After seeing a few sources of inspiration online (
here & here) & realizing I had a place for one of my own, I decided to make my own "vintage" bus roll. I couldn't find any sources online for how to make my own (
in the style that I liked) & was tempted to have one printed for me, but just felt like I wanted to make it myself...even if it would take 5 hours (
eek!). :P So here's how I did it!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzSBYuZTnNW5Gbqy61pnCvu-jEf0LaK5f5dtDXT5AwdRCpTvNJrEEvCnYFE4HQecj8pcmhfRjeKde7DdLQZ3RJVQtW4V8psTI-VrrouwGhvUb0LIoA89C0TORSqO4oIWVrwU_7rfzmLQ/s400/IMG_3276.JPG)
I had Kenton cut an extra piece of ply wood to my specified dimensions (
20"x55") & then I spray painted it black.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KXWcWgiK8R1rk1-TCLqAaR0l0OayINp-JZYoGyffyCdzS2upF4hSsBU_yYqJw1_fO2hlmgq1C3Zp9u9OoibEy8yJSmnfi5LU15P9G3XgGX8FSCAMmmsbJD89qCo-XxFyo4Qo7vHSKb8/s400/IMG_3278.JPG)
I also took advantage of his access to a copy machine & 11"x17" paper at work & had him print out my city names. I did all of the formatting on Adobe InDesign & chose Lucida as my font.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhed14ylfgdR0WOvseWAlM-Xpw7fi5epL4oE57i7dTwziA9TLG_HVh9KV4fk_kFOBs8iL4yqAR52VV9SakEejR3MPf3axX-rA35Ow-ui7LcN88HmTtSbBmpBO7oP8CMp6eHs5DbMFVCURE/s400/IMG_3279.JPG)
I taped all of the pages together & moved words around as needed, since I'm not all that savvy with InDesign (
I wanted "VIA" to be lined up with the top of the word instead of the bottom of the word).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFtlA3tl8ux9ZZzUDFfnTspFD05WzEFVG4qjZ2XADbLaI-uGbIhkKhDecJ97JcXWAPX29DoGQVRP4V_hAg5ZAlek-krCYbaziVyKLhZTfC6xCoRE-22om2cJctg9D6p3eBAI3Qmlw7b8/s400/IMG_3280.JPG)
Next, I used white chalk (
colored chalk would have been better) & covered the backside of the words with a nice layer.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGzY9Ps_IHJtZ5lZRgcj3iiZp6PZ-6IEg1BAPbiiZbUrBLs2NMYB4WPMVuKyUNU6RLwr_lZsnLGEtjRQTz4ugxIl3_GPS8fPDaEW8ppe8O59xf7V0U4h6SJwn0gi3WTEPzVp9-whWPRY/s400/IMG_3282.JPG)
Then I laid that whole thing down & taped it in place. I traced the words using a colored pencil (
anything would work, but it's what I had on hand), peeking a tiny bit along to way to make sure it was leaving a chalk outline on the board.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW8QSERYt9ysel5QhpK1Iv0hVBs6pUdp8lIqUBy5DPvxvQmM60udcx711G_IPKxYtvrUHIwRZ17fM1UDp5JWfjqtsmiDfrWpUngcDuLb4mAt0gKE_FO-GlIqMCVrbitV1CqiZYxDngnU/s400/IMG_3286.JPG)
I was so relieved to see this when I lifted the papers off! Now for the detail work. :)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPvp4_-54jb_kY_2aDAq7qMiBqiWeUc9anqIzAhRiLda1CgQMZ6JjJaX2NsmFIf5GhKtFJYliC5BmMkEdPLCi6iwf5G8t6qN73HU7vsBC05Opey1vpGrdK-WAWg2hqaBegDtw3XPFau4/s400/IMG_3288.JPG)
Using some extra interior white paint that I had in the garage, I filled in the outlined city names.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgOO-uqA2bS3bURF2uxcsyvWBuPqw4dtamFLZXWDgO2LF5ySpKxUYt8GnO0FSbK0TxVpz_t8Wpo3JRa3IHIQfw3MUIukLGMe2ZwZdsVxw_hTPSFxW7cSTQq_QYLKKOLGQrPzSidUxsWE/s400/IMG_3290.JPG)
The chalk stayed in place really well & didn't rub off instantly when I touched it. I was afraid it would just brush away, but it held up perfectly!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HI51Li_QKyilOlqGXee_eTo8-Gq4DVEFSDSY2eKoJ0UT5NsoUdeUg933GjEw3T2iHBvVpzpSKHYvd75OCgyaYmuw8Kif_kb5gDz8Sj7ztA5rLxdAK9uErmwXpk1kklWvFHIeozHnwQE/s400/IMG_3345.JPG)
First coat!
I ended up going over the words again with a second coat (
which took much less time) because the black showed through a little more than I wanted.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMDQTijbTRWT4KDbJupwCKJGs-hfcaF9KZaLZbz8tRptM3n5FILj4b_5vCcrRLTUTC65YjhoqGNFXr2J1mBtdPyJqGFL5UdpAu4tqY6sVXBqtjFesw0Popw_I5At5M8n1iIFYad6zT8c/s400/IMG_3346.JPG)
The results!
The list is the order in which Kenton & I traveled through Europe the summer before we got married. I didn't include every city (
some were left out intentionally, some by accident) but I'm mostly happy with the results. There are some things that bother me (
of course) but...c'est la vie!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5J7IGhanaOZpq8BMyL21yNQbeU5P4JbmXloJZhX5pXadulsPqRcVFLFMnk9IaMQWuqAFQBmyUMHVgZt7Pv0ukgMV7R8sJpNoj_MZX9__SRsc2Rdc0BYr22VdeQwaZvPd3IOcmw78IWNY/s400/IMG_3355.JPG)
Hanging in place, a little blocked by a shadow...but otherwise, pretty much the look I was going for! :)
I'm sharing this on
The Shabby Nest! Check it out for lots of frugal inspiration!