Simple, fun, easy, and inexpensive. Using only some scrap wood, paint and your imagination, it's easy to create this sign or any sign you would like with just a few pieces of equipment. The best part is that once it's completed, it's entirely hand-made. The look of this sign is farmhouse rustic which I adore, but you can make it modern with clean lines by making just a few changes (these will be outlined below in the instructions as well),
Equipment
I enjoy DIY projects that have minimal steps, few pieces of equipment, and doesn't drain my bank account. Creating wood signs like those you see in the shops, is quite simple to do even if you don't have any stencils or a Cricut machine at home. Stencils can be expensive and I don't want to buy them if I'm only making one sign. So instead I found this great trick that works just as well.
All you need:
wood (scrap or purchased)
computer (to print out your wording)
printer
paint and paintbrushes
clear coat or varnish
painters tape
pencil
sandpaper
imagination
Steps
1. Paint the background. For my sign, I chose to paint the background red and use white lettering. Because I used chalk paint, I didn't need to prime my wood. However, if you are using an acrylic or latex paint, be sure to apply a primer first to your wood and then paint your base coat. With chalk paint, it's recommended to give it a light sanding between coats. However, for this sign, I only applied one coat of the base red colour and I will sand after I add the lettering. I try to allow 24 hours for my basecoat to dry, but I have been known to be impatient and wait half that time and my signs still have turned out fine. Chalk paint is great for that distressed look.
*If you want a clean, modern sign, paint with latex. Latex provides a more solid layer of paint and won't allow the grain of the wood to show through. You may need to apply multiple coats to achieve the solid base you are looking for.
2. Design your saying. While you wait for your paint to dry, you can have fun with fonts and word placement. For this particular sign, I chose "Comfort and Joy". I love the look of wording in different size fonts and font sizes. So I just take a few minutes and play around with variations until I find something that matches what I'm looking for. *Note: Be sure to know the measurements of your wood sign, so you can size the font accordingly. My sign is 11" X 11" and I knew I wanted to leave approximately 1.5" on each side of the font. So if I subtracted 1.5" from each side from my 11" width, that leaves me with 8" of space for my lettering. I used the ruler in my google documents to ensure that my words measured no more than 8" across.
*For the modern sign, chose a font that is more edgy or contemporary.
3. Experiment with word placement. Once you print off your saying, cut out around the words and ensure that they fit on your wood sign. Play around with different word positioning, try horizontal or vertical, centred or off to the side.
4. Flip over the paper and chalk the backside. This is where the magic starts to happen and where you save lots of money by not buying stencil after stencil. Just rub any colour chalk (as long as its not the background colour of chalk) over the back of your paper, ensuring that all the letters have been covered.
5. Place your words and tape down. Once you have covered the back of the paper with chalk, flip the paper over and place the words on the sign as you had decided. Since my words are to be centred on my sign, I used my measuring tape and roughly checked that I had the 1.5" of space on either side of the words. Once I was happy with my word placement, I taped it down with painters tape, so that the words wouldn't shift when I was tracing them.
6. Trace your letters. Take a pencil or pencil crayon and outline your letters. It's that simple!
7. Reveal your chalk outline. Once you are done the tracing, peel away the paper and all your words will have been transferred to your wood. I try to slowly peel away a corner of it and peek under, just to make sure all the letters have transferred. If I see a spot that I missed, then I just lay the paper back down and go over it. If you do the reveal and decide that you don't like the word placement, just wipe off the chalk and do it again. It is so forgiving and so easy!
8. Start painting your letters. So this is where your sign really begins to take shape. For my sign, I'm sticking with chalk paint. So I just get a small brush and begin outlining my letters and filling in the words. If you do use chalk paint, I do find that I don't get the clean lines like I do when I use latex or acrylic. But this sign is going to have a rustic appeal, so chalk paint is ideal for that. I don't need super clean lines, as I'm going to be sanding it to give it an aged look.
*For the modern sign, continue to use latex paint. I find my lines are crisper with latex vs chalk paint.
This is only one coat of white chalk paint. I will allow a couple of hours between coats if I want to do multiple coats. But for this sign, I want some of the red to bleed through to my white letters when I sand it, so I'm only painting one coat.
*For modern signs, I would apply a second coat of paint to my lettering to ensure that none of the red basecoats is showing through.
9. Add details. If you are satisfied with your letters, you can add any additional details you want or just leave it with words. I decided I wanted to add some hand-painted snowflakes to fill in some of the bare spots. I just freehanded these. So they are not the same and they are definitely not perfect, but they add to the charm of this hand-painted, rustic wood sign.
10. Sand your sign. This is entirely optional. If you want a distressed look to your wood sign, then grab a very fine piece of sandpaper and lightly sand your wood. I used a 220 grit piece of sandpaper and lightly rubbed it over my wood sign, working more at the corners and edges to give it that worn and aged look.
*For the modern sign. Omit the sanding.
11. Wipe off the dust. Grab a cloth or paper towel and wipe down your wood sign to remove any dust created from the sanding.
12. Apply a protective coat. To protect your wood sign, it's important to cover it with a protectant. For chalk paint, I applied a clear coat made specifically for chalk paint. It looks milky when applied but dries clear. For latex or acrylic, you can apply a clear sealant.
13. Enjoy your handiwork! Voila, it was that easy, that fun and that inexpensive. Now you have a sign to enjoy for future Christmases to come.
More Christmas Signs
Here are a few other wood signs that I created using the same method of chalking to transfer the wording. All the signs were painted on various scraps of wood. Some were recycled pallets, or scraps of 4" X 6" lumber and all were painted with chalk paint.
Reversible Welcome Signs
I love using both sides of the wood to create signs. They are perfect for welcome signs at the front of your house. I have multiple reversible signs for various seasons and holidays. This is my Winter Reversible sign. On one side, it says "WELCOME" with a snowflake and can be hung right after Halloween. Then when it gets close to Christmas I can flip it over to reveal the "MERRY CHRISTMAS" side. Once Christmas is over, I can reverse the sign again to reveal the "WELCOME" side again. Here in Canada, that "WELCOME" sign with the snowflake can last a long time! Get a load of those icicles, and it's only November...brrrrrr.
Please comment below if you have any questions or upload photos of winter signs you have created. I love learning from other people and I find inspiration for my signs often from those around me.
I hope you enjoy Making Memories by Hand, as I do!
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