Sunday, December 5, 2010

Winter Wonderland Wooden Sign

Occasionally, I like to get a little artsy and crafty.  This week, I  completed a new project especially for Day 7 (Christmas Crafts!) of the "25 Days of Christmas", hosted by Jmo and Star


**the Winter Wonderland wooden sign**



You will need: 1 wooden board, a few different shades of acrylic craft paint, craft paint brushes, word stencils and a relaxing workspace with good lighting. For this project, I used a 26'w x 7"h pine craft board and Ceramcoat brand acrylic paint in Metallic Silver, Pearl Finish, White, and Ultra Blue.  

Board Prep: Paint with brown base coat - I use cheap interior/exterior paint, because one coat is all that's needed, and it dries quickly.  Any type of paint or varnish can be used.
Paint Prep:  I blended Ceramcoat White with Ultra Blue to create a creamy blue hue that is used for some of lettering on the sign.


Begin by painting the background design. I free handed snowflakes using Silver and Pearl Finish paints, and alternated shapes and sizes until the entire board was covered:


You can't really mess up a snowflake design; I always start with a circle in the center, and work my way outward with a variety of lines, circles, and curls -use your imagination! You can always google "snowflake clipart" for inspiration.


You don't need to spend money on pre-cut stencils; create your very own custom designs on any word processing program, print them out, and "trace"them onto the board. Simply lay the design on top of the board and trace around the edges with a thick ball point pen or dull pencil, applying pressure as you trace.  When you remove the paper, you will see the design etched into the board. Simple and cheap? I think so! 


I filled in the first row of "etched" letters with the creamy blue paint I mixed when prepping for the project. The blue stands out nicely against the silver and pearl snowflakes.  (Can you guess what the bottom row of words will be?)


I free-handed the phrase "Winter Wonderland" with white paint; I opted to use my own handwriting and paint directly onto the board rather than trace a design in, as I wanted to add a personal touch (you will find out why at the end of this tutorial!)



To hang the sign, I decided to use two "loops" of sturdy craft wire (one on each side of the board) rather than a bracket.  The board I used for this project was thin (1/4") and light enough to be supported securely by the wire. A bracket can also be used.  I carefully measured a few inches inward from each side of  the board and drilled small holes toward the top. 


I cut two 7" pieces of craft wire, which i then folded in half and threaded through each drilled hole.  I left a "loop" in the front, and twisted the wire tightly on the backside of the sign so that the wire hangers would be secure.  


The sign can easily be hung by two nails - gorgeous!


Isn't she lovely?  You may recognize the typewriter font - I use it frequently when blogging! As for the free-handed "Winter Wonderland" lettering, I felt it was necessary to add a completely personal touch - I want to make sure that whoever wins this beauty receives a one-of-a-kind, uniquely "Stephanie" piece of work!  

Oh yes - I said "win".  WIN, as in, I'm giving the "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland" hand- painted wooden sign away to one of my awesome readers!


Enter to win:
1. Let me know that you'd like to win the sign by leaving a comment (1 entry)
2. Follow the blog! And if you already do, AWESOME.  Leave a comment either way. (1 entry)
3. "Like" A Grad Student's Wife on Facebook (see Right column) and leave a comment letting me know. (2 entries)
3. Blog it! And leave a comment with the link to your post. (3 entries)
4. Tweet it! Make sure to mention @herdfan in your tweet. (3 entries)
5. BONUS ENTRY:  What's your favorite thing about Wintertime?  Comment and let me know!
The winner will get to enjoy the sign for months to come!
**Giveaway ends Sunday, December 12th at 12:01am**

post signature

82 comments:

Whitney @ EHFAR said...

i would love to win! it turned out great!

Whitney @ EHFAR said...

i'm already a follower :)

Whitney @ EHFAR said...

one of my favorite things about winter time is the christmas lights, the snow, and christmas!

star said...

Oh my, I love the sign! It's amazing! I will definetely try to make this! Just in case mine turns out bad, I want to win this one! It's perfect for my Winter Wonderland theme! Thanks for playing lady!

star said...

I am a follower!

Tiffany Noth said...

it's beautiful!!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, you KNOW I'm going to be all over this! I want to win so badly!

Anonymous said...

I'm a follower :)

Anonymous said...

I like you on facebook

Anonymous said...

I like you on facebook second entry

Anonymous said...

Tweeted 1 http://twitter.com/#!/amandab33/statuses/11441670465785856

Anonymous said...

Tweeted 2 http://twitter.com/#!/amandab33/statuses/11441670465785856

Anonymous said...

Tweeted 3
http://twitter.com/#!/amandab33/statuses/11441670465785856

Anonymous said...

You should know not to make me pick one favorite thing about wintertime! The music, the atmosphere, the snow, the birthday, the everything :)

Rebekah said...

Can I say that I'm SO impressed? It looks awesome! I'm a follower :)

Rebekah said...

I would love to win!

Rebekah said...

My favorite thing about winter time is the weather because it's great for being cozy inside!

Jenny said...

I'd love to win the sign, it's gorgeous! I defintely don't have the artistic ability to do that!

Jenny said...

I'm a follower!

