Guest DIY post contributed by
Gina of The Shabby Chic Cottage
I’ve been googling in my spare time for vintage wooden signs, and I found one. I loved it so much I would have bought it, but alas, it was sold three years ago. It was simple enough — and of course, I knew I could make it using what I had!
Just so ya know, this is my huge scrap pile that I keep digging out of. I found a couple of smaller pieces of beadboard and a scrap of 1×12. I chose a long skinny piece and a shorter fatter piece.
I used the long skinny piece to set up the guide for the table saw. This way I knew my other cuts would be the same width as my longer pieces.
I cut one piece with the beadboard lines running horizontal
and another where they were cut vertical.
I then cut the skinny piece into a longer and shorter length.
When I did a dry fit, by placing the pieces together like I wanted them, there was a little hangover.
I used my speed square and lined it up to cut it all even (well, my kinda even anyways.)
Then I used that scrap piece so that I would have something to nail them all securely together.
Then, I brought it all inside for a couple of coats of paint (cause it was too ding-dang hot outside today!) I put on a rough coat of my leftover white linen as a base.
I used acrylics in blue, green and white to mix different oceany shades and put them on with lots of streaks.
Get in there with your hands (wet with water) and smoosh the paint around — that’s how you get that “hand rubbed” look. You can’t get the look any other way.
Position them on the backer board and then nail them down.
I printed these off at work, cause we have HUGE paper (the size of a newspaper page).
Then I cut out yet another stencil! Then stencil it on the patchwork background. I’m getting pretty good at this by now! Just make sure you have a sharp blade, because it gets the delicate lines so much easier.
I love the results!
I love, love, LOVE THIS!! Putting the pieces together was genius!! You ROCK! Thank you for the inspiration and the pretty colors too!
.-= Sheila´s last blog ..Hurray… Bulletin… This just In!! =-.
How did you do the inside of the vowels? I’m working on a project right now and can’t seem to get the letter with closed insides quite right. Thank you!
Hi, me being nosey here hope u don’t mind…. Just a quick too in case u didn’t already know (heck I Kno I didn’t!)… Work ur way from the inside to out. Not necessarily the middle of the word, but at least the middle of each letter first. It makes it a tad bit easier to control or keep them in place once u get around to the outer parts of the letter so for example: “Monopoly”…. Start by cutting out the insides of the O’s and the P. Then move on to cutting out around the word as if making an outline of the word or letter….oh, unless of course ur wanting the letters cut out and the middle of the letters left in. I hope I explained this right and didn’t confuse u even more (I about confused myself there for a min lol!!) Anywho, happy Easter!!