Things That (P)inspire Me: Words, words, words…

Polonius:

What do you read, my lord?

Hamlet:

Words, words, words.

-Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, by some old guy… rhymes with “steaks beer.”

(Thank you for humoring my theatre and literature nerdy-ness for just a moment.)

Ok, I looove DIY wall art, but I lack the key artistic skills necessary for the more obvious things (painting, drawing, etc.). However, I’m a big fan of words as decor, or typography as most of the blogosphere is referring to it (though the definition of the word typography is a little narrower than just “word art,” but I’ll ignore that for the sake of simplicity).

Last week, I posted about using Wordle.net to make fun, customized word clouds. After posting this, I got all excited about words as decor… then looked around my apartment and realized I was kind of already doing this (oh, the things I do to compensate for my lack of artistic skills):

These Mr. and Mrs. pillows in my bedroom…

The word “LOVE” right above the bed…

See the “YUM” letters in the kitchen?

Even one of my Christmas gifts to my brother involved words: Scrabble Tile Magnets

Variations on a theme, as you can see. So, I decided to probe the depths of Pinterest (along with a little Google image search action) to curate a collection of other examples of words as decor. As always, click on the image to take you back to the original source website.

Dresser with words made out of nail heads

Source: Fresh Home Ideas

Oh, Anthropologie...

Source: Me and Jilly (but originally featured at Anthrpologie)

aw...

Source: Scrap Studio

No, you are MY sunshine!

Source: Cellar Designs’ Etsy shop

Rug

Source: Home Goods blog

Click on the image to take you to a blog tutorial about how to do lettering without a stencil!

Source: That’s My Letter

Well, obviously I would love Scrabble tile pillows... who doesn't?

Source: Emma Smart

Top 500 SAT words shower curtain -- It's sold out, by the way, but I could totally make one of these.

Source: Urban Outfitters

Eye chart wall art

Source: ROC Eye Chart Art

Cardboard letters wrapped in a sheet of moss

Source: Pottery Barn

Yarn wrapped letters

Source: Cotton & Curls

a map of the world

Source: The Meta Picture

Letters wrapped in a page of a map

Source: Callaloo Soup

Framed letter collage

Source: eighteen25

Letters wrapped in string and tissue paper

Source: Kids’ Activities Blog

Large quote on plywood

Source: Nothing but Bonfires

"Love" string art

Source: Que Linda

Ooh… I especially like the last one. Reminds me of this project, but a slightly different technique. Hope you enjoyed my finds!

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Link URL: http://thegingerpennypincher.wordpress.com

Image URL: http://thegingerpennypincher.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/feature-on-the-gpp-button.jpg

Other things you might fancy…

Scrabble Tile Magnet Tutorial

Books and Nooks: The Living Room Edition

The Odyssey of the Curtain-Rod-Bookshelf Thing

Valentine’s DIY Printable (No Photoshop required!)

If you’ve been following my blog since its inception in September, you know that I’m CRAZY about Christmas decor, but not nearly as enthused for the other holidays.  Not that I don’t enjoy them as well, but I don’t have a pumpkin/autumnal leaves wreath… or a motorized turkey that sings, I don’t know, a Thanksgiving song?  (Do these actually exist?)

Valentine’s Day is no exception.  Usually, I spend this holiday with my three Valentines (husband and two dogs, of course)… and maybe there will be a meal out at a restaurant…  Or more likely, we end up cooking at home because we usually haven’t made a reservation anywhere and don’t want to brave the crowds and the lines… and the explosion of pink and red decor (not really my two fave colors).  

However, this year I decided to give in to the blogosphere-style peer pressure that’s been breathing down my neck.  (Seriously fellow bloggers, you guys are crazy about February 14th).

Then, I realized something curious once I took the plunge and actually started planning some Valentine’s posts:

I think I might be digging this Valentine’s thing….

???

Weird, right?  But seriously…  I think I might even be coming around to pink and red.  Maybe…

So here I am, post-plunge, and I plan on sharing a few V-day ideas with you over the next couple of weeks.  Glitter, sprinkles, and a general feeling of mushy-ness may be involved.  (Don’t say you weren’t warned.)

Today, I’m sharing a fun printable idea… great for Valentine’s cards.  I found the original method on Pinterest (where else?), and it was one of those where I went “Duh!  Why didn’t I think of that?”  But I didn’t;  a smart lady from Black and White {Side by Side} did.  (Check out this blog, as well as the instructions!)  It’s so easy — no Photoshop or even really fancy computer/design skills needed!  Just MS Word, Paintbrush, and about 5 minutes!

Here’s a screenshot of what I whipped up (again, using the method found at Black and White {Side by Side}):

And here’s a close-up (it’s “I love you” in various languages):

And here’s a printable if you want this one:  The GPP’s I love you languages printable

Or better yet, make your own!  It’s so easy…  

One mo’ again, here’s the link so you can learn how:  Black and White {Side by Side}

Enjoy!

Other stuff  you might fancy…

Wordles:  Free, Easy Typographic Art

State String Art

Upcycling Wrapping Paper and Tissue Paper