Love Button piece

I saw this super cute art piece on Grahm and Green but at 240 UK pounds (yeah, that's like $600!), I knew if I wanted it I would have to make it myself.

First, as always, the base for this project was an upcylced find from Goodwill. I didn't document this project so we'll just have to use our imaginations. The original print is in the back wall of this pic (from my baby shower) in 2006. I bought it for a whole $2.99 at Goodwill in 2005 because it matched the palm tree decor I had going on at the time (and yes, I know better now).

So, the ugly pineapple print got moved when we bought our house in 2006 (right after the baby was born) and then I moved it out with me in 2009 when my husband and I were divorcing. It got a small rip during the move, but for some reason I didn't through it away, I just kept moving it around and even tried selling it at two summer's worth of rummage sales for $1 thinking that some creative person would pick it up and do something with it but, no! Well, Lucky for me because it was the perfect size for this project.

First I removed the decorative metal half circle rivets that went all around the outside. I spray painted ivory over the pineapple just to get it covered up.

Then I printed the L O V E at 750 point in Baskerville Old Face... font. I trimmed the paper to fit my canvas and taped it in place. This was the template. 

I had several yards of ivory fabric (another Goodwill find at $2.99) left from another project that I double layered and fitted over the canvas. Then pulled tight and stapled temporarily in place. I sorted my cache of buttons in the four colors I wanted to use and then proceeded to get them laid out on top of the letters underneath the fabric. I hot glued them in place, but if you really wanted you could sew them on (but with the paper underneath you'd have to rip away what wouldn't get stitched in place). 

After everything was in place I removed the staples on two perpendicular sides so I could remove the sheets of paper underneath. I pulled the fabric tight again and stapled back into place, also added more staples around the other edges to keep it pulled tight. Then trim the excess fabric and reattached the metal rivets when I was done. Viola!