I've always loved the idea of having something on the front door of a house, whether it's a seasonal wreath, a welcome sign, or just some cute decor item. Since we have our own home, I figure its time to kick my crafting into high gear. While on Pinterest, I was specifically in search (just so you know, probably 90% of the things I find on Pinterest are by chance) of something I could create for our front door to provide our guests with a warm welcome.
I stumbled across this in my searching and though it was cute, simple and elegant.
So, I pinned it and clicked on the link to the original post, but, it was a dead end. All that it contained was this picture. Lucky for me, it was pretty self-explanatory what I needed and how I'd do it.
This would make a great Memorial Day Project. Start to finish, including drying time, it probably took me about 7 hours (not straight through tho, I did other things as the paint was drying and I would come back to it)
Materials Needed:
Letter - I purchased mine for $7.79 at Hobby Lobby with my 40% coupon. It was regular priced $12.99. I have never seen these on sale, but that's not to say it doesn't happen)
Acrylic Paint - I used a teal color to match the decor of our house, and silver to paint on "Welcome" (I prefer Anita's Acrylic- it covers nicely, watch for it when it is 30% off at Hobby Lobby)
Burlap Ribbon or Fabric that you like to make rosettes
Sharpie (Silver or Black depending on your color choices)
Paint Brushes - One 1" brush and a script writing brush
Hot Glue & Hot Glue Gun
Drill
Wire
Here is the "E" I used. It is a bout 18 inches tall
Step 1: Drill holes to be able to hang on your front door when it is finished. I just had my husband drill where they had already pre-drilled the walling hanging spots.
Step 2: Paint: I always like to start on the back; it gives me an idea how the paint will cover, so I know how many coats I will need. However, you don't have to do this. It is totally your preference, but you will want to paint around the edges because those can and will be seen when the letter is hanging.
Here you can see the edges are painted before I move onto painting the front.
This is with just one coat of paint on the front - as you can see, it is rather "liney". So a second coat was necessary to get a smooth, even coverage.
Step 3: Edging: In the picture I found on Pinterest, they have done a dotted line around the edges. I debated about doing a scroll sort of look, but I was afraid it would look to busy (and my husband would probably say it was too girly!). So I settled on doing a dotted trim like the image I had found. If you don't want to do one, that is totally your choice! I used a silver Sharpie that I had left over from making things for my sister-in-law's baby shower. Make sure that whatever you use stands out from your paint color. I decided to do the silver so it would stand out against the paint, but also match the "Welcome" I planned to paint on it. If you would prefer (or don't have the color Sharpie you need), you can just paint it on. I knew that I would not be able to get my lines as crisp as I wanted them. Since I had the marked, I figured it would be easier, and it would look better if I drew them on.
Step 4: Use a pencil to write "Welcome" on it (or whatever you plan to write). I wrote it in cursive because I wanted it to flow and be smooth.
Step 5: Carefully paint on your letters. Use a thin brush and go slowly. You can always go back and make it thicker, but you can't go back and make it thinner!
Step 6: Make your roses(or whatever adornment you would like for your sign). I found a great tutorial for how to make roses out of just about any fabric; this is what I used to make mine. You can watch it here. At first I thought I would make five of them to go on the sign, but as I finished the first rose, I realized I wouldn't need that many. I felt like three was a good number. You can also make them however large or small you want them.
Step 7: Attach your roses. Be sure to use plenty of hot glue, you don't want them to fall off. Be especially careful if you are putting the sign on an exterior door. Extremely cold weather make cause the glue to pull away from the sign.
Step 8: Prepare to hang the sign. I used silver floral wire that I found on Sale at Crafts 2000 as I was preparing to make this sign. I wrapped it around several time to be sure it was secure. If you don't want to see the "rough" part of the wire, secure it to the back with a staple (but then you wouldn't want to drill the holes into the letter in the first place).
Step 9: Hang it on your door to welcome your guests.
I purchased a silver toned wreath hanger at Pat Catan's for $1.17. Wreath hangers can sometimes be a little hard to find, and I had never seen a silver one, so I picked it up knowing that my lettering would be in silver. As you can see, the "E" is painted to match the curtains, and many other things in our home!
Welcome to what I call my own imperfect slice of life!
:)
And Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all those who have served our country, and to those whose family members paid the ultimate price, I thank you for your family's service. Without these sacrifices, we would not be able to enjoy all the freedoms we are blessed with today.
God Bless!
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