I am excited to share a little sign with you that I made for my garden. I shared this tutorial over at Jennifer Rizzo's blog a couple of weeks ago, and didn't want the summer to get away before sharing it here as well. Of course I have the template here for anyone who would like to make it as well!
I have been on a crazy mission to make my scary backyard into a pretty place for our family to just relax and enjoy each other {see here}. Little by little, I am getting there!
I wanted to make a cute vintage looking sign to hang out in my garden to add character.
irst, I grabbed some of the 6" pickets from the fence we just tore down and cut them to size. It is important to use old or new fence boards, or barn wood, to get the worn, aged look because it has a very rough grain that will show when distressed. I cut 3 of the pickets to 38". I also cut two boards at 15" to help hold the other ones together.
This is what the back looked like once I screwed it all together:
And here is what the front looked like:
Then I lightly brushed my paint recipe {here} onto the board, not being too careful and keeping a lot of the grooves unpainted.
Then I used my palm sander to roughen up the entire board. Looking old already!
I painted the design onto my board using a pattern I made and an overhead projector. If you don't have an overhead projector, you can use my tutorial for the way I would do it before I had one {here}. I just used plain old craft paints that I had on hand, and very small brushes.
{Here is the pattern if you would like to make one too. Just click on the image below, right click, copy and paste into your own document}
Once I painted everything onto my board, I sealed it with a matte clear spray finish. This step is important because if you skip it and try to distress your letters, the pigment in the colored paint will stain the creamy white areas around it.
Once the clear coat is dry, I went back and with sandpaper and lightly distressed each letter in my sign by hand. Then I sprayed it with one more clear coat to protect it from the elements.
I stuck it out here on my newly refinished cabinet next to my garden until I decide where I want to hang it. I am thinking that I will probably hang it on the fence that you can see in the background here.
I like all of the texture of the distressing.
Painting is one of my favorite things to do, and making these signs just puts a smile on my face. And, it is such a great alternative to the really costly, hard to find, authentic antique signs.
If you make one, I hope you will send me a picture! I would love to see it.
I hope you have a wonderful week!
MERMAID
PS THANK YOU FOR THE SMILE TODAY ////I PINNED THIS FOR A LATER DAY PROJECT YOU ARE VERY GOOD LOVE THE SIGN I HAVE A GARDEN WISH I COULD SELL ENOUGH TO GET MY MONEY BACK. BUT ITS TO HOT TO WORK OUTSIDE WITH PAIN MEDS AND BEING SICK.
MERMAID
THANK YOU FOR A CUTE IDEA I WANT TO DO THIS BUT I HAVE TO HAVE SURGERY MY SUMMER IS SHOT AND IT WAS SUCH A LONG WINTER ALONE MYSOUL MATE AND I BROKE UP END NOV 2013. I MISS HIM SO I MOVED ON BUT I STILL LOVE HIM. WHAT TOO DO IM PRAYING
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This sign so cute Wish knew how do thing's like this but don't,have idea hope not stepping on toes' lol Can you make one says' " Locally Grown fresh Weed's Pick your own Daily !!!! Hope works for you if not that's fine...
michellez
beautiful work! and inspiration 🙂
Krista thehappyhousie
Absolutely adorable!! Love it... such a fab font and the overall design of it is perfect!! Love it and must pin.
M+H
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE??! I AM SO EXCITED TO FIND THIS BLOG AND ALL YOUR INFO ABOUT MAKING YOUR DISTRESSED SIGNS! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!
Keeping It Cozy
It is so cute! I love that you made it for your garden.
Heather
I love all of your signs and this one is perfect for the garden!
Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.
What a cute sign! I love the rustic feel and the mix of fonts! Nicely done!
marie
Great garden sign...thanks for sharing the tutorial!
pretty little things
youre so creative -- love this! xo
https://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com/
Leann
Darling! Love it and the cute little cupboard that it's sitting on!