I’ve always wanted to make an established sign as a gift and a recent bridal shower was the perfect occasion.

How to make an established/monogrammed sign.

Materials:

• Wood 18 x 9 x 1
• TransTint Dye (Dark Walnut or Dark Mission Brown)
• Craft Paint (gray and white)
• Stencil (I used a vinyl stencil I created with my Silhouette Cameo)
• Spray Lacquer
• Sawtooth picture hanger

Tutorial:

I sanded down a pretty piece of wood then died it with my favorite color of TransTint Dye from Rockler a long time ago as part of my participation with the DIY Club. I seriously love this product. A little goes a long way and I can control the color – just add water. I also love that I can let the unused portion sit on a shelf. Water evaporates and I can just add water to re-use the unused portion. I’ve used it on many projects and have so much left!

Using my Silhouette Cameo, I designed and cut out a monogram, border and last name vinyl stencil. {Be sure to measure the sign and create a border/design that fits within those measurements.}

I peeled off the letters and used the “negative” part of the vinyl as a stencil. Placing it straight was the hardest part. Holding it up to the light and cutting straight lines using the guide on the back of the vinyl was helpful.

I pulled away the wax paper, applied the vinyl stencil and made sure it was all good and stuck by rubbing the design with a credit card.

Slowly peel away the backing…

Next I painted the border, monogram and “established 2012” using gray acrylic craft paint. I gave it a few coats.

I’m impatient, so I let it dry a few minutes then peeled away the vinyl. Then I let it dry fully.

I created another vinyl stencil of the last name and cut it out using my Silhouette Cameo. Once the first paint was dry, I followed the same steps to apply the last name stencil. I placed the name in the center of the sign and used white paint.

Let dry. Last step is to attach a hanger to the back {make sure the nails/screws aren’t bigger than the depth of the wooden sign!}. I also gave my sign a coat of spray satin matte lacquer.

Ta-da! I personalized gift:

{So sorry about the low light/poor quality pictures! Ugh! I didn’t realize until pictures were uploaded after the gift was given.}

What do you think?

Wish me luck today. I’m heading to the apartment (enlisting the help of my 19-year-old nephew) to tackle my first attempt to sand hardwood floors!

Enjoy the weekend!

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Disclaimer: I created the above project using some supplies I’ve received in the past for previously sponsored projects. Opinion is my all mine based on my experience.