Camp Poster For our summer cheerleading camps, we wanted to make another set of great looking signs. We were able to make these for around $10.00. They're fairly simple, and look really good when you're finished. This is our step-by-step guide on how to make your own signs. If you really want to get your crowd involved it is always best to use short simple words. The reason you do this is because it is easier to get everyone shouting the same words at the same time. This is why we chose "GO" "FIGHT" "WIN". We asked our coaches if they had any ideas for our camp posters. Mrs. Philyaw suggested cutting the signs out in the shape of the words printed on them. We thought this was a great idea and were very happy with the results. Once you decide on a font, print the letters you need for your poster on card stock. You will then cut these out and use them as a pattern for your posters. Whenever we try to find a new font we always end up going back to a style of "Varsity" lettering. It is easier to read. The straight edges also make it easier to cut out each letter out with a paper cutter. We always try to trim on our paper cutter. It gives the straightest cut. Please be careful and make sure you have an adult do this for you. We wanted to try something a little different for the purple part of our poster so we went to "Hobby Lobby" and found this neat "Crushed Velvet" paper. It was heavier than construction paper and easy to work with. We bought the 24" by 36" paper on sale for $2.99. We laid our patterns on TOP of the velvet side and traced this with a permanent marker. When ever possible, put a ruler on top of the stencil, lining it up with the edge, and tracing next to the letters. This gives a neater line to cut. If you are nervous about using a permanent marker on the front you can turn your fabric over and trace on the back. Just remember to draw the letter on BACKWARDS. Trace around the stencil two times so the black outline will be extra thick. Cut the letters out by hand (the fabric is not stiff enough for a paper cutter). Remember to cut to the outside of the black marker line so the velvet letter will already have a nice dark outline around it. This will make each letter easier for the crowd to see. After you cut your letters out, you need to glue them to poster board. We started out laying our letters on the poster board with a space between each one and did not like how they looked. We thought they looked much better when they were over lapped. If you decide to overlap your letters make sure you start gluing them down with the LAST letter of the word and glue backwards. Start at the RIGHT side of your poster board glue towards the left. We noticed that each velvet letter needed a thicker black outline, wherever it overlapped another letter, so it would stand out better. Run a line of glue around the inner and outer edges of the back side of each letter. To keep your working surface clean place an old piece of white poster board under each velvet letter. (Don't use newspaper, because the ink will come off on the letters or your hands.) Smear the glue out to the edges with your finger. Keep a paper towel handy because this is messy. Do not get glue on your other hand or other fingers because you will need to pat down the letter when you turn it over and place it back on the yellow poster. Glue spots will show if smeared on top of the letter. Repeat this process with the remaining letter(s). Remember to work backwards and overlap each letter slightly. Let the letters dry for about 30 minutes. Then use a ruler and trace a ½ inch line around each word. We made sure to make this outline extra thick. This extra thick outline will give a nice finished look to the poster. Start by cutting out just the basic background shape. Depending on your word, not all of the back layer will need to be trimmed so closely around each letter. The word "GO" didn't need a lot of extra trimming in order to achieve the shadow effect we wanted. We originally tried to cut away more of the yellow back ground on "WIN", but found it made the poster too flimsy and more likely to tear. Instead of making deep cuts, we went with a more shallow, less detailed cut. Wherever we trimmed on the yellow we always went back over the edges with a black marker. This gave the poster a cleaner look. When your poster is trimmed you will need to glue it to foam board. You do this to give strength to your poster so it won't flop over when you hold it up. We bought our foam board at "Wal-Mart" for just "1.98. Use a permanent marker and trace around your poster. Foamboard is messy and hard to cut. We always start with a new unused blade when cutting. When using a cutting tool like this one be extremely careful. Make sure you have an adult do the cutting for you. We always use a ruler or a metal square to cut against. Have a hard surface underneath the foamboard, one that you won't mind cutting through. No matter how hard you try, you will end up cutting whatever surface is underneath the foamboard. It usually takes 2 or 3 cuts to cut completely through the board. Make sure you cut INSIDE of the black line. You want the foam layer to be slightly smaller than the poster layer. That way you won't have white sticking out, and it will be easier to line up the two layers. We always outline everything we cut out. By going over the edges of the foamboard with a black permanent marker, it will blend together with the edges of the yellow poster board. Run a line of glue around the inner and outer edges of the TOP SIDE of the foamboard and then smear it to the edges just like you did on the velvet letters. Then place the poster on top of the foam board and smooth it down. To make sure there are no bubbles or puckers place a couple of heavy books on top of the freshly glued poster. Cover the entire area and let it set for an hour or two. We were very happy with these posters and they turned out great.