Mom Cave Sign Tutorial

I got a decorative sign as a gift years ago. It was cute at the time, and it had a place in our dining room. But now my tastes have changed and I was ready to redo it.

Now it looks like this!

Would you like one too? Let's make it!

When I looked closely at the sign I could tell it had been hand made. I think it was made by a 1x6 board and a stencil. The dimensions are roughly 1 inch x 6 inches x 18 inches. The edges on this sign had been routered. Roouuuterr. Ed. Routturd. Routed? I think you know what I mean. You can route your edges, or not. Your choice. You can also buy precut/pre-routed sign boards at craft stores.

For this project you'll need:

• 1 board for a sign. Approximate dimensions: 6 inches x 18 inches.

• Paint (and possibly primer)

• Printer

• Scissors or exacto knife

• Some sort of glue or ModPodge to attach a print to the sign board

• Pound in picture hangers (optional)

My original sign had already been painted, so I just gave it a few coats of some left over spray paint. I used "Mediterranean" by Valspar, purchased at Lowes. I originally used it for my bedroom lamps, found here.

If your board is bare, you may want to give it a quick coat of primer before painting. This will help the paint adhere.

Next, download this image. (On my computer I have to click twice for the largest version).

I uploaded the above image as large as I can. You may have to enlarge it a touch. The final size should be 5 inches x 16 inches.

If you have a printer that prints TABLOID (11 x 17 inch) sheets--lucky you!-- you can just print it at home.

My at-home printer is pretty horrible, so I do all my "nice" printing at FedEx (formally Kinkos). You can bring it in on a CD or other portable memory device (I have a little cheapo memory stick) and they'll print it while you wait. I think you can even email it to them and pick it up later. I did this today, and my 11x17 print was $1.99 including tax.

Next cut out the image.

In case you're a beginner and don't think you can cut straight lines, this is what I do. For straight lines I use an exacto knife and a cork-backed metal ruler. Here's my ruler. It, uh, has cork on the back and stuff. The cork allows the ruler to sit on the paper firmly, without sliding.

I put my ruler over the image to protect it. Then I rest my knife against the ruler and follow the straight edge of the ruler.

For the flowers poking above the image area, I cut them with the exacto freehand.

It's also perfectly fine to use a scissors, if you prefer

Use your choice of glue or ModPodge to attach the image onto the board. Allow to dry. That's all folks!

If you'd like to hang this sign on the wall you can add picture hangers that pound right in. Here is an example. You can find these at hardware stores.

Pretty inexpensive little project. I already had the sign, spray paint and glue, so my out of pocket was $1.99. Your milage may vary.

It's cute too, if I do say so myself.

Here it is in, duh, my mom cave over my work area.

Someone alert Donna. I got some Funky Junk up (down?) in here!

Here's the original photo of "the junk."

Find the original mom cave post here.

CREDIT: The hydrangea image is originally from The Graphics Fairy. You can find the hydrangea here.

Linking to some of these great parties.

Now go make something!