‘Tis The Season Wood Sign

I am so excited to share with you today a project that has been on my list for a very long time.  I guess I just needed the right tools for the job. That’s what happened when Kuretake sent me some Woodcraft markers to check out.  Can I say I am in love!  I now have three more projects in mind for these bad boys. Let me show how easy it is to make your own sign you can proudly hang in your home.

First I started with an inexpensive piece of craft plywood.  These are available at most big box craft stores. The piece I purchased was 6×12 and a quarter inch thick.  I lightly sanded the entire piece, rounded the edges, and applied a thin layer of sealer.

After the sealer no longer felt tacky to the touch I brushed on two coats of white paint, letting them dry between coats.

To get my lettering perfect, I cut my sentiment out of vinyl with my die cutter.  I didn’t want to have problems with the pattern moving, that’s why I choose to stick it down.  If you don’t have any vinyl, you can use any kind of paper and cut it out yourself.  I just have very caffeinated hands. 😛

After placing the vinyl down in the center of the plank, I used a pencil to outline the letters.  I did not use a lot of pressure to keep the lines very light.

I choose not to use the markers to just color in with the vinyl on.  I wanted to avoid any chance of bleeding and retain a hand drawn look to it.

Once I finished outlining all the letters, I removed the vinyl and started coloring the first line in Bright Green.

Then I proceeded to color in the bottom word with Crimson.  I let the words dry for about 15 minutes between the two coats.  Remember, if you want to erase the pencil marks, do not let the marker touch the lines.  They will be set in once the wood marker is down.  The colors I used were dark enough that I wasn’t worried about the lines.  But if you were to use a light colored marker, I would stay just inside the lines so I could erase later.  Just to be safe, I let my sign dry overnight then sprayed the entire piece with a matte sealer.  The finishing touch was two brackets on the back for a beautiful sign to hang and admire.

So, was that super easy or what?  How cool would this be to make a few and give out as gifts at Christmas?  I love it.  I am off to go make a few more with other holiday greetings.  Have a great day and happy crafting!

Supplies:
Kuretake Woodcraft markers in Bright Green and Crimson
Craft Plywood
2 Picture Hangers
Peppermint Holiday Expressions by Lettering Delights