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 what I decided a was a failure. I tried to use a stencil and didn’t secure the stencil to the surface with spray adhesive and the paint bleed underneath.
My second attempt was to repaint the whole front of the sign in a bright yellow and attempt to free hand paint a hoop wreath with succulents. I didn’t like that design either and once again put the wood sign on the shelf of my craft room to be in the way of other projects of course.
My third attempt was finally more successful in that this time I tried a stencil again, but used spray adhesive to keep the stencil in place to prevent the paint from bleeding underneath the stencil.
Now I finally have a painted DIY stenciled wood sign that will eventually end up in my master bathroom.
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Sometimes you just have to keep trying again and again, and sometimes just one last time to get a craft project just 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 not only do I get a completed project for my home, but I also lose some of the clutter in my craft room.
I can’t tell you have 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 just didn’t want to throw it out – yet. This month I decided to stop moving it around and to 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The monthly Craft Room DeStash Challenge is no longer active, but you can still visit the blog posts below for some great inspirations.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 some 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, that 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 to cover up the old painting project I didn’t like on the wood sign.
The only way to cover up the bright yellow paint was to use a darker color, so I chose navy acrylic paint for the base color for the sign 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 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 at the time I bought the wood signs. This time I temporarily attached the stencil to the wood sign using a spray adhesive to get a better outcome for the painted. 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 applied two layers of white paint on the stencil lettering using the makeup sponge. 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 the words. This method keeps the paint thin enough that it does not bleed underneath the stencil.
After removing the stencil, I then filled in the gaps of the words by using a very small craft brush to apply the white paint.
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 words of the stencil, but 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.
I think the quote my husband and I picked for the stenciled wood sign is great motivation and inspiration to start out the day. And the best place to hang it will be in the master bathroom where I will see it every morning. Adding a few simple accent dots to the painted wood sign and this recreated craft project is done! Third time is a charm!
Currently, I am working on same updates and design changes for my master bath for a different blog post so I am unable to show this DIY wood sign in place in the space, but it is coming soon.
Be willing to continue to work on a project like this wood sign over and over again to make it better. Now I don’t have to keep moving the sign around from shelf to shelf but now can hang it on the wall for inspiration.
Now on to the Craft Room DeStash Challenge Participants!
Please be sure to visit the other talented bloggers who also participated in this month’s Craft Room Destash Challenge.
To try to make your own DIY Stenciled Wood Sign, try out these options:
Psalm 146:5 NIV “Blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord their God.”
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 couldn’t 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.