Can you even believe that it is already November? Where is time going? I feel like I blinked and I missed fall. What exactly is happening? Is time literally going faster? I need to look into that. Can you even imagine scientists saying the millisecond is actually shorter now. It’s probably true. I want credit for that discovery. Write that down.
So this post was supposed to go up earlier…like I said, time flies….BUT I am obsessed with it. I am so glad that I did this project and I absolutely love it! It’s so easy to customize and it is something that is full of sentimental value!
That may look like just a framed piece of paper….and that is exactly what it is. Those are the wedding vows that Jeremy and I memorized and recited during our wedding. It may not make sense if you just read it how it is written but imagine two people going back and forth, reciting part by part, back and forth, back and forth. I might just cry thinking about that moment in my life and how much perfection was in that single minute. It’s kinda crazy now but truly – that was my favorite thing about the entire wedding…more than the food, or dress, or venue or decor. It was just us in that moment…and as stressful as memorizing it and saying it in front of hundreds of people was….it represents the beginning of our story! I really wanted to make something to commemorate that!
So the paper itself was actually just the words typed out and printed to 24×36 size at Office Depot. They do a large format print (it’s called an engineer print at Staples and a large format b&w print at Office Depot) and they charge per square foot (I had six square feet so mine cost under $3).
Always make sure you buy the Ninja Turtle Pencil 🙂
The wood frame was relatively simple too. It’s a thin 1/4″ piece of plywood that is cut to 24×36 and then 1×3’s that are cut to fit around the plywood.
We don’t have a router (SHAME) so in order to get the groves in the frame part, we run each piece through the table saw. It takes a couple passes but the grove can be chiseled out with a screwdriver.
See how the groove is in there? Now the plywood can fit in the groove and when you nail the frame edges together, it is sturdy and not too difficult to make!
For the frame part, I used Rust-Oleum’s Kona stain and semi-gloss poly. The stain I did REALLY lightly because I like the grain showing more.
Isn’t it so purdy!?! Like a chocolate bar that I want to chomp into!
Since I would be trimming my paper to fit perfectly, I also did the inside corners really well. It helps hide any cutting issues 🙂
I used Mod Podge to glue the paper down and I am gonna warn you….this was probably the hardest part because it dries pretty fast!
I poured a ton out and then spread it out with a foam brush. The paper got laid in after that….this is what was hard.
As I was smoothing it out, Jeremy said that he liked it more wrinkly….so then I had to go back quickly and try to put some wrinkles in it. Using two hands, I would slowly push the page together till I got a little crease and then moved to another area to repeat.
Once it was dry, it was ready to hang. I just used a nail in the wall (the plywood is inset just a little forward so it gives you a little lip to hang on!).
We hung it right next to our bed (excuse the lack of duvet and euro pillow covers….there was a ‘burp incident’).
I love the simplicity of it and how I know that nobody else will have that in their room 🙂
And the wrinkles are growing on me. I think I liked it straight better but I see how this looks more aged.
And now Jeremy never has an excuse to forget our anniversary 🙂
So that is our most recent DIY anniversary gift. Have you ever made something for your spouse or for celebrating your big day? I’d love to hear all about it. I’d even go so far as to VOW to be wowed 🙂
I’m glad you explained that, because some of it didn’t make complete sense! I get it now, I get it 🙂 Special and personal………..
This is a lovely idea! For our first anniversary, I had our vows hand written by a friend who does calligraphy. The traditional first anniversary gift is paper, so I was pretty proud of myself!
as always, love this..but also love that organization of a work area. Post request on that please! 🙂
I love it. It’s great to have something so meaningful in your bedroom for just the two of you. And you are much quicker than I am. It took me 17 years but I finally made a pillow with the words to the first song we danced to at our wedding on them. You can check it out here: http://controllingcraziness.blogspot.com/2013/08/personalized-pillow.html
I did kind of the same thing, but on a smaller scale. We are huge Mumford and Sons fans, and “our song” is ‘Lover of the Light,’ which we had friends sing during our wedding ceremony. For our first anniversary – the ‘paper’ anniversary – I typed the lyrics in grey and made the words ‘lover of the light’ pink (grey and pink were our unofficial wedding colors). Then, I added our initials and wedding date at the bottom and framed it with a piece of music note scrapbook paper behind it. It’s hanging on our gallery wall 🙂
Love it!
Reminds me of the “post -it” from Meredith and Derick’s ‘marriage’ on Grey’s Anatomy. lol
Katie,
I really enjoyed reading this post and I wanted to share with you about my ketubah that my husband and I signed at our wedding. My husband is a Messianic Jew and I am a Christian. One of the things we wanted to do was honor Jewish traditions in our wedding and one of those is the signing of the ketubah. It is the marriage contract which contains your wedding vows written in Hebrew and in English along with your signatures and those of your witnesses including your rabbi. Ours is actually a painting of irises that has the wording printed on the interior of the art. It was created by an Israeli artist and it is framed and hangs on our living room wall as a beautiful reminder of our commitment to God, our marriage and family. I think is is so nice that you and Jeremy will have this to look at in days to come. I enjoy looking at ours every day! I would love to send you a photograph if you have an address that I can send it to!
Today is my 8th anniversary 🙂 Maybe I can make some art for next year!
I love this!!! Amazing!
I have that pillow!!! On your bed, with the gray and yellow flowers and green leaves. I made it for my guest room from some fabric I found at Old Time Pottery, and also made some little window valences and recovered a seat. It was one of my first (maybe the first?) home décor sewing projects ever (not to imply that there have been lots), and I am STILL so proud of how it turned out. I’ve never seen that fabric elsewhere…when I saw it on your bed, I think my heart skipped a beat. I’ve never felt so……COOL!!!! I have something in my house that Katie Bower has in hers!!! Oh, yeah, totally strutting around like I won the lottery- Ha!
