DIY :: Wooden Signs

We've all seen those wooden farmhouse-style signs floating around Pinterest, right!? I mean, Jojo herself sells them. They're adorable and stylish and I want all of them. Problem is, I can't bring myself to spend 100 bucks on one. 

So, I figured why not just make one?!

I figured it couldn't be that hard, right? My only real hurdle was a stencil of some sort because I was not about to try my luck at free-handing some lettering. It would not have been pretty. Back to Pinterest I went to find a couple of tutorials to figure out how I could accomplish getting the $100 look for, like, under 20 bucks or something like that.

I came across this post that seemed to be what I needed. And bonus, I didn't need any fancy tools or supplies or equipment. I picked up a few pre-made wooden signs at Hobby Lobby (similar) but you can find these all over nowadays. Target and even Walmart have upped their craft sections. I used Hobby Lobby because they always have a 40% off coupon on their website and just happened to be going there last Saturday. :)

Anyway, all your really need are the signs (or ones you make from reclaimed wood if you want to get extra crafty!), some chalk, a ball-point pent, paint pen and a computer/printer. I feel like mine could have turned out a little better but I'm still super happy with them for it being my first time attempting such a project!

The supplies...

{HOME}

I started by printing off the word "home" on a regular piece of computer printer. I used the Geo Sans Light font from PicMonkey and just made the text extra large so it took up the entire page. I cut it down so it fit inside my sign.

After that, I turned it over and colored the backside with white chalk until all the letters are covered. Once chalked, place the "stencil" back onto the wood, chalk side down.

I first used a sharpie but I would recommend using a ball-point pen to simply trace over the letters, using just a little bit of pressure. This makes the chalk transfer onto the wood wherever you trace, leaving you with a light but very visible pattern.

Next, use a paint pen to paint over the chalk letters. I did a few coats just to make sure it looked uniform in terms of color. The pen was a little stinky (oil-based) and I may or may not have gotten a little high but it was all worth it.. ;)

{GATHER}

It took me a little longer to do my "gather" sign. I wanted a specific type of font but I had no idea what the font was actually called. Just how it looked so I spent an embarrassing amount of time googling things like "farmhouse font", "farmhouse style fonts" , "rustic fonts" and things like that. I finally found one that I liked on dafont.com called Signerica.

I also had a hard time getting it big enough so it filled the entire sign like I though it should. I was also only working with the Text program on my mac which is basically useless so I printed off a few different versions to see what worked best. If I took the time, I could have used an online site like PicMonkey to set my dimensions and go from there but I didn't.

After cutting my sections apart, I just taped them together and lined them up on the sign, trying to get it as straight as possible. I chalked the back like I did above with "home" and traced over the letters using a ball-point pen.

Voila! So very rustic, right?! Well, kinda. ;)

The "home" sign is on our mantel for the time being. I'm in the process of trying to decorate for fall and halloween so I'm not sure if it'll stay there permanently but for now it works.

"Gather" is hanging in the kitchen above the doorway to the mud room. I love it up there since we definitely tend to gather in the kitchen, the heart of the home. I also might have unleashed an obsession since now all I want to do is pick up wood from the construction sites around the neighborhood and paint all the things...

All in all, they turned out OK and I managed to do both for right around $20 which is a total win in my "DIY decor on a budget" book!

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