DIY vintage sign.

I have been waiting on the state board of nursing to issue my license number.  I need that number before I can start working, so the delay has been quite a disappointing surprise.  I have been studying my class notes from this past year and being a house wife these days.  But, I still can enjoy a little free time while I have it!  So, in celebration of the free time, I thought I would do some crafting and write my first DIY post.

A vintage style sign.

You'll want to start with a piece of wood or a plaque.  I used a $0.50 thrift store find and just painted it black.  It isn't perfect, but it'll do the job.

Next, figure out what you want your sign to say.  Sooo many options here.  I am making the sign as a gift for a friend.  I want her to be reminded that she can "plant seeds" wherever she goes in life if she is connected to Christ.  Print out whatever you want your sign to say in the appropriate size.

Next, with a pencil, shade on the back side of the letters.

You'll then want to position your lettering onto the sign and tape it down.

Next, with a ball point pen, trace around the outline of your letters. You'll want to press pretty hard so it shows up.  Because of the pencil shading on the back side, it'll transfer the outline in pencil right onto your wood!

Next, I took a paint marker and filled in the lettering. If you want a clean solid look you'll need to do a couple coats of this. For my purposes, though, I was going to sand and distress it anyway, so it definitely did not have to be perfect.

Next, I let the letters dry really well and sanded it quite a bit to "distress" the lettering and make it look old.  I used 220 grade sandpaper.  I then took a wet paper towel and wiped up the dust to clean it up before the final step.

Finally, I gave it two generous coats of Mod Podge. This will seal it and give it a little shine, but you can do it in a matte finish as well. (Michaels is offering 50% coupons on their website.)  Either way, it'll give it a finished look.

Once dry, your sign is done!

So I'm sure there are better, easier ways to do this, especially if you have the right tools, but this cost less than $5 to make. I can't wait to make more as gifts!  Enjoy!