diy painted wood sign

This week, up in the mitten state, we have been under quite the winter storm warning. Like, shut the world down, prepare for power outages, plan on not leaving your house for days, kind of storm. It’s Michigan, so this isn’t anything new to us. However, as familiar as these storms may be, when they hit, cabin fever still sets in almost immediately! In attempt to not go stir crazy, I generally turn to something crafty! This week, it was a hand painted sign for our family room.

This sign took me about two hours from start to finish, and I had all of the supplies I needed, just laying around the house. Perfect project for a stormy evening! I’m not a talented painter by any means, and my sign turned out pretty cute! Have a saying you would like to put on your walls? Follow these simple steps, and you’ll have an adorable sign for your home in no time!

Supplies

• scrap wood
• paint – I used basic acrylic craft paint
• paint brushes
• sand paper
• phrase printed on regular printer paper
• ballpoint pen
• stencil (optional)

Step 1: Decide on a design for your sign. Find a font you like on your computer or online, and print your phrase or saying on printer paper. Cut the phrase out, and set it aside. It’s okay if the words don’t all fit on one piece of paper, you can piece it together later.

Step 2: Paint wood in random places and along all edges. Use multiple colors, as later you will sand the edges and distress areas, allowing the color to show through.

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Paint your main color over the entire piece of wood, making sure to cover the edges.

Step 4: Once paint is dry, lightly sand the edges of your board, as well as random areas across the face of the wood. The key is to distress the board slightly, but not too much. Less is more here.

Step 5: Add a stencil or design if you prefer.

 

 

 

 

Step 6: Arrange your phrase or saying on your board.

Step 7: With a ballpoint pen, trace all letters. Apply a decent amount of pressure as you are tracing. This will leave an outline in the paint, which you will use as a guide for hand painting the words. This same technique can be used if you want to add a design to your sign, but don’t have a stencil handy. Just print a design on computer paper, trace, and viola!

Step 8: With a fine paint brush, paint in your letters. Be patient, this part takes a steady hand! My letters needed a couple coats of paint before they looked how I wanted them to.

Step 9: Find a wall space, and hang up your beautiful handmade sign! Stand back, admire your work, and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment!

Do you turn to creative projects when you know you’re going to be stuck at home? What’s your go-to activity for helping pass the time in a storm?