Ashley said...

I would love to win this! Your signs are so so cute!

Ashley said...

Of course I'm a follower! :)

Ashley said...

And I like your page on FB!

Ashley said...

Like on FB X2!

Ashley said...

My favorite thing about winter is getting to spend the Christmas holiday with my family!

Diana said...

This sign is gorgeous! I'd love to have it hanging up here! :)

Diana said...

I already follow you!

Diana said...

I LIKE you on Facebook! (#1)

Diana said...

I LIKE you on Facebook! (#2)

Jessica said...

I would so love to win this! It is toooo cute!

Jessica said...

I follow your blog, too!

Jessica said...

My favorite thing about wintertime is that there is always something fun going on. You can decorate the house, ride around looking at Christmas lights, bake... everything rocks in winter! :)

Jessica said...

I like you on FB now!

Jessica said...

And I even left you a comment letting you know!

Shannon said...

I would love to win that, it's terrific and you're so talented!

Shannon

Webbisodes
http://ourgatorzone.blogspot.com

Shannon said...

I'm also a new follower and so glad I stumbled across your blog.

I do have a ? What type of paint were you using? What type of paint would you recommend for canvas vs. wood? I've tried to make signs before but they've never turned out as nicely as yours!

Shannon

Webbisodes
http://ourgatorzone.blogspot.com

Kerri said...

Well aren't you all crafty!!!
So CUTE!! I'm super impressed!

Kerri said...

Already a follower...cause I follow all the cool blogs....

Anonymous said...

I love it! I can't believe you wrote Winter Wonderful Free handed!! It's beautiful! I'd love to win it!

Anonymous said...

I'm a follower! :)

Anonymous said...

I "like" A Grad Student's Wife on Facebook
1 of 2

Anonymous said...

I "like" A Grad Student's Wife on Facebook
2 of 2

Anonymous said...

I blogged about it here:
http://kendradiaries.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html
1 of 3

Anonymous said...

I blogged about it here:
http://kendradiaries.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html
2 of 3

Anonymous said...

I blogged about it here:
http://kendradiaries.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html
3 of 3

Anonymous said...

I tweeted about it
http://twitter.com/#!/kendradiaries
1 of 3

Anonymous said...

I tweeted about it
http://twitter.com/#!/kendradiaries
2 of 3

Anonymous said...

I tweeted about it
http://twitter.com/#!/kendradiaries
3 of 3

Anonymous said...

My favorite thing about Winter is Christmas. I love all the lights and the music!! And I love snow!! Christmas just isn't Christmas without the white stuff! :)

Jenny Strickland said...

Super cute!

I would love to win this!

Jenny Strickland said...

I follow your blog!

Jenny Strickland said...

My favorite thing about winter is the big sweaters and cute jackets!

love jenny xoxo said...

I wanna win! So cute!! I love it!

love jenny xoxo said...

I'm a follower, of course!!

love jenny xoxo said...

I'm following you on facebook now!

love jenny xoxo said...

Facebook entry 2!

love jenny xoxo said...

my favorite thing about winter is how pretty the snow looks and snuggling by a fire!

Holly said...

New follower and I'm going to meet you tonight at the Columbus blogger meet up! So excited! And cute sign. You're so crafty :)

krystal said...

I'd love to win! :)

krystal said...

My favorite thing about winter.... HOT COCOA! :)

Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean said...

1) I just found your blog and quickly became a follower!
2) I would LOVE to hang that sign in my kitchen
3) My favorite thing about winter is running around in the snow with my dogs :)

Jessica said...

That's gorgeous and I wish I had your patience! I love the snowflakes on there and I'd love to win the sign!

Jessica said...

I follow the blog!

Jessica said...

My favorite thing about winter has to be scarves! I love scarves and in Texas there aren't too many opportunities to pull mine out of the closet. I'm grateful for the times that I can!

Kelly said...

Aww, what a SWEET giveaway! I've love to win your adorable sign :-)

Kelly said...

And I'm a follower!

Kelly said...

And one of my faves about the season goes right along with the sign-- the winter wonderland that Minnesota brings!

Unknown said...

i would love to win :)

Unknown said...

I just subscribed to follow via email :)

Unknown said...

my favorite thing about winter is the feeling it gives...the snow, christmas lights, being with loved ones, and decorating for the holidays all make me feel so much better.

Unknown said...

I'm a follower!

Unknown said...

My favorite thing about winter, is watching the snow fall, from inside a warm house!

Unknown said...

I "liked" you on facebook!

Unknown said...

I "liked" you on facebook! #2

Rachel (Diary of a Recovering Chocoholic) said...

I would love to win!

Rachel (Diary of a Recovering Chocoholic) said...

I've been a follower

Rachel (Diary of a Recovering Chocoholic) said...

My favorite thing about wintertime is getting to wear the second half of my wardrobe!

Ashley said...

I finally tweeted about it! :)

Ashley said...

I tweeted x2

Ashley said...

I tweeted x3!

ty said...

OMG I WANT.

ty said...

And I follow. Duh.

ty said...

And I've liked you on FB, but I deactivated it for finals :( gotta do what you gotta do ...