Have you seen Craft Paper Scrolls before while your browsing Pinterest, Etsy, or maybe even in a home décor store? These new trendy home décor pieces can run you a whopping $70.00 and most averaging between $42.00 to $65.00 for a decently sized printed paper scroll. Yes, they can be drool worthy! BUT, if you're anything like me... you will probably accidently say "I could make that myself for a whole cheaper" out loud at the wrong moment. Every time I go to a craft show, my mom and I will say this... whoops.
It's okay, there's nothing wrong with buying a drool worthy piece of art for your home. I'm not shaming you, "Karen". All I am saying is I found a way to d.i.y these craft paper scrolls myself. They are not printed with a machine. Honey, you're gonna get a quick lesson in Sharpie calligraphy 101. Ready? Let's go to calligraphy school.
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Ain't She Purdy?!
Alright, listen here! I know my font isn't 100% consistent, but whose hand writing is? I absolutely love the way this d.i.y craft paper scroll turned out! I loved it so much and that I was crazy enough to make two more- ha! I made one for my mom and sister with the Christmas song lyrics they requested. My sister's was "Carol of the Bells" and oh my gawd that was so much writing!
Here's What You Will Need:
roll of craft paper - this is the size I used
ruler
pencil
large eraser
Sharpie
scotch tape or hot glue
paper towel tube x2
rope, jute, or ribbon- if you plan to hang it.
a whole lot of patience, coffee, and Jesus.
Got What You Need? Alright... LET'S DO THIS THING!
Step 1:
Run around your house and find all the pretty things. Scatter them.. I mean purposely arrange them with intention on top of the craft paper. Take a pretty picture. Say "cheese" Scroll. :) Alright, we can start now.
Actual Step 1:
Take a minute and hop on Pinterest. Search fonts, calligraphy, pretty fonts, etc. Until you find a font style you like and think you can mimic. I remember in High School Art Class, one of our assignments was to pick 5 different styles of font and we had replicate them. I hated it with a passion. Look at me now, 10 years later, with a giant 4 foot by 4 foot chalkboard that hangs in my kitchen. I replicate fonts every other month. If you have pretty hand writing to begin with; don't be afraid to just use that.
Step 2:
On a piece of note book paper, write down what you plan to write on the scroll. Then practice the font style you chose a few times on the note book paper until you feel confident in your ability to mimic it.
Step 3:
Measure the space you plan to write in. Decide how big you want the font. Do you want the font 3 inches tall? Maybe you want it smaller or larger. Maybe you certain words to be larger to stand out, while other words are smaller. Come up with a plan and then you will mark off the space where you will be writing.
Step 4:
I marked the top and bottom margins on my scroll. These margins are going to be the space I want blank. Take into consideration that you will be rolling the tops and bottoms of your scroll. I would estimate about 12 inches of paper to be rolled and then about 2 inches of margin space- give or take. Do what feels right to you!
Step 5:
Measure 1 inch in from the sides, this will be your side margins. To write the lyrics "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas", I wrote out on my notebook paper how I wanted it, and then counted how many lines of text I would have. I am going to have 12 lines for my text. I decided to write my font 3 inches tall (the tall letters like "t","l","h","k" will be 3 inch tall max / while other letters may reach more of like 2.5 inches).
I am going to mark 3 inches down from my top margin line. Then I am going to continue to mark every 3 inches down the paper on the left and right side of the craft paper until I've reach a total of 12 marks. Then with your ruler, draw a straight line horizontally across the paper from your left and right marks. Creating 12 straight lines on your scroll to write your text on. Try to draw these lines faintly and not with too much pressure. We will have to erase them and we don't want it to leave a pressure line.
Step 6:
You can now start writing your text in pencil. Make adjustments as you go and correct all spelling errors before you move on. When you are confident in the way it looks, it's time to bust out the Sharpie! Go over your pencil lines with the Sharpie. If you want your font to have that calligraphy look, this is how you do it. Every time you write down, you will make that line wider with the Sharpie. Go over it twice to create a thicker width. Every time your hand goes up on the letter, this area will be thinner. Give the Sharpie time to dry. Then with a eraser, you will need to erase all your pencil lines. This is where we use our patience, grab a cup of coffee, and invite Jesus over.
Step 7:
Take a used paper towel roll and roll the 12 inch blank craft paper over the paper towel tube. Using scotch tape or top glue, secure the paper in place. Do the same to the bottom of the scroll. Use a piece of thin roll, jute string, or ribbon and feed it through the paper towel tube on the top roll. Tie the string. You can now hand your d.i.y craft paper scroll in your home. If you wish to use your d.i.y craft paper scroll as a table runner, you will not be doing this step.
You can use your d.i.y craft paper scroll as art work to hang over your fireplace mantle, or hang as a front door sign, or simply hang on the wall. Use it as a holiday table runner cascading over the end of your dinning table or entry table.
Impress your holiday guest by using a roll of wrapping table as a table cloth runner across the top of your table. Then layer the d.i.y craft paper scroll on top. Add candles, greenery picks, garland, holiday serving dishes to the top of your table for a festive and fun look. The best part is- it's paper!!! You can simple crumble it up after the party and throw it away! Easy clean up!
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