When using word art, I just type in the word I want, selet the style, bold, italic etc, then hit ok. It should be on your screen. Then using your mouse, you place it where you want it. Sometimes that can be tricky since Word will not want it there and suddenly it's gone. That is why you should continually keep saving anything you do.
After it's where you want it and your item is saved, you can work around it and should not lose it. It should come out on a printed item. I hope this is helpful, I have done quite a few times with no problem and I don't think I left anything out.
