DIY Stenciled Wood Sign
With some projects, you find that you have to keep at it and try new things before you get it right. Such was the case with this DIY stenciled wood sign I decided to make.

Sometimes, first attempts at a project fail, so you have to continue anyway and try again.
My first attempt at making this wood sign ended up being a failure. I tried to use a stencil but didn’t secure it to the surface with spray adhesive, and the paint bled underneath.
My second attempt was to repaint the whole front of the sign bright yellow and free-hand paint a hoop wreath with succulents. I didn’t like that design either, so I once again put the wood sign on the shelf of my craft room, of course, to be in the way of other projects.
My third attempt was finally more successful. This time, I tried a stencil again, but I used spray adhesive to keep the stencil in place and prevent the paint from bleeding underneath it.
I finally have a painted DIY stenciled wood sign that will eventually end up in my master bathroom.
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Sometimes you have to keep trying repeatedly, and sometimes just one last time to get a craft project right, or at least something better than you have attempted before. This year I have been on a mission to clean out as much of the clutter in my craft room as much as possible. This monthly challenge is one of my favorite challenges because I get a completed project for my home and lose some of the clutter in my craft room.
I can’t tell you how many times I have moved this wood sign around from shelf to shelf in my craft room to get it out of the way of something else I was working on. I had messed it up in the past, but I just didn’t want to throw it outโyet. This month, I decided to stop moving it around and finally give it a new look for this month’s Craft Room Destash Challenge.
The monthly Craft Room DeStash Challenge is no longer active, but you can still visit the blog posts below for some great inspirations.
Every month a group of bloggers are challenged by C’mon Get Crafty to create a new craft or project from their own stash of goodies! Everyone is allowed a $10 allowance for necessities to complete their project (i.e. paint brushes, glue, etc), but the bulk of it must be created from their own stash of goodies.
Let’s meet this month’s bloggers!!
C’mon Get Crafty | Love My Little Cottage | Slices of Life
Domestic Deadline | Across the Blvd | Purple Hues and Me | Modern on Monticello
This Autoimmune Life | Sew Crafty Crochet | Home Crafts by Ali

My project this month is a DIY Stenciled Wood Sign.
A few years ago, I purchased this wood sign, along with another one, at Walmart. The first one I painted in rustic blues and grays and used a stencil to create a DIY Wood Sign. Since the first stenciled sign worked out so well the first time, I decided to use the second one, which I had messed up twice already, to make a nice DIY stenciled sign with a great quote for my master bathroom.

The first thing I needed to do was cover up the old painting project on the wood sign that I didn’t like.

The only way to cover up the bright yellow paint was to use a darker color, so I chose navy acrylic paint as the sign’s base color and applied several layers until the old design was completely painted over.
The navy paint not only covered up the old attempt at painting this wood sign, but it also gave it a nice new base color for a new project.

Dreams don’t work unless you do!
My husband helped me pick the quote from the stack of paper stencils I also purchased at Walmart when I bought the wood signs. This time, I temporarily attached the stencil to the wood sign using spray adhesive to get a better outcome for the painted. There was no paint bleed this time. Using a makeup sponge and white paint, I applied two layers of white paint to the stencil and created the quote for the wood sign.

I used the makeup sponge to apply two layers of white paint on the stencil lettering. Each time, I would dip the sponge in the white acrylic paint, wipe off the excess, and then apply the paint to the words by lightly tapping the sponge over them. This method keeps the paint thin enough not to bleed underneath the stencil.

After removing the stencil, I filled in the gaps of the words by applying white paint with a very small craft brush.
The secret to making this project work this time around was to use the spray adhesive to temporarily attach the stencil to the wood sign before applying the paint with the sponge for the wording. The spray adhesive prevented paint bleed underneath the stencil’s words and also allowed me to remove the paper stencil cleanly and easily. Follow the instructions on the side of the can of spray adhesive to temporarily attach the stencil instead of accidentally attaching the paper stencil permanently to the wood sign.

The quote my husband and I picked for the stenciled wood sign is great motivation and inspiration to start the day. The best place to hang it will be in the master bathroom, where I will see it every morning. This recreated craft project is done by adding a few simple accent dots to the painted wood sign! Third time is a charm!
I am working on some updates and design changes for my master bath for a different blog post, so I cannot show this DIY wood sign in place in the space, but it is coming soon.

Be willing to continue working on a project like this wood sign over and over again to improve it. Now, I don’t have to keep moving the sign around from shelf to shelf; I can hang it on the wall for inspiration.
Now on to the Craft Room DeStash Challenge Participants!
Please visit the other talented bloggers who participated in this month’s Craft Room Destash Challenge.


Psalm 146:5 NIV “Blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord their God.”
This project is fun!ย Below are more fun and creative projects for you to enjoy:
Easy DIY Stenciled Mini Pallet Sign
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Of course, there is always more to see.ย Like this Farmhouse Thankful and Grateful Sign, or a one of a kind Sunburst Mirror made from an old book
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I love reusing a sign by upcycling it. Great job! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
Thank you.
Your stenciled wood sign turned out well, Donna. I love the background color you chose.
Love love love it! Thanks for sharing with us at the To Grandma’s house we go link party I’ll be featuring you this week on Facebook, Instagram and on my blog! (oop FYI your instagram link seems to be broken)
Thank you! And thanks for the info on the instagram link. I updated my site last month and some things just get messed up in the chaos.
Third time’s a charm, so the saying goes. It looks great ~ pinned!
Thanks Allyson
I love everything about this, from the colors you chose to the accent dots to the message. Great job!
Thanks Pam. The accent dots weren’t planned but I liked them once I started adding them on.
Your sign turned out really nice! I have a few projects that I could repaint and now I know how to do a stencil on them.
Thanks Ali. Good luck!
Back in the day, we used oil-based stencil paints that you tapped on with a stencil brush. They definitely did not bleed. You could even apply them to vertical areas, like walls. My husband and I looked all over Michaels one time, but couldnโt find anything similar. ?
I haven’t seen those in some time either. I do remember they were hard to paint over without showing through the new paint. Not sure if they make them anymore. Thanks for visiting.
The sign looks great, and that’s a great quote! I like the dots on the top and bottom of the sign.
Thanks T’onna. Those were just a last minute little flare I added at the last minute with the end of the paint brush. Thanks for visiting.
Your stencil turned out so nice – I love the quote! And you first attempts at stenciling sound like mine. It took 3 times for me as well before I got it the way I wanted it!
Thanks Roseann. I still struggle with vinyl stencils but I am determined to learn how to work with them.
Glad you kept at it, Donna, to create this lovely piece! Stenciling can sometimes be quite tricky in more ways than you can imagine! And looks like you’ve mastered it, beautifully! I love the saying!
Thanks so much Gail.
Your wall art looks great. I do the same with re-working something I’ve done that didn’t turn out just how I wanted it to until I’m happy with it.
Thanks Beverly. Sometimes you just have to keep working on it.
That turned out great! I do find there are some projects I just need to shelve and come back to when I’m in a whole different frame of mind. You did a great job with the stenciling. Pinned.
Thanks Joanne. Changing your frame of mind is a good way to look at it.