Hello Spring Vinyl Sign

Porch and entry signs are so popular right now – and for good reason! They’re so fun - and when you make one yourself, can match your personal style exactly. This cheerful sign welcoming spring is created using recycled wood finished in chalk paint and antiquing wax.

Materials:

Wood base (I’m recycling an old cabinet door)
Chalk paint (pink, black, white, blue-green or your choice of colors)
Chalk paint wax, clear and antique colors
Black permanent marker
Your choice patterned and solid-colored vinyl
Embellishments (optional)

Directions:

My sign is made from a wood door salvaged from an old TV cabinet.  Remove the hardware and wipe down the surface using alcohol to prep it for painting.

Paint the door using chalk paint in your choice of colors and allow to dry. Chalk paint is a “sticky” paint that adheres well to a variety of materials with little surface preparation. It can be mixed and layered to create some texture on the wood base if you’d like. 

Paint 2 colors, one on top of the other, and then sand the top layer to reveal the underlying paint.

Create your cut design in Design Space, sizing it for your wood base.  

My bunny design was larger than the 12-inch square of floral-patterned vinyl.  To cut it, I placed 2 sheets on my cutting mat, matching the repeat on the pattern and butting the edges precisely together (without overlapping) before cutting.

Cut and weed the vinyl.

Apply the vinyl to the painted wood base using transfer paper as required.

Spatter some white and black paint over the sign if desired.  Emphasize selected parts of the vinyl design using a black permanent marker.

Apply one or more coats of clear and/or antique-colored wax over the sign using a rag or paintbrush. Allow the wax to dry overnight and buff to a shine.

Attach other embellishments to the sign if desired. I used a good glue (like E6000) to glue a painted metal mold to the top of my sign as an accent.

Paint the back of the sign black and allow to dry. Then sit back and enjoy!