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A Custom Fall Decor Sign

November 3, 2013 By Laura 6 Comments

The details of the season of Fall inspires me so much!
This time, it was to make a custom fall decor sign for our home.

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I was going through some scrapbooking supplies recently, when I came across a handy little quote book. Naturally I took the opportunity to take a break from the big task at hand, to read through it, because I was sitting in the middle of an overwhelming mess. One of the quotes I came upon expressed some of the many little things I so love about the season of Fall, and I was immediately inspired to use that quote as a custom sign for my home decor. The quote read:

Scarecrows, corn rows, pumpkins on the vine.
Leaves curl, wind swirls, Fall is right on time.

There was no credit to the quote, so I did an internet search. I found the quote has been widely utilized, which tells me I’m not the only one this beautiful little phrase speaks to. I had just never heard of it before. Still, I found no credit, or else I would feel compelled to give credit where credit is due! (It’s only right to, Folks.) Whoever you are though, thanks for such a lovely expression of the picturesque moments of Fall, and for the inspiration!

Here is a look at the finished sign, and then I thought I would share the makings of it with you today.

My mental vision of the sign was instant, really. There was no brainstorming session, although I did sketch out on paper the structure of the sign I was asking Michael, my husband, to build. Could I do these things myself? Yes, but why would a girl, when a girl doesn’t have to? It would take me so much longer, and it probably wouldn’t come out as perfectly. Michael is happy to whip up these things for me in astonishing time, when I ask, and I say that with much appreciation.

The 14 x 25″ sign consists of 10 2.5 x 14″ slats of wood, secured together on the back as seen above, with 2 little strips of pine.
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Finish build, and ready to stain.

I chose a dark stain.
(Minwax brand; Provincial)

The lettering was laid out in design to have a line of text on each slat of the sign, with a spare slat at the top and bottom, for any artwork.
The lettering was cut out and applied in vinyl.

My vision also involved some hand-painted artwork on the sign. Oh, these grand ideas are always pulled off so very simply in our minds; aren’t they? 😉
I foresaw pumpkin vines climbing all the way up the side of the sign, and many leaves, swirling everywhere.
But my physical execution of painting these things, proved to be a bit more challenging than I managed so beautifully, mentally.

While, after much effort, I don’t think my pumpkins came out too bad in the end, my vines didn’t climb quite as high and wild, and I acquired far fewer leaves swirling about, than I had hoped as well. Still, I am happy with the simplicity of the final outcome.

I’m also encouraged, because I realized when I was all finished with the painting project, that I really worked with a difficult medium. They were acrylic paint tubes I had around and found in a baggie, but really poor and cheap quality. They were very soft and clumpy, which really made it challenging to paint smoothly, and the paint application itself did not have any longevity for longer strokes. Having painted with my more high quality acrylic paints on another project some days later, I really saw and experienced the difference, and I won’t make that mistake again. I look forward to trying my hand at some more hand-painted work soon, with more cooperative paint, and I suspect I’ll have a more enjoyable time in the midst of it, with more pleasing results.

Nonetheless, I do love my sign, and believe I will include it as part of our Fall decor for many years to come.

If you saw the tour of our Fall decor mantels post, you may have noticed the sign then. It was one of four handmade items included on the mantels.
Did you guess any of the others?
I hope this inspires you to try making some simple signs yourself, or purchasing some to include in your own home decor.
~Laura

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Signs, Signs, Everywhere There’s Signs. (Ours!)

February 24, 2013 By Laura 24 Comments

Are you singing now? The title was a spin off of a song.
Well anyway . . . . . .

I’ve been in the company of professional sign makers / letterers, one way or another, for about 26 years now, and I guess it’s really worn off on me.

I really love the whole entire creative process of sign-making and lettering. What’s more, I simply love signs. Most especially signs in a home.
So many months ago now, I started making some fun signs (with a little side-kick help from Michael), for the purpose of home decor. I got so into it, that we started talking about opening an Etsy custom-order sign shop! I’ve gotten as far as naming our little sign shop, and designing a great logo for that division of business. But all else I’ve done about it, is make lots more signs. : ) And I’ve had a ball doing it! We may very well still open that Etsy shop at any time, if we find there is interest! But today, I just wanted to show you the signs I’ve made.

