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**