Inspired Fall Sign (A Tutorial)

 Not too long ago, I was pin, pin, pinning and ran across a beautiful project from Kristen at Ella Claire. Have you been there yet? Kristen has great style and with this particular  project, she shares 6 inexpensive ways to decorate for Fall...I fell in love with her sign and had to try one for myself.

 I started off with a board that I found at an estate sale. It looked like some sort of work surface for someone because it was pretty beaten up....which just so happens to be a good thing. It's not ginormous, about 20" x 24" 

I gave it three good coats of off white craft paint....measured out where I wanted the words and with a pencil and ruler started drawing out the letters. 

 I think that is what drew me to the sign in the first place is the mix of fonts, in particular that of the word 'apples'. Very Fall Festival, don't cha think?

 Next up, 'hayrides'....I think I got the H a little too big, but that gives it a little more charm.

 'Pumpkins' is painted in a font you've seen me use before on other signs I've painted (see HERE) and sell in my Shop. 

 Once everything is lettered, painted and dried, time to move on to the next step:

 Shadowing. Shadowing the letters really gives the sign a lot of detail. 

I painted the top and bottom cross boards in green too.

Next, give it a good once over with sand paper, concentrating on the edges. Finally, I took dark walnut stain and went over the whole piece. This gives it an even more aged apperance. It knocked down the bright colors quite a bit.

 I sprayed a clear sealer on the entire piece and called it done! It's leaning on the hutch right now, although I'd like to hang it somewhere in the kitchen.

 The great thing about this project is you can really personalize it and do as much or as little as you'd like. There is no end to the possibilites.

 If you don't feel comfortable hand-lettering, don't worry, Kristen has a printable that you can use to make all the lettering a breeze. Click HERE to grab it.

Thanks so much to Kristen for the inspiration! I hope you are inspired too!