How To Make a Sign the Simple Way

Hi everyone, hope your weekend went well.  I can't believe how fast this summer has been going, next month my kids go back to school, and I am trying to enjoy as much time with them as I can, so needless to say, my house projects have taken a back seat.  I was able to squeeze in a little project that I had started a while ago, but had not had the chance to finish until last week.


I was able to make not one, but two signs, one for the craft room, and one for our entry, to welcome our guests.  This was super easy to do, and I pretty much had every material, except for the wood that is going in the craft room.  I was browsing Home Depot a while ago (I do this a lot, I'm like a kid in a candy store in there) and happened to come across a pretty long piece of wood that was in the scrap section of the lumber department, all it cost me was .62, and I knew I would use it to make a sign.

The only major thing any one needs to make a sign, is a cutter, like the silhouette or Cricut.  Here is how I was able to make my signs the simple way:

Start by painting the wood the color of the letters you want for your sign, I wanted the letters to be black so I painted the whole front, and sides, black.  This color will also show when you sand your piece.  I simply used a flat black paint that I had left over from years ago.

While the paint dried, I went on the silhouette, found a font that I liked, and printed out the wording on vinyl.  I've had a really hard time keeping the vinyl from not moving when cutting, and have wasted many rolls when it gets caught and does not cut well.  I have since learned to remove the vinyl backing, and place the vinyl right on your cutting mat.  This has solved my little problem, and it's not a big deal to remove the vinyl from the cutting mat once done.  Once the paint is completely dried, I used a ruler to make straight lines on the wood, so that when I place the letters, they won't be too crooked.

Once that is done, I paint the wood the color that I want the sign to be.  I used my ASCP in Old White for this.  I applied two coats, to make sure the color was all even.  Chalk paint dries quick, so I did not have to wait too long.  I proceeded to remove the vinyl letters very carefully, starting by a corner on each letter.  This is how it looks like when all removed:

I also sanded my edges, and around the letters to age it a bit.  I have been meaning to try out a glaze, but do not own any, so I went with my second best choice for trying to mimic the look of aging: wood stain.  I applied the stain with a foam brush, and used an old cloth to wipe as I went along. I tried to make the edges darker, so I let the stain sit for about a minute before I removed it.

I used a stain that has the polyurethane in it already, and I think this helped the stain dry faster.  Here are the two finished pieces:

Obviously, some letters came out a bit crooked (especially those pesky M's), but I was not aiming for perfection here. The sign by our entrance is two sided, on one is says Welcome, on the other Remove Shoes Please (I'm a clean freak, what can I say ;)  I drilled two holes on each top corner, and ran jute  through them, to be able to hang by my stairs.  For some one who does not make signs often, I think I did a decent job. Now, back to pool lounging and pajama days for the rest of the summer!

Have a marvelous week!

Kristel

**This was the same way I made the subway art for our family room. 


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