For Valentine’s Day, I wanted to create a sign and gift that would be relevant all year long. So, I designed a sign with a quote that I’ve seen floating around in various capacities.
How true is that? And how relevant is this for this time of year, where love is the emphasis, but should truly be the emphasis all year long.
I created the text and image in PicMonkey and then used Cricut’s Design Space to apply my design and create my template.
Before I did any painting, I prepped my upcycled wood. I sanded it a bit and then made sure it was clean of any debris. I then measured and painted where I wanted the different colored words to be. So, I used Dixie Belle Paint’s DropCloth for the white-ish secondary text and Barn Red for the Love and heart images.
I love that you don’t need much paint when using Dixie Belle paints. I did several smooth strokes of each color, which was probably 2 coats in all.
Once it dried, I applied the vinyl template. I did the positive part of the template, meaning I applied the actual words, and then I will peel off later to reveal the color beneath. I prefer using Cricut for my template because I know it will stay. This step can be the most laborious and tedious part, but I promise, the end result is so worth it. When applying the template, be sure to lay it as flat as possible to avoid any air bubbles. Air bubbles can lead to bleeds and gloppy messes.
When the template is applied, go ahead and paint over everything with the color you choose for the base color. This color will be the main color of the sign, so be sure it contrasts enough without overpowering the underlaying colors. I chose a basic black chalkboard paint, so I can draw or write on it later with chalk.
Paint 1-2 coats of paint, making it as smooth as you can. Alternatively, since the rustic look is in, don’t feel like it has to be perfect so you can adjust it later. Once everything is just about dry, locate the letters and take a pointy tool to start lifting the letters. I do this step slowly before it’s completely dry so that it has some give. Sometimes when it’s totally dry, it can be solidified, making it difficult to release the underlying letters.
Once you peel off the letters, you should see the underlying colors that you painted in one of the first steps. As mentioned, if you want to make it more rustic, feel free to hand sand the sign along the edges. I was planning on doing this, but I ended up loving the end result so skipped the sanding!
And there you have it! A rustic farm-house style sign that reads Love Makes a House a Home!
Full Disclosure: Dixie Belle Paints sent products to facilitate this craft. As always, opinions on NKT are my own.
