So once again this year, I’m doing that Facebook pay it forward routine. The idea is to do something nice for 5 people who must pay it forward by also doing something nice for 5 others. If you look at one of my previous posts, you can see what I made last year.
Rather than wait until all five gifts are created, I’ve decided to post about them as I make them. This is mainly due to the fact that gifts this year will be much more involved and take longer.
So, up first is my excellent friend from high school, Jon. (Jon has a special place in my heart because for a NHS induction ceremony, we did a spoof of Batman. He was Batman, and I was Robin. It was a most excellent skit.)
Jon gets a handmade “vintage” beer sign. I searched around for beer signs to get some ideas. One thing I really liked was those old signs that were actually printed on mirrors. This gives a nice effect.
First, I needed a mirror. I scored this one at Construction Junction for $5 as part of a bathroom vanity. $5! Total win!
I also scored some wood for making the mirror frame for $2. $2! Total win!
Next, I tore things apart. Check out the manly guy taking a photograph.
After a quick trip to TechShop to plane the wood, I ripped it to size to run on my router.
Then it was time to cut it and dry fit things.
And on to gluing and staining.
Add some hanging hardware and some finishing nails to hold the mirror in place, and the major construction is done.
Now for the fun part. I designed the logo and such in CorelDraw and went to TechShop again to use the vinyl cutter. Here’s the result.
The shadow text is from the flash illuminating onto the background and reflecting into the mirror.
Overall, I’m pretty happy. Some of the vinyl has air bubbles and such. It’s hard to get them out with the black on red vinyl, as that stuff really, really, really likes to stick to itself.
So here’s to you, Jon. If you don’t already have one, I hope this sign gives you an excuse to set up a bar or man cave or “me space” where you can hang this prominently.