DIY Welcome Sign.

As promised, here are the instructions to make the painted Welcome to Our home sign. 

A little history behind this project - we have a blank wall outside of the entrance of our Coastal Maine home. Since the decor is rustic, I had been searching for a Welcome sign to fill this space.

It could not be so big that it overwhelmed the area, because this is a dumping staging ground for our boots, shoes and sometimes work tools. It is not the primary entrance to the home, but the side entrance directly into the laundry/kitchen area. It IS the most used entrance and must have been prior to our buying the place, because all of the delivery and service persons bypass the front door and head straight for this entrance.

We searched, and searched, and searched...nothing. Surprise 😀- I decided to make my own and after looking around the garage and through my craft stash, found most of the items.

From the garage - broken cedar shingles, small nails, glue, a cup hook, and paint. From the craft stash - paint and small nautical trinkets. I also used the computer to find various fonts.

Broken cedar shingles.

Fit the pieces together like a puzzle to obtain the right size. 

Placed vertical strips along the back,
using small nails and wood glue to attach to each horizontal board.
Even if the boards are not even (gives character), they will still be held in place.
Be sure to check the nail length so they don't poke through the front side.

I added a small square of wood with this cup hook for hanging
 since we didn't have
any picture hangers laying around.

Make a paint wash by mixing a 50% paint and 50% water solution.
Apply lightly to wood with a brush or rag, and immediately use a cloth or paper towel to wipe off any excess.
I used a dark gray and a light gray paint and applied
 the dark gray first, wiped off the excess and repeated until satisfied with the outcome.
After, I applied the lighter shade the same way.
I did not wait for each individual color to dry before applying the next.
If you have a scrap piece of wood, practice to see
how your shading comes out before applying to your sign boards.

I found some font styles online and "eye-balled" the placement.
Again, practice on a scrap board or paper if you are unsure. Use
CHALK to sketch out your words before going over with craft paint.
Add a second coat if you want the letters to be darker.
Any chalk left on the wood after the paint dries is easily wiped off. 

 A Seal was added for two reasons: 1) it is the pronunciation of our last name, and
2) we are greeted nearly every day by Seals fishing and playing in the river.

And for color I added Lupines, which are everywhere in the Spring.
After the paint dried, fine sandpaper was rubbed over the entire sign to soften the paint edges (adds character).
This step helps to blur the words and hide any painting errors 😏

 These metal nautical charms are from the clearance aisle of Hobby Lobby.
Finally, and our only purchase, was a $6 can of spray on satin urethane to help protect the finish.

This project took me two days to complete because the glue had to dry overnight.  The best part - it is mostly made up of leftover materials - the only cost being that $6 spray can of satin urethane.

Here's the after:

It's primitive...and perfect!

Have a great weekend.

Kelli