Today's Project: Wedding Signs!

So, not signs that there will be a wedding. Actual stake signs that go in the ground   :-) It's much easier than you think, and it costs very little- just takes some time and patience! Inspiration always helps... I based ours off the design for our invitations (below- find them here)

You will need: (Makes 4 2'x1'signs)
- Craft paint in colors of your choice
- Some foam paintbrushes, plus a smaller brush for detailing
- 4 36" wooden stakes (you can get these at a hardware store for 59 cents apiece)
- 8 1 1/2 " deck screws (I used nails, but screws work better- my uncle Tim the Toolman pointed that out!)
- A screwdriver (or hammer, if you're using nails)
- Masking tape
- Optional: Stencils and/or stick on letters
- 1 8' 12"x1" pine board, cut into 4 2-ft sections
(Hint: If you go to the hardware store to get this, they will cut your wood for free! No kidding! At the Home Depot I went to, they made the first two cuts for free, and the third cut was supposed to cost a dollar. The cashier ended up not charging me for it, but even if they had, it would only cost $1... no tool shed necessary. It's so easy!)

1) Paint the boards and stakes in the color of your choosing. Make sure to protect your ring, future brides! And the floor, of course. Regular craft paint works fine for this- I happened to have some paint left over from my living room painting that was nearly the right color. I mixed it with some white I already had and Voila! Perfect color and it didn't cost me a cent. Look for stuff to reuse around the house and save moolah.

2) Using 2 screws, screw the stake to the back of your board, with the end of the stake close to the top. (Tim the Toolman uncle points out that it will be sturdiest if the stake is flush with the top edge... that way, when you're pounding them into the ground, the front part will be less likely to get wrenched off!) Speaking of pounding, if you're using two nails and a hammer instead, try and do this during the daylight hours and avoid irate neighbors.

3) Here's where the fun part starts. This can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be. If your event is rustic, just freehand your lettering and an arrow, and you're done! If you want to get fancy and add scripted lettering, you can either buy some stick-on letters and use those, get a stencil from a craft store, or use my money-saving trick. Find a font you like in a regular word processing program like Word, type out your text in LARGE font (it should take up the whole page), and print it out. Then, center it on your sign, and outline the letters with a Sharpie, pressing down hard. When you take the paper away, you should have an outline of your scripted letters, which you can then fill in with a paint pen, marker, or craft paint. A little more work, but it costs nothing and you can pick the size and font you want.

4)  I decided I wanted to add some of the flower design that was on my invitations (see photo at the top of the post). Since I'm rather arty, I practiced on a piece of paper, and then drew my design on the board with a pencil. If you're not so confident, you can either use a stencil or use the same Sharpie trick we did with the letters, with a printed image (simple ones work best). For the arrow, you can freehand it, use a stencil, or simply mark one out with masking tape like I did. After you've filled it in, take off the tape and you've got a perfect arrow. 

5) The finished product? A customized, economical sign that is both practical, and adds a personal touch to your day. Total cost of my 4 signs: $21.89. Hooray for DIY!

Thanks for reading, and check back for more projects soon :-)

Alicia