Love My Little Cottage

Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit- John Steinbeck

 

 

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DIY Cottage Garden Sign

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DIY Cottage Garden Sign

Do you like to decorate your home and garden with signs? Signs that contain quotes and sayings tell the world who we are, what we believe, and what is important to us. Inside my home, I have signs that read “Home Sweet Home,” “There’s No Place Like Home,” and “Blessed.” My DIY Cottage Garden Sign celebrates our wonderful little cottage and my love of flowers. Proverbs 14:1 (NASB) Reads: The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands. Feathering your nest with handmade touches is a great way to build your home for the ones you love.

The inspiration for my sign came from the black-eyed susans I have growing along the sidewalk of our side porch. Looking at them makes me happy.

Materials for DIY Cottage Sign:

Merino Wool Topper
  • 24 x 12 1/4″ plywood
  • 1 x 2 x 18 wooden garden stake
  • measuring tape
  • wood screws, screwdriver or drill
  • clear tape
  • Microsoft Word cottage garden Modern Love Grunge font pattern (letter size 175).
  • paints- Apple Barrel 20403E White, 20432E Nutmeg, 20429E Christmas Green, 20713E Spring Green, 20471E Bright Yellow, 2608 Country Tan, 20760E Kings Gold, 20404 Black
  • brushes- 1″ sponge brush, small stencil/pounce brush, 1/4 angle, small round, liner brush
  • Mod Podge Matte Clear Acrylic Sealer

Instructions:

Prepare the surface, if needed. I didn’t have to sand or prep my board because it was ready to paint. Use the 1″ sponge brush to cover one side of the plywood with Nutmeg. Let it dry. In the late fall and winter I use a blow dryer. In the spring and summer I let my projects bake in the sun in between coats. Paint a coat of White with the 1″ sponge brush over the Nutmeg. This white-over-brown technique creates the look of weathered wood. Swish a few streaks of Nutmeg on top of the White coat while it’s still wet.

Pounce the bottom portion of the board with a mixture of Christmas Green, Spring Green, and Bright Yellow using the small stencil brush.

Use the 1/4″ angle brush and a mixture of Christmas Green and Spring Green to wiggle in the leaves. I used my black-eyed susan photographs, zoomed in, as a guide for painting. Paint the leaf veins with White, Spring Green and the liner brush.

flower centers- Nutmeg, Country Tan/round brush
seed hairs-Black/liner brush
petals- Bright Yellow, Kings Gold, White/round brush
Print the cottage garden sign, then rub colored chalk on the back.
Mark the center of your board and fold the sign in half to find its middle point.
Center the sign and tape it down. Trace over the letters with a pencil, or other hard object.
When you remove the paper, there will be a perfect chalk pattern of the letters (look closely).
Paint the letters with Nutmeg and the round brush until opaque.
For a wood grain look, make swirlies with Black and the liner brush.
Add wood grain lines with Black and the liner brush.
Sign the project with your initials and the last two digits of the year, using the liner brush and Black.
When everything is nice and dry, take the project outside and spray it with Mod Podge Matte Clear Acrylic Spray.
My husband measured, drilled, and added the screws. I’m not much of a hardware girl, but he agreed to teach me how to do this part next time.

You’re all done! I hope you enjoyed my DIY Cottage Garden Sign tutorial!

Blessings!

Kristie

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