It’s time to remember the happy. The people, the places, and the things that make us happy. This week was my parents’ anniversary and it got me thinking about the amazing family environment they’ve created. I come from a family of five children and three of us live on the same street as our parents. Being near them all makes me happy, especially during the summer months.
Summertime in our family means pool time. It’s the place where our family gets together at the end of almost every day to swim, relax, and catch up. It’s also what inspired the anniversary gift I made for my parents this year – a reminder of the life they’ve built.
Being the creative that I am, I decided to make a custom wood sign that could be hung by the pool. Here’s how I did it and how you too can make your own custom gift….
Begin by priming and painting a wood board. This particular board was a salvaged wood shelf from a bookcase painted in layers of blue and gray. The final result looked like a piece of slate.
From there, print out a phrase in block letters; sizing the letters to 170 pt. Cut the words out and lay them on your board. Use a ruler to ensure they’re centered, then mark the four corners of each piece of paper with a pencil or chalk so you know exactly where to place them back down after you lift them off.
Rub the back side of each piece of paper with chalk.
Lay the paper back down on the board, aligning them with the registration marks you marked earlier. Trace each letter firmly with a pencil so that the chalk presses onto the board.
Using a square tip artist’s brush (affiliate link), fill in each letter with paint.
Let the paint dry and repeat.
Don’t worry about being perfect. This is a custom-painted sign with character!
Finally, paint on a clear satin polyacrylic over the entire board to protect the finish.
This sign will find it’s permanent home hanging at the pool – our happy place.
Want more furniture makeover inspiration in your inbox? Thank you & Enjoy! Vicki (Disclaimer: This post does contains affiliate links to products I use myself.)
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