Welcome Boards

This little project was actually inspired by a "front porch makeover" themed Christmas package I'm putting together for my sister-in-law.  A few weeks back I pinned a cute board sign that said "Rejoice" which was the inspiration for these welcome boards. These really could be used indoors our out, but I made these with the vision of them setting attractively propped up by the front door to welcome guests.  Ironically, the last name of the recipients of these gifts makes a great pun for a variety of uses.  With a few simple tools I whipped both of these up in an afternoon.

SUPPLIES

Boards: these are reclaimed 1x8 boards in approx. 4 ft lengths.  We had to repair a section of our fence this summer and I have a whole pile of them behind the garage.

Stencil: My Cricut came in perfectly for this.  If you don't have one I'm sure you could either buy some, or make your own with and exacto knife, but seriously for simplicity sake, just find someone you know who has a Cricut or Silhouette and ask if you can borrow it.  I cut my letters out of regular card stock at a width of 5 inches.  Height varries by letter.

Spray Glue/Adhesive

Paint: I used leftover exterior paint from our garden shed, but depending on indoor or outdoor use you can really choose whatever works best for you.  This project took a very small amount of paint so anything you have should do fine.

Sponge Paint Brush: you know, one of those little black spongey ones you can get really cheap.  I think I used a 1 inch brush.

DIRECTIONS

Prep the boards by scraping off any loose paint with a flat edge and rough wire bristle brush.  Also removed any nails or other dangers.  If not using reclaimed wood you can paint or stain your board for desired look.

Lay out your stencils on the board until you get the spacing and look how you'd like it.  Apply spray adhesive to the back of your stencils to make them like a giant sticker, and stick them down.  They don't have to be perfect, but you want them to stay in place.

Select your font color, and dip the sponge brush lightly into the paint.  Until you know how your board absorbs the paint you don't want to put it on too thick.  For crisper edges try a thin layer and do multiple coats if desired.  My first try I overdid the paint on the word "THE" and it leaked under the stencil.

Allow to dry and remove the stencil.  That's it! Now you have a great little decor piece for wherever you choose to put it.  You could also do it double sided for multiple seasons or phrases.

Happy Painting!