I have designed all of these myself, with the exception of two. I’ll tell you a little about each one as I go here.

I wanted a couple of signs for our bathroom. I especially needed something for a tall narrow bead-board space in the little cubby area in our bathroom, over the floor-wall cabinet.
I wanted the sign to be along the theme of CLEAN: fresh water, suds and bubbles, etc. This sign is the result of that.
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So far, my sign style is: worn, old and distressed. I just can’t NOT beat it up. I really love the look of ‘not new at all’.
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Here is it in the space it was designed for.

That cubby space over the cabinet was empty forever. I just could figure out what to put there.
But I finally got it together. The little ceramic birdies, and the old metal pale, really kicked the gears into motion, and the rest quickly fell into place. I think I’ll be happy with the decor of that area, for at least a little while.
By the way, I don’t know if the color of paint on our walls looks blue on your monitor, but it is actually a cool grey, on this side of the bathroom.
Our bathroom has two separate areas: sink and vanity area in one side, and toilet shower in the other.
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This sign, designed for my or any boys’ rooms, was inspired by a song. It was a lot of fun to design.
One of the many things I love about this particular design, is that the R at the beginning and end of ROCKSTAR wraps around onto the sides too.

Simply put, I think the whole thing is cool.

I had a hard time choosing a color scheme, so I didn’t chose . . . . . .

I just made both!

This sign is just plain good advice.
Yes?

Most always when I get an idea for a sign, or anything else I make, the vision in my head is pretty clear in detail, and that means complete with colors.
So I most always just need to go with how I first ‘saw’ it, because nothing else seems right after that. This sign I saw with what I considered ‘beach’ colors.
So of course, I just went with it.

This whole sign, is not my own design or phrase at all. I have seen it many times, around the internet, and I wanted it for the other side of our downstairs bathroom! Of course, I could have bought the ones I saw. But that consideration is always immediately followed by the thought, “Why would I buy it, when I can just make it myself.” Had I bought it, I would have had it a lot sooner! Because while it was an immediate plan, it took me a lot longer to actually make it! While it’s not my own design, I do love it.

Here it is hanging in our bathroom in the sink/vanity area.
The wall paint color on this side is a pale pink, with a dark grey vanity and white sink.
So the sign colors I went with go perfectly in here. It makes me smile every time I see it.

This next one I made as a gift . . . . . .

A blogger-friend I casually know, and whom I follow, one day posted a sign pretty much just like this one, and mentioned she wanted it for her home. I offered to make one just like it for her, (as best I could), simply because I like her. I’ve noted her kindness many times before, and just wanted to make it for her, because she wished for it. You could say it was one of those ‘Pay It Forward’ kind of moments. We have been blessed many, many (many) times, by gifts and other thoughtful acts of kindness by others. While it always fills us with such gratitude, for me, it doesn’t compare to the joyful feeling of giving to others. So I do give when I feel the want to do that. To me, it’s a gift to know I made someone happy, in any small way I can.

I actually tried to antique this sign some, with some dark wax along the distressed edges, to try and further age the look.
I hope I was successful.

This last sign was inspired by my oldest daughter . . . . . .

She really does SHINE, as that’s just her personality. It’s been a word that she has been described with by others, since she was a baby.
But also, ‘being a light for others’ has been a phrase I have grown her on.

All of the ‘subliminal words’ are in essence, the very things I am trying to instill in her and all of my children, of course.

Wouldn’t you know, she fell in love with this sign . . . . . .

. . . . . . and asked to hang it in her room.
It really does seem in the right place, there.

This one was a lot of work, with so many letters and colors. My head was somewhat spinning, making it; being afraid I was going to mess up my pattern, or two colors would end up too close to each other, etc. But it all worked out. If I end up selling this design though, it’s going to have to be a little more $ than others!
I do think it’s a beautiful sign for any girl’s room. I think it reminds our girls of so many important things we want them to hold on to.
That’s the power of a sign. They are so much more than just decor.