Returning to topic, your vow art is cool, too :~)
This is so sweet! I like the wrinkles too.
I love this idea! I think I’m going to try it, but am going to pour in a high gloss resin over the paper. I think I’d really love how intentional the wrinkles would look under that finish. https://jet.com/product/detail/d4bc22c2324c480a96ce755990d8237e?jcmp=pla:ggl:arts_entertainment_a3:hobbies_creative_arts_arts_crafts_a3_other:na:na:na:na:na:2&code=PLA15&k_clickid=ce382853-6838-4c1e-baa5-a1deac141008&gclid=CJ-F-4b1mskCFYc8gQod7vMBjw
Pretty cool. I think it would also look good smaller and with the words superimposed over a pretty beach scene or something.
Hi Katie!
I absolutely LOVE your vows! How beautiful they are. That must have been a special moment to share with your husband in front of your friends and family. Thank you sharing them with us 🙂
And you shouldn’t apologize for missing pillowcases! I never would have noticed! 😉
Elizabeth
This is such an awesome gift! I don’t have our vows but I keep meaning to put a few of our wedding photos together in a frame with our anniversary date.
Love it! I totally did a smaller version of this for my hubby a few years back. I printed out our vows, sketched a giant “I Love You” over the text, and framed it. It’s nestled in a collection of wedding photos and a small Eiffel Tower (we lived in Paris, MI when we first got married).
Hi Katie, have you ever tried Yes! Paste? It is a special kind of glue with the specific task of glueing paper to other material without wrinkling. I had never heard of it until it was recommended all the students buy it for an art class; it worked out really well.
Yep, I made this for my husband. It hangs by our back door. Because we hang the dogs leashes back there people think it’s a sign for the dogs…but really it’s for my husband!
http://www.flimsypi.com/?p=2050
Aww, I love this! Great job!
We “made” this for our 25th Anniversary!
http://oldlakegeorge.com/2015/06/milestone-anniversary/
So…. what program did you do the vows in? Word? How did you get it to space out like that? When I try “Justify” in word, it doesn’t spread it out…
I truly LOVE that piece. I’ve been thinking of doing some type of vow art too. I even thought about using sheet music that had our first dance. I’ve never used Modge Podge, GASP, I know. But I have used Spray Mount, aka spray glue. I used it at work. (it’s like hair spray. I grew up in the 80’s so I know all about that!) I assume that I could also use it for a project like this. I’m with you. I think I like the smooth better. I may like the aged look better if it were tea stained, who knows. It’s really awesome though!
No I haven’t! Thank you for the recommendation – I’ll have to check it out 🙂
xo – kb
Hahaha! I got it at TJMaxx so that fabric must have ben making it’s rounds 🙂
xo – kb
Aww….I miss that show.
xo – kb
Here is my email:
[email protected]
I’d love to see it 🙂
xo – kb
So funny!
xo – kb
Aww W2W that is adorable!
xo – kb
I did it in Photoshop and I did justify all. Then I chose where I wanted to have the breaks so that it wouldn’t be eight words on the first sentence and three on the next so I would hit RETURN to break them up more evenly.
xo – kb
Ice cream. yum 🙂
xo – kb
I just did this exact project on a really large old map I found online of our city. I found it realllllly difficult to do such a big piece of paper without any wrinkles! Luckily the map is full of lines & squiggles, so the wrinkles aren’t too noticeable. At the time I printed out the map, I also printed out my favorite quote in a sort of looks-like-the-page-of-a-book style. I desperately wanted it to be wrinkle-free, so I’ve yet to pull the plug on the project. But after this post, I’m going to let a little of my OCD tendencies go and embrace the wrinkly look! And thanks for the easy tutorial on the frame – we have both a table saw now and a router (gotta love a husband who gives his wife tools for Christmas & her birthday!!), and I’m going to get right on making this!!
And P.S. – I’m totally stealing the wedding vow idea for our bedroom. 🙂
One recommendation – I really did like this paper better than the Staples print. I don’t know exactly how it is different (weight or what) but it was thicker and easier to do no-wrinkles 🙂
xo – kb
This is so lovely, and special, and simple to do (for you)!
This might be my most favorite thing you’ve ever done. Love, love, love. This is happening. Thank you!
Lovely! I made something similar for our first anniversary and love it hanging in our bedroom. It’s a nice reminder of our vows too, which I loved for their simplicity.
http://www.birdsofberwick.com/2013/11/13/first-year-gifts/
I can’t find this option on their website. Help!
nvm. Used the item number from your receipt. Thanks for including it!
What a smart cookie you are 🙂
xo – kb
I’ve been *searching* for the right project for our vows, and am relieved and unbelievably excited to find this! With your permission, I’d love to recreate the aesthetics of your project as closely as possible. I read that you justified in photoshop, but would you mind sharing the font and anything else helpful for creating this with our own vows? (I have access to photoshop but am in no way proficient…) Thank you, thank you!!
Would you mind sharing the font you used for this project? Thanks!
I have completely forgotten which one I used. I’m so sorry!
xo – kb
I love this. I thought I read somewhere, and now I can’t find it, that you double spaced the words or something..did I read that or no?
I justified it for the words to be from side to side (it’s the one next to the justify right and justify left)…does that make sense? And if one line was too full of words, then I pressed enter so that some words would go to the next line.
xo – kb