Do you want to join me for a craft class?

Recently, my sister-in-law, Jessica, asked me to create a cute little sign for her to give to a friend of hers as a kind of going away gift.  See Jess was offered a job and after much contemplation she decided to leave her current job and take the new one.  She was troubled by the move because she loved the job that she had and she loved the people she worked with.  So, she decided to give them gifts to remember her by, hoping it would make the move a little easier on everyone. 

One of the ladies she worked with has a last name that starts with the letter 'K'.  Jess had seen some of the monogrammed signs I had made in the past, and thought it would be perfect.  Together we came up with this rustic design and when her friend saw it, she was soooo excited.  She even exclaimed, "I know just where I will put this!"  

The best part of making things in the woodworking shop, is getting to hear someone's excitement and see the smile cross their face, when they open one of your handmade gifts.

That's when the idea hit me... maybe other people would enjoy getting to put these crafty creations together.  Maybe they would enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you made it all by yourself.  Maybe they have someone in mind that needs a little pick me up, and would like to share in the opportunity to make them smile.

I would love to teach you in person, but if you're too far away or would like to get started right now, here are the instructions on how to make this rustic sign:

Gather your supplies:
- Poplar boards 1 x 4 and approximately 5 feet long
- Sponge brushes
- Stain (color of your choice - I used espresso)
- Wood glue
- Staples
- D-rings and screws (for hanging your sign)
- Wire for hanging (optional)
- White or black paint pens OR Paint and brushes
- gloves 
- old rags (for wiping stain)

 Gather your tools:
- Table saw
- Miter saw
- Brad gun or wood stapler
- Hand sander
- Screw gun
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- clamps

1.  The first thing you will want to do, is cut your board to size.  You will want to measure a length about 15 inches long.  Mark the length and using a miter saw, cut 3 of these lengths from your board.  If you use a 1 x 4 board, you will end up with a sign that measures 12 x 15 when complete.  

Next, you will want to cut out the stabilizing strips.  The stabilizing strips are going to be attached to the back of your sign to help hold your slats together and also give you a great place to attach your hanging hardware. 

2.  You should have a little over a foot left of your board.  Lay out your 3 boards that you cut earlier on a table so they make a square.  This will give you the appearance of slats or a shiplap feel.  Next you will measure across them vertically so that you know the length that your stabilizing boards will need to be.  This should be about 12 inches, but sometimes a 1 x 4 can be a 1 x 3 3/4 or 1 x 4 1/4, so it's a good idea to measure just in case.  Take that measurement and cut a length from your left over board.

3.  Now it is time to use the table saw.  Take your 12 inch (approximately)board that you cut and cut it in half lengthwise.  You should now have two strips about 2 x 12 inches.   

4.  Now you will need decide which side of the boards are the "pretty side".  This is going to be the face of the sign.  Now, flip the boards over to show the "ugly side".  Using wood glue, squeeze a thin bead of glue down the length of one of the boards.  Press the next board up against the one with glue, making sure the sides are even.  Put a thin bead of glue down the last board and press it to the other two.  

5.  Get your clamps and tighten around the boards.  This will help the glue adhere to the boards to help hold them together.  Wipe any glue off that pushes out from between the boards.  If glue is left on the wood, the stain will not sink in and you will have discolored spots on your sign.  

6.  Now, run a thin bead of glue along the underneath side of the stabilizing strips.  Place your stabilizing strips across the back of the boards, about 4 inches from each side.  Your slats should be running horizontally and your stabilizing strips will be running vertically.

7.  Using a staple gun, shoot several staples into your stabilizing strips.  You can release your clamps at this time.

8.  Flip your sign over and get ready to sand.  You want to make sure there aren't any rough edges along the outside edge.  You will also want to run the sander across the face of your sign.  This will help make sure your boards are even with each other, get rid of any glue that may have accidentally gotten on the front of your sign, and it will give the boards a surface that will stain more readily.

9.  Using a sponge brush, get ready to apply the stain.  Always stir your stain before you put it on your project, to make sure that any color that has settled, gets mixed in thoroughly.  I like to stain the back of my project first so any fingerprints that may get left when turning the piece over, are on the back side.  You may want to put on gloves so your hands don't get stained.  Dip your sponge brush into the stain and "paint" it on the edges and back of the sign.  Wipe the stain off with old rags.  You can go ahead and flip the sign over.  Make sure to wipe off any stain that may have seeped under to the front of the sign.  Go ahead and "paint" the stain on the front of the sign.  Wipe the stain off and play the waiting game.  I like to let the sign rest after staining for about 24 hours.  This way it has thoroughly dried before, you get ready to apply the paint. 

10.  When the sign is dry, you can go ahead and add the artwork on the front of the sign.  For this sign, we transferred a letter "K" in the center of the sign.  I like to use the wax paper transfer method.  There are great tutorials about how to do this on Pinterest.  

11.  After you put the letter in the center of your sign, you can add the laurel wreath.  I use a plate to trace around with a pencil.  This will give you a circle from which to build your laurel wreath.  You get to be so creative here.  You can draw swirls, add leaves, polka dots, flowers... whatever you like.

12.  Using a white or black paint pen, begin filling in your letter.  It may take more than one coat, but that's okay.  It is better to layer several thin layers letting them dry between than to add a thick amount of paint that takes forever to dry.

13.  After your center artwork is dry, you can begin filling in the wreath around the letter.  Again, it may take more than on coat of paint.  Just relax and enjoy building and creating because you're going to be so proud of your work in just a few minutes.


14.  When your artwork is complete, you can flip the sign over and screw in the D-rings to the stabilizing strips on the back of the sign.  If you would like you can also attach a wire to the D-rings to give it another way to hang.  Or maybe, you just want to set the sign on a mantle or shelf.  It's completely up to you!

So, maybe someday, I will gather all of you together and we will have a crafting party.  I could put the blanks together and my friends could paint the wreath and monogram or wording on the sign.  We could all sit around giggling, drinking warm apple cider and making gifts for Christmas presents or preparing something for your own mantle.  I can hardly wait.

Just imagine what you could create.

So what do you think?  Do you want to come over and work together on being happy, healthy and whole?

~tracelaine