That’s all I’ve got for you today, Folks!
But I have dozens upon dozens more designs and idea in my head, for every room in one’s house! And outdoor sign ideas as well.
We’d even love to custom design requests. It’s all just so much fun, and certainly a craft that is part of our family history.

So what do YOU think – Should we set up shop, or not?

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“I Am Third” | A Wood Pallet Sign

December 5, 2012 By Laura 9 Comments

It’s always a great day, when I finally get something OUT of my head, and am able to find the time to bring it to life, and have it real and in front of me. It makes me happy because, there’s a whole lot in my head, that never (ever) gets out! I wish I could do all of the projects that I actually think of, but I have other joyful obligations too, than just being all artsy 24/7. So only a small percentage of my notions ever actually come to be.
I’m really glad this one did though, because it’s a meaningful one in our home.

The vision was a wood pallet sign. And we usually have no shortage of those, as this is what our driveway often looks like . . . . . .

. . . . and there’s more where those came from. Michael is able to get them from work by the load anytime. Many of them he chops up and we burn in our wood stove. Free wood is always good! But they are great for many other things too. And a pallet was perfect for my idea for the sign I wanted to make.

The theme of the sign is a phrase we are fond of in our family, and try to live by, and it is this:

I am third.
You may well guess all on your own.
Like all families with many kids, one of my tasks as a parent is to teach my children to always put God first, be compassionate of others, and make great efforts to be selfless whenever possible. Having triplets, you can imagine we’ve had many teachable moments and conversations about this kind of thing from toddler-hood on up, while encouraging them to share, and not grow with any kind of mindset that our own wants and needs should always or ever be first. That’s just not how we roll, as Christians. Of course, this philosophy of serving, goes far beyond the constraints of our family, and the walls of our home. It applies to our world and every day we live in it, and with all whom we interact with across the board, from absolute strangers, to acquaintances, to loved ones a part of our personal lives, and everyone in between whom we happen upon daily . I want that to stick with my kids, as they grow older in their faith, and take on this world, with all of their plans and dreams before them. It can only help, for each one of us to be reminded often.

And so with another an extra piece of plywood, some old extra nails we had on hand, and some paint and a brush, the pallet sign I saw in my head for so long, was created:

Because of the list form of my idea, I saw the pallet as the perfect material for the sign.
It was cut down to a size of about 20″ x 27″.

I wanted it kept as simple as possible. Rustic, raw, and straightforward. Sure, it may not always be easy to live the message.
But God always forgives us, and we always have the opportunity to keep on trying.
It is a simple concept to remember, in terms of the priorities we want to strive to serve in our life:
God
Others
Self

For some reason, I always saw it in this darker red. When it came time to paint, I stopped and considered other colors.
But I really needed to create it just as I had envisioned it for so long. Or else I could go crazy.

Michael hung it up the very same day. Right there where we all see it, again and again, every day. He loves it as much as I do.
I suppose others may come into our home, start to read it, and be a little perplexed. But one of the most cherished things about having a home to me, is making it a place that is meaningful to our family. It’s the little things, that are personal and of the heart, that make it feel like home. And this sign….. and all it says….it means something to us. It’s an awareness that we want to be reminded of, again and again. Not just the kids. But all of us. I know I can use such a gentle reminder, as often as anyone else.

There is lots more space on this particular wall in our open living space, up there with the clock. The wall is much bigger than it even appears in this photo, with the cathedral ceiling. We realize the sign is so flush left, and leaves the wall as a whole quite unbalanced. But we’re ok with that for now. Soon enough, the wall all around the clock will be filled with other things that mean something to us. Maybe more signs. Who knows. But we have no desire to rush these things, just to fill up and balance the wall. It’s what is hanging there, that matters to us.
All of the space? Well, that’s what I call inspiration. Like a blank sheet of lined paper, or a canvas. The possibilities are endless, and exciting.

The kids have really embraced the lesson, most days. But when they are together and it’s needed, because one, or some, or all are reverting back to looking out for themselves over little things, I like to remind them:
“If everyone put everyone else second, you’ll always actually be second, too! Not third. Right? So just be a good example.” ; )
I’m a tricky Mama. ; )

I wonder what I’ll be able to get out of my head, next.

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