# Keith & Sarah's Wedding Gift



## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

I could use some input on this project.

Is this too busy, or too floosey for a wedding gift?

Originally, I didn't have the flourishes in each corner. So do I remove a couple or all?

Their last name is Kotal. Since I used the house to replace the "o", I thought it would be nice to use the heart, and paint it red. Keith's mom suffers from heart disease, so the red seems appropriate.

Note: I already have the work piece stained and ready to carve. The stain is a dark brown (Rustoleum KONA). That is why I was thinking about using white for the text.

OH, and four pegs to make it a coat rack.

Your thought appreciated.
Thanks
Mike


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

I personally like the black,I also might remove the est think most people would understand thai is when they were married the reason to balance the lettering on the board


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

My vote would be #2. But that is just my choice others may not agree. Like the coat rack idea.


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## kklowell (Dec 26, 2014)

I like both 1 and 2, without the "Est"


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Very nice idea. Can't really choose between the three but the middle one- the black stands out better, IMHO. My wife and I have a goblet that is etched with our first names and the date- June 17, 1972. Didn't think I remembered, did you?


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

I like the black, and have no problem leaving the est on. Not thrilled with the top tho. My preference would be to have the last name on the sign under the two names. Might have to make the sign a bit taller, but that would be no biggie. Coat hanger would be your choice. Or, make it a key rack, always handy, and make a separate coat tree.


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

I like the black, Mike. And the 'est.' is used often on signs like this so I have no issue with it. It's a good looking sign/coat holder!

David


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

JOAT said:


> I like the black, and have no problem leaving the est on. Not thrilled with the top tho. My preference would be to have the last name on the sign under the two names. Might have to make the sign a bit taller, but that would be no biggie. Coat hanger would be your choice. Or, make it a key rack, always handy, and make a separate coat tree.


This was my inspiration...


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

The white lettering looks good on the black background. But yours isn't black so you could use either one, really. I still like the black lettering on yours.

David


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Mike, I'm going to take a little bit from some of the other comments:

I like #1 with the white lettering (I think black is too dark), but would remove the "est". I like the name on top but I would remove the house and leave the heart for the "o". I do like the flourishes in the corners.

In the end though, you know them better than we do, so your opinion is what really counts.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

vchiarelli said:


> In the end though, you know them better than we do, so your opinion is what really counts.


Yep, that is the real bottom line.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Mike I like the flourishes. The Est is personal taste, I think the date stands for itself but I have done many inlays for wedding cutting boards and I would say 95% of the customers want the Est on the date. The house could be changed to an "O" but I see no problem with either one. I would use the black if the stain is on the light side and white if it is on the dark side. If the stain is a medium color then it would be personal taste.


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

Since you ask, I like the flourishes but I’m not a fan of the black. It's just me, I know, but the black seems too harsh. Lately, I have been using Rustoleum's red primer instead of black because it tends to look like brown on the wood and gives a softer look that still has contrast. Then again, I kept my cypress natural and yours will be using a dark brown stain so the reddish brown may not work.


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## Danman1957 (Mar 14, 2009)

Mike,

I like the black and agree with Vince about the house. I like the house you posted on the Home sign but I think the heart and house leads to confusion. May I suggest the board could be cut in the house shape and then use the heart for the O and I think it would be nice. The est. seems more common in the USA than here but I've seen it many times so it's ok.

Dan


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Mike, what about cutting out the background? I like your font better though... what is it?


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## old coasty (Aug 15, 2014)

Another vote for the black.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

TenGees said:


> Mike, what about cutting out the background?* I like your font better though... what is it?*


Mechanic of the Heart


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

MT Stringer said:


> This was my inspiration...


It does look more substantial and is my choice.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Mike, I just re-read my post and realised that I hadn't given you credit for your design which was just fine, however, it's a fact that one of the easiest things in life is to improve on something that already exists.


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## marecat3 (Nov 30, 2010)

2nd one stands out the most


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Liking the black fonts


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Update: I have the sign cut out. No decision yet, but the dark stain and the plain light wood color in the carving (text) looks really nice after applying a coat of Shellac. More coming soon.


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

MT Stringer said:


> I could use some input on this project.
> 
> Is this too busy, or too floosey for a wedding gift?
> 
> ...




Mike, I like the black best. I don't care for the top where the house and all is. It seems to me to throw it out of balance. It's your sign Mike and they will like no matter what you do. :smile:


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Update: They loved it!

After all was said and done, I stained the sign with Rustoleum KONA and sealed it with Zinsser Shellac. Then I carved the text and the heart and sprayed it with the shellac. A little red paint and aonther coat of Shellac and it was a done deal.

But wait! There is more!

Once the name was cut out, I realized I had a big problem. The "K" and "L" looked like they would break at any minute. After a few minutes to think it over, I asked my sweetie if she had any popsickle style craft sticks. Well, heck yeah, she had a whole bag full. I ripped a couple on the band saw and glued them in place on the back of the "K" and "L". That worked like a champ. Then I glued a few more pieces on each corner where the pilot holes for the mounting screws are and across the bottom. Now the back will sit flush with the wall when it is mounted. I stained the back and sprayed a sealer on it also. 

The wedding was really nice and we had a good time. I spent most of my time watching the photographers work! :grin: There were three of them. Never saw them sit down the entire time...or eat.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I like the second one, but not black lettering. It's too harsh to suit me. Something a little softer. The florishes in the corner are OK, but any coats or items hung there will cover them, so I'd leave those off. Pegs will let the items hung there fall off. Consider putting some sort of cap, or even nice hooks on instead. 

I don't understand what the big letters spell? Home makes sense, but as a kind of visitor greeting, it's kind of obscure.

Nice gift.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Its their last name - Kotal.


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Kotally Tool, Mike.


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