I was looking for ideas for a Father’s day gift that I could make using my Cricut. Many men in Australia have a man cave or a men’s shed as they call them. I thought a man cave sign with man cave rules would be a great idea. I looked online for ideas and most of the man cave signs were all made as not to offend others or worded to be politically correct.
But that is not the real world when it comes to a man cave sign. Imagine this… 5 Guys sitting around a bar drinking and chatting and one goes, oops sorry I have flatulence and belching issues today. That is just not how men behave in the real world. These were the funny rules I think men would really like in their man cave.
I was looking on Pinterest for new ideas when I came across the reverse canvas. This method is when you take a canvas, and remove it from the frame and put it back the other way around. This method is used mainly to make signs or to add iron-on vinyl to the canvas. I used this method because I have access to lots of used canvases. I work in aged care and when our residents do art therapy the canvases are thrown away if the resident does not want to keep it. We ended up with a large box of used canvases, so this method was perfect for me.
How to make a funny bar rules sign
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Removing the canvas from the frame
It makes no big difference using a used frame for this project because it will be on the back which will be covered.
To remove the canvas you will need a staple remover to pull all the staples out. Pliers can be used to remove staples that don’t come all the way out.
Once the canvas is removed, You can paint the frame with black gesso. You can also stain the wood if you like.
When I was painting the wood I noticed the corners all have this messy finished which I did not like. My idea then changed and I gave the frame a mixed media makeover.
Cover the edges of the frame
To hide the messy finish on the frame I used Elmer’s glue and some serviettes. I added a coat of Elmer’s glue to the frame and covered the glue with a serviette. You can use your fingers to push the serviette into the glue and push the serviette to get a bunched effect. You can add another layer of glue over the top to make it more durable. Once the glue was dry I used a sanding block to remove the excess paper.
Add elements to the frame
I used nuts, bolts, Allen key, hinges, washers and thumbtacks etc that I found in my workshop. I used some steampunk charms and resin chess pieces that were leftover from my Game of thrones Lamp which was so popular. You can use hot glue to add some character to the frame, this looks great once highlighted. You can add whatever you like to the frame. To glue the elements in place I used a hot glue gun and E6000 glue.
Adding text to the canvas
Place the frame over the canvas and measure the space you have available for your text. You can also draw a pencil line around the outside of the frame, you will need this later.
The text for this project was made on a Cricut Explore Air 2 vinyl cutter. I added the rules I wanted to have on my canvas in Design space. Design space is the software for the Cricut vinyl cutter. Once I was happy with all the fonts and the layout the Cricut did the rest. I used iron-on vinyl for this project, so make sure you mirror the image in design space so it cuts the correct way.
Weed the vinyl
To weed the vinyl means to remove all the excess vinyl, so you are only left with the words or images you want to keep. I use and X-acto knife to do weeding, but there are proper weeding tools if you want them instead. The sticky backing film can now be positioned on the canvas ready to be ironed on. Put the frame over the text one last time to check the position is correct.
Cover the text with a cloth and using a hot iron with no steam, push down on the iron. I do 8 seconds at a time, you can lift the film to see if it is transferring. Try not to push it around like you would an iron because it will smudge like my last line of text.
Cut the canvas
Where you drew the line around the inside of the canvas, draw another line all the way around 1cm in. Cut around the inside line, this will give you a 1cm overlap on the frame.
Paint the frame
I used black Gesso to paint the frame. Paint over everything so you have no colour showing. Gesso is a primer and has very good coverage that is why I chose to use it. But any black acrylic paint will work.
Add the bronze wax paste
I have made a few of my own wax pastes in different colours, but bronze is my favourite. Using your finger, dip it in the paste and rub your finger over the surface of the canvas. Don’t fill in all the nooks and crannies or the look is not as effective. Repeat this process over all the elements on the frame.
Staple the canvas to the frame
To keep the back of my frame tidy, because I had all the painting on the back. I cut a piece of craft paper the same size as the canvas which will also be used to hide the staples. Staple the canvas to the back of the frame. Using masking tape to attach the craft paper.
And TA-DA that is the man cave sign done. Here are some close-ups so you can see the detail.
More man cave projects
Wall-mounted drop-down pallet bar
Wine barrel table with built-in wine bucket.
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16 Comments
Michelle Leslie
July 27, 2019 at 4:04 pmLOL, my hubby would love a sign like this in his pub. The words are perfect
Anita Holland
July 28, 2019 at 12:21 amThank you, I think any man would. We just have to be politically correct all the time so as not to offend. We all had a good giggle over it.
Michele Michael
October 24, 2019 at 2:09 pmSaved to my Father’s Day board. Totally in sync with your artsy vibe!!! Please psot again at Funtastic Friday , Thursday Night at 9pm est
Robin
October 26, 2019 at 2:22 amWhen you have all boys, your whole house becomes a man cave! Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us at the Creative Muster. Looking forward to seeing what you’ll be sharing next week. Pinning!
Robin 😊
Anita Holland
October 26, 2019 at 8:27 pmMy workshop used to be his man cave until I took over. lol
Cecilia
October 28, 2019 at 2:44 amThanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
Dee | Grammy's Grid
November 1, 2019 at 10:58 amPerfect for a man cave!! Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 6. Shared.
Anita Holland
November 1, 2019 at 7:59 pmThank you so much!
Mother of 3
November 1, 2019 at 2:49 pmI Love it! Those rules are hilarious.
Anita Holland
November 1, 2019 at 7:59 pmThank you, they were my Husbands contribution. 🙂
Julie
November 6, 2019 at 12:02 amHa ha! Very funny!!!
Anita Holland
November 6, 2019 at 12:19 amThank you Julie, we thought they were funny. It is what men really want in their shed.:)
Kristie Cook
November 7, 2019 at 3:01 pmGreat mixed media frame & sign! No doubt that’s what real men do in their man caves, ha ha!
Anita Holland
November 7, 2019 at 8:30 pmThank you Kristie, It turned out pretty cute.
Michelle
November 9, 2019 at 7:07 amThat is awesome and so funny!
DIY Man Cave Sign – Home and Garden
April 26, 2022 at 4:10 pm[…] This sign was made as a fathers day gift to go into a man cave /man shed. These rules were made up by men (this is what they want). The frame was a reverse canvas which was decorated with items found around a work shed and glued in place. The text was added using iron-on vinyl cut with a Cricut. You can see the full cricut tutorial here. […]