Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Pink! A fancy dry erase board tutorial and free pattern!

 I was just realizing this morning how my subconscious helps me to create things.  It is influenced by so many things around me and holds onto the things I'm drawn to without my knowledge. 
Saturday I went and had lunch with my family at my grandpa Bill's house and I noticed a neat little dry erase board that his wife Ruth (sweetest lady in the world) had on the refrigerator. Someone had printed off a Bistro style page and framed it in a glass frame, put magnets on the back and there you have a very fancy place to jot down your grocery list. I thought it was the neatest thing (and apparently stored it away in my brain for later).
Yesterday at lunch I found this antique frame at a flea market for $2 (score!) with really no particular thing in mind for it's use, I was just drawn to the embossed designs. By the time I got back to work with it my brain had pulled up that image of the nice dry erase board and I decided that would be what I would use it for. 
So then I went hunting for an image to use as my background and naturally I went to...
 The Graphics Fairy!
There I found this image...
It was "almost" exactly what I needed. So I played with it in Photoshop, which was a stretch for me as I have not worked with Photoshop much at all and everytime I go to do something with it I have to teach myself step by step what to do. So what I ended up with was this....

I took out the words and enlarged the center area with a lot of cut and paste.
I added the words rappelez-vous which is French for "do remember" (or at least I hope the online translator got it right) LOL
I made a .pdf file for you to use for PERSONAL USE only ( Thespoena McLaughlin 2010)...


I added a lot of embelishments by Prima Marketing. Say it in Crystals, Prima flowers, leaves etc.
I love the way it turned out. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it as it doesn't exactly match my decor. Most of my things are brown and blue. But I'm sure I'll find a use for it eventually when my studio gets done, if ever.


A little something else I found at the flea market was this vintage Avon pendant, it is so cute! A big pink swirly center with rhinestones all around. Too neat! I also found the old tattered silk hankies in pink and brown.
So yesterday must have been a day for pink! (Strange that I never used to like pink, I think it's growing on me, I'm even wearing it today.)
Have a Happy Day! 

 

12 comments:

Auntie Cake said...

Now I am absolutely dying to get to your flea market!!! Love, love, love the dry erase board, so cool! Great job with it, and I am saving my $$$ for Silver Bella, and I am gonna bunk in your studio when you get it done so I can visit your flea market!!!

Sugar Lump Studios said...

what a darling board! thank you for sharing this! :)

Anonymous said...

I love this image and use it all the time (including for my business cards) but this is absolutely incredible. I hope you won't mind if I do something along the same lines. It's totally inspiring.

LuLu Kellogg said...

This is so beautiful! I just visited your other Blog and found it there. You are a lovely soul for sharing the tutorial with everyone.

Warmly,
LuLu~*

Cindy Adkins said...

Oh I'm absolutely smitten with this fabulous piece you have created!!! It's ingenious and gorgeous all at the same time!
Hugs,
Cindy Adkins
www.recoveryartist.com

Donna said...

This is so gorgeous! I love how you embellished it!

Tammara said...

Your board is absolutely gorgeous! I love every detail!

Anonymous said...

Oh I love this! And for having to relearn Photoshop everytime you use it, you did a great job!

Wendy Aspinall said...

Beautiful idea, love the colour. A girl can never have enough pink in her life.
~Wendy

Karen The Graphics Fairy said...

This is wonderful! It's so pretty and useful too! What a smart brain you have to think of this.
I hear you about Photoshop, I'm having the same problem. I keep trying to learn it and then I don't use it for a couple of days, then when I go back to it, I forgot what I learned the last time. I wish it were more intuitive!

Anyway, thanks for linking this lovely piece up to Brag Monday. You did a wonderful job!

Laurie said...

This is so sweet! I really want to make one! I need a bigger one for my 'fridge, though -- I call it my brain!!

PetraB said...

I love the image you used and the way you used it is just adorable and so clever.

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