Make Your Own Painted Holiday Sign

You may have seen this sign in my last post and wondered how I made it.  Let me tell you.

Well, you know how you're scrolling along and you see something that really catches your eye?  The first time I saw a sign like this I knew I wanted one for our bedroom.  I immediately went on a search and found out that they are really spendy!  A new expensive sign is never in our budget, much less at Christmas time.  I was just going to have to make my own.

It was really easy to make.  I seriously thought it would be way harder than it was.  I have made a few signs in the past using a different technique, but this is my first time making a sign with a stencil.

A couple of years ago my uncle was cleaning out his workshop and gave us a lot of scrap wood and other things.  I claimed this piece of wood right here as mine the minute I saw it!  To me, it was perfect for the sign I had in mind.  My board is 3' 10" long  x 11" tall x  3/4" thick.

Since I already had the perfect board, my next problem was the beautiful font the sign was done in.  Of course, off to Etsy I went to find a stencil maker.  I found an awesome one with great prices.  Click right here to visit her shop and please tell her I sent you! :)

According to the stencil directions, you have to have a smooth clean surface for the stencil to work properly.  First I used a damp rag to clean off the dust on my board.  Then, I used some white acrylic paint and gave my old board a little dry brushing to fill in some of the bare wood spots and to make it as smooth as I possibly could.

The one time use stencil comes with step by step instructions on how to use the stencil.  So easy yall!

TIP: Before you peel the backer paper off your stencil, center it on your board and make pencil marks on the corners so you know where to place the stencil after you've peeled the backer paper off.

For best results, make sure you follow all the directions that comes with the stencil!  I spent extra time smoothing my stencil onto my board.  After I smoothed all that I could smooth, I gently (keeping my hand slightly against the board) started peeling the topper paper off my stencil.

TIP: GO SLOW and keep you hand resting on the board.  You do not want to pull straight up on your topper paper.  Your stencil will not fare well!

This is how my stencil looked after I had the topper paper removed.   Now I was ALMOST ready for paint.

I used my thumb and went around the edges of all the letters to make sure the stencil was tight to the board before I started painting.

TIP:  If the stencil is not stuck well, you will have seepage and that's not pretty!

For the lettering I used black acrylic paint and a sponge brush.  With very little paint on my brush, I gently tapped on my paint in thin coats.

This is how it looked after I got all the paint applied.  After I covered all the lettering with paint, I looked closely to see if I could see any white spots showing through and touched up if I did.

I was home alone the day I made this sign so I couldn't take pictures of myself removing the stencil, but you will want to remove your stencil BEFORE your paint dries completely.

After I removed the stencil I had a few places that needed a little touch up, so I grabbed a fine tipped brush and my paint and I did just that.  When I was sure the paint was dry, I used some fine sand paper and went over the whole thing to distress it a bit.  I did not seal it because its not going to be out in the weather or anything like that.

I so love how it turned out! I was so proud of myself for making this sign that looks so pretty over our bed.  I'm going to have a hard time taking it down after Christmas is over.

If you loved any of these projects and want to save it for later, be sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board.

Want to see more Christmas Ideas?  Click on the links below.

Vintage Tablecloth Curtain - The Christmas Version

How to Make Stove Top Potpourri

Countdown to Christmas with Free Printables

Peppermint Pretzel Bark - A Sweet Little Gift 

Clothespin Snowflake Ornament

DIY Vintage Christmas Decor

Christmas Shutter Decor

Clothespin Christmas Tree

Our Front Porch Tree

How to Wrap a Gift

Our Burlap Forest

Twig Snowflake Ornament

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!

I'm Linking to:

These lovely and FUN parties!
Between Naps on the Porch
The Dedicated House  - (I was featured