DIY Children’s Profile Plaques using Woodgrain!

Hey again ATT readers! Beth here again from Sawdust and Embryos! …it’s great to be back! So this time around, I’m going to change things up a bit. Instead of a furniture tutorial, I’m gonna show you guys how to make these adorable woodgrain Profile Plaques for your kiddos, or to give as gifts!

Using a child’s profile as artwork is all the rage right now, and I’ve seen it done with bright contact paper, or fabric as the profile, etc. But I set out to make one using woodgrain (similar to our coffee table makeover) because it’s classy and chic! And oh so easy!

You’ll want to start out with a slab of wood with routed edges. You can get these at any craft store, or you can have one cut at your local lumber yard. Just make sure the one you choose has beautiful woodgrain!

We wanted a dark stain (to contrast with the white paint we were planning to use), so we went with Minwax Ebony. Slather your stain on and let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes. Don’t forget to wear gloves! MESSY MESSY!

The longer you let it sit, the darker your stain! Wipe the excess stain off with a dry cloth to reveal your beautiful woodgrain! You can always reapply for an even richer color. No need to bother with the edges of your wood, because that’s going to be covered in paint when it’s all said and done!

Poly your plaque and let it dry for at least 24 hours, if not longer.

Next, you’ll take a photograph of your baby or child’s profile. Since my girls were just a couple months old, it was easiest to do this while they were sleeping.

Using Avery Clear Sticker Paper, print out your child’s profile directly onto the sticker paper.

…and carefully cut around their profile!! (creepy, right?!)

Next, we had our girl Dana (our vinyl dealer!) cut us a decorative name vinyl. If you’re cool enough to have a Cricut or Silhouette, you can just cut your design directly from the Sticker Paper! When applying your vinyl or sticker to the plaque, make sure you have it perfectly centered! (If you’d like Dana’s contact info, shoot me an email!)

Lay your baby profile onto the plaque and decide exactly where you want it. And simply peel off the backing…

…and slap that sucker on! Make sure you put it right in the center, and press it on good firm!

Next, slather on a coat of polyurethane, and let it dry for 4 hours.

Then you’ll prime using Kilz spray. Let that dry for 1 hour.

And finally spray-paint with your color choice! We went with white.

IMMEDIATELY after you’re done spray-painting, you’ll want to start removing the stickers. If the paint gets too dry, it’ll start pulling up paint that’s not supposed to pull up! Believe me, you don’t want that! We used a razor blade to pull up the corners.

Pulling back the stickers to reveal your beautiful woodgrain is SUCH instant gratification!

And you’re left with a beautiful (and sentimental) piece of artwork that will stand the test of time! And it will LOOK like you paid someone BIG money to handcraft it for you. Get ready for bragging rights!

Now that you see how simple the process is… back awayyyyyy from the computer, and go make one for your child! (or niece/nephew/neighbor/grandchild/etc!)

As usual… come on over to Sawdust and Embryos. And here’s a link to more of our crafty projects!! Enjoy your weekend!