
- Sponge Brush
for stenciling
- Stencil (this one is similar
)
- Masking tape
- Metal Leaf Adhesive
- Copper Leaf
I picked up a piece of plywood from Lowes and had them cut it down to 3’x2′ for me (I’m not big on the power tools, so I love the free cuts!), and started by sketching out my design on a piece of paper.
I wanted to do something romantic for this project since it was a kind of Valentine’s Day challenge, so I chose a phrase from our wedding song, “Forever” by Ben Harper.
- Remember, in general, upstrokes should be thin and downstrokes should be thick.
- You can achieve thick and thin with a brush by holding the brush at a 90 degree angle to the canvas (or plywood in this case). When you use very little pressure (on the upstroke) it gives you a fine line, and when you use a lot of pressure it pushes the bristles apart giving you a thicker stroke.
- Don’t overwork it! I think brush script looks best when it is fresh and more natural. It can be hard, but resist the urge to go back and touch everything up. (I don’t always follow my own advice – the “G” and “F” got a bit overworked.)
So pretty!!
So cute! And I love that you used copper foil, perfect color complements to the marsala!
I love how you used the stencil! So happy that you're a part of #10daysofValentines! <br />-Taylor & the Porch team
I love it Alexis!! I never would have thought to foil the stencil but it's absolutely fabulous 🙂
Love you sign and the way everything is styled. Looks so good!
Oh my goodness. I'm. In. Love. Your hand-lettering is perfection and I love the foil! So beautiful 🙂
Very pretty. But re marsala, I can't help but think it's so 1993. I wore a dress that exact color to my freshman homecoming dance! Haha, now I'm just showing my age.
I totally had a homecoming dress the same color too!
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Where did you purchase your side table? Love your style!
Where did you purchase your side table? Love your style!
Thank you! That table was a Target find. I really love it! Check it out here: http://goto.target.com/c/137131/81938/2092?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fthreshold-caged-accent-table%2F-%2FA-15842664%23prodSlot%3D_1_5