Our family is full of reading fanatics. Christian is a machine and has read literally hundreds of books, and Andrew is quickly catching up. I am thrilled that they love to read! When I go into their room at 10:00 at night and they are still reading, I have to remind myself not to be too upset because I can clearly remember doing the same thing when I was growing up.
By far, their favorite genre to read is fantasy. Most of the fantasy books they are reading are new to me because I spent most of my time reading historical fiction or mysteries. Jonathon and I have now caught up on the genre and have read most of the series that the boys really enjoy like: Harry Potter (I didn't read it until I was 24 years old, and still fell in love!), Fablehaven, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson, Magic Treehouse, etc.
I wanted to encourage their love of reading and also wanted to decorate with something that really represented our family. When I saw a sign post on Pinterest one day with signs pointing to various places from literature, I knew that we needed it. I looked at several different examples and decided what style I liked, and then personalized it to fit our family. Obviously, there had to be a location from Harry Potter, but after that, I got the kid's advice about what else should be included. In the end, the rough sketch of the sign post included 5 different Fantasy locations:
Hogwarts- "Harry Potter"
Narnia- "The Chronicles of Narnia"
Camp Half-Blood- "Percy Jackson"
Fablehaven- "Fablehaven"
The Shire- "Lord of the Rings"
After I had settled on my fantasy locations, I started sketching some basic ideas of what I wanted each sign to look like. I am not an expert woodworker, so I kept the designs pretty simple. Jonathon cut me some basic arrows out of old pallet boards, and then I used a coping saw to shape one of the boards to look like a pointing finger. After they were cut, I sanded them down so they were fairly smooth. Then I painted the base color that I chose for each one. I wanted them to each be unique to the place they represented, but to all fit together as well.
Next, I found special fonts and examples of specific writing styles for each of the places that I had chosen. Then I printed them off, just the right size to fit on the boards. I taped down the printed paper to the board so it wouldn't move, and then used a pen to trace the letters onto the board. I pressed hard on the paper to create an indent on the wood, but trying not to get ink on the wood. It took a little practice to get just the right depth where there was a consistent indent that I could see when I removed the paper. After the letters and artwork were traced onto the board, I hand painted all of the signs. The indent proved to be very helpful because it provided a lip that the paint could stop in so that it kept the letters looking crisp. It took quite a long time to get everything done, but I actually really enjoyed it and would work on them in the evenings after the kids were in bed.
When all of the painting was done, I sprayed them with multiple coats of clear craft sealer so that they wouldn't fade or chip as easily. Then I got Jonathon to hang them up for me. We had an old dead tree trunk in the backyard that had been chopped off before we moved in. It was about 6 feet tall and was the perfect place to put the signs. Jonathon carefully nailed them on, and then we stepped back to admire it. I absolutely loved it! It was fun and whimsical, and I was so proud of how it turned out.
It stayed outside for a few months, but already I could tell that they were starting to fade, and I noticed that unfortunately, the sprinkler came on every morning and sprayed them. I knew that they wouldn't last very long in those conditions, so I had to decide what to do. I was so sad to take them down, but I wasn't about to repaint all of those signs any time soon. So, I created a sign post in the play area of the house. It didn't have quite the same feel, but I know they will last a lot longer indoors. I have started to decorate the room around them to make it a fun reading area. I hope that whoever looks at it will be inspired and feel the magic that comes along with reading a great book.
1 comment:
I've seen this idea before and loved it too! So fun you actually took the initiative to implement it!
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