DIY Wedding Guest Book - Stamped Tree Collage

Wedding guest books are so special to read and keep after the wedding--the only problem is that you have to take it out and actually take time to read it.  We have probably only read our guest book a couple times since our wedding just because it is usually boxed away with our other wedding memorabilia.  That's why I love the idea of turning your wedding guest book into a work of art.  Here's a wedding idea that you can hang up in our house and look at often.  Instead of signing a guest book, guests stamp and sign their names on a blank canvas to complete a picture.  Thanks to Esther and Joy for helping me with this project!

Materials: stiff posterboard or canvas,  leaf stamps, green inkpad, brown paint,  paint brush

1.     Paint the branches of a tree and letters onto the blank canvas with brown paint.  If you don’t want to free draw the tree, try this simple technique:

1. Print out a picture of a tree you want to trace and enlarge if necessary.  On the back of the paper, use a lead pencil to shade in areas of where the tree is printed on the front side.

2. Place the printed picture of the tree on top of your canvas and secure it with tape.  With a pencil or a ballpoint pen, trace the tree on the front side of the paper.

3. The shaded pencil on the back of the paper will make a carbon-like print onto the canvas.

4. Remove the paper and paint over the pencil lines on canvas.

5. You can repeat the above process to paint names on to the canvas.

On your wedding day, leave out stamp pads and leaf stamps for guests to stamp onto the tree.  Have guests sign their names on each leaf with a permanent marker.

-       If you are using a stretched canvas for your collage, stack a book or magazines underneath the canvas to fill in the empty space underneath the canvas.  This will help guests to stamp evenly onto the canvas.

Have fun!