eyeful of lovely: Last Minute Valentine's Gift: Gold Thumbtack Art

Hi! You know when you envision something in your head and than you try it and it turns out nothing like you thought it would? This is complete opposite. :) I had this idea for some time but I thought for sure it wouldn't work out the way I wanted it to. But, it did! And it's so easy! I am so happy to share this with you today! Just in time for Valentine's Day! This would be great as a last minute gift idea but it's also just cute- You know my love for gold... Make one for your home, change the words or use silver thumbtacts! It's very versatile! Also, inexpensive.

What you need:
Canvas (I used 2 8X10 inexpensive ones)
Bought them in Michaels, the craft store, and they were on sale for $5 for 2. If they are not on sale, make sure to use the 40% coupon on your phone!

2 Boxes Gold thumbtacks (from the Dollar Tree!) $2

For the LOVE sign:
First, freestyle your word of choice on your canvas using pencil. I practiced a bit before drawing on the canvas. You can also do some web searching to mimic a font you like. Cursive is much easier to do than straight font because getting the thumbtacks straight is rather tricky. But I love the idea of a thick uppercase LOVE print-(like THIS! my absolute favorite) if you have the courage to try!

Than start tacking away, putting in tacks the way you would write the word and going with the flow. The ends are not easy to get in (because of the wood frame backing) but with some pressure and a little hammer, it turns out fine!)

The heart:
Since I had another canvas, I decided to try a heart. This was a bit more time consuming but still worth it! If i could redo it I would pick a smaller heart. The wood edge was tough to get through to create a cohesive flow!
First, print off a template. Trace and start tacking. I started at the bottom and went in rows, from left to right. The most important thing is to keep a straight line. If you press a thumbtact in too high or low, just take it out and redo it. The "mess-ups" won't be visible! It also helps to draw some lines at the bottom to guide you. I overlapped the tacts, having a more scale-ly affect. This also helped cover up imperfections.