A SIGN FOR EVERY SENTIMENT,
Popular farmhouse signs, with their whimsical stenciled sayings, are a snap to make yourself.
GET A GROUP
Crafting together always increases the fun. If you don’t have a group of friends who want to paint signs with you, Sue Stetzel of Gainesville, New York, encourages you to check out the local library. As a member of the Town of Gainesville Public Library’s board of directors, Sue knows its mission is to bring the community together by offering all kinds of programming—including craft classes.
Sue’s library hosts occasional paint nights for residents to practice their sign-making skills with friends and neighbors. If yours doesn’t offer such classes, talk to the librarian and suggest one. “Our libraries are always looking for new ways to bring people together,” Sue says.
To re-create Sue’s sign, from a 1x3x36-in. board cut three 3-in. lengths, two 6-in. lengths, one 7-in. length and one 7½-in. length. Using acrylic craft paint, paint each block in a preferred color scheme, alternating colors on blocks as desired. Allow to dry thoroughly. On the 7-in. piece, in a coordinating color, stencil “W” on one side. Let dry thoroughly. Once dry, stencil “A” on the other side. Repeat the process with the remaining blocks. On a 6-in. block, stencil “I” on one side and “U” on the reverse. On the first 3-in. block, stencil “N” and “T.” Stencil the second 3-inch block with “T” and “U.” On the final 3-in. piece, stencil “E” and “M.” On the second 6-in. piece, stencil “R” on one side and “N” on the other. Lay the 7½-in. piece horizontally; stencil the words “WISHES” on one side and “BLESSINGS” on the other. Then arrange the pieces to spell “AUTUMN BLESSINGS” and “WINTER WISHES.”
DO IT YOURSELF
When the time came to tear down a 60-year-old grainery on Hayley Moss’s Century Farm in Hull, Iowa, her husband saved the doors for her. An avid DIYer, Hayley turned one of them into a rustic welcome sign. She printed her own stencils from a computer using a typeface she liked, cut them out and stapled them to the door. Using a Sharpie pen, she traced around the letters and then filled in the space with leftover paint. “I thought this was going to take forever, but it went so quick,” she says on her blog. “It helped that the letters were big, so there wasn’t much detail work. I love the way it looks by my front door.” Find more of Hayley’s ideas: thefarmerandthesouthernbelle.blogspot.com
STEP INTO A STUDIO
Craft rooms are a great advantage to any DIYer— something about a door to close off all the chaos.
But if you don’t want to deal with splattered paint in the house at all, or if you need advice, workshop studios are becoming popular places for friends to gather to work on a project with an instructor.
The workshops are designed to be a fun night out and often include drinks and snacks—and at the end of the evening, you go home with a finished project. Wisconsin-based Board & Brush offers more than 200 farmhouse sign designs that can be finished in a 2½ to 3-hour class.
Founder Julie Selby says Board & Brush’s 160 studios across the country draw both experienced DIYers and friends looking for the fellowship and instruction the workshops offer. “People love to socialize,” Julie says, and at the same time, “we’re actually teaching a skill.”
And if you get your sign home and realize the color clashes with your wall, Julie’s team will fix it. If only every craft room had elves like that.