DIY Rustic Blessed Sign

DIY Rustic Blessed Sign @ http://www.imperfectsliceoflife.blogspot.com

Several weeks ago, I was in search of the perfect picture reading "blessed" to complement a sappy Instagram post, when I came across this picture:

So, I posted my post with this picture and went on with my life. I thought it was neat with the rustic element of the wood and the metal. But beyond that, not much.

Fast forward to the end of July, I had a great case Thursday night insomnia and couldn't sleep. So as I bargained with my mind, I keep coming back to this picture. And I thought it would be a perfect addition to our house, and could serve as a daily reminder of how truly blessed we are. 

So I eventually fell asleep, only to wake up at about 4. And again, I was fixated on this darn picture. And I couldn't fall back asleep, so when my hubby woke up to head off to work, I had to ask him what he thought. And once I had his approval, it was done, and I was ready to get creative!

So, I bought the letters to spell "blessed" 

They are a 2 inch metal letter. I purchased them from Hobby Lobby when they were half off, making them $1.49 a piece. 

I also purchased a pack of 6 pieces of "reclaimed" wood that was $7.99, but I used that handy dandy 40% off coupon for $4.79.

And to make my "pallet", I knew I would need nails to hold it all together, so I bought a pack of 1/2 inch #19 nails at Lowe's for $1.30. 

I used a 1 inch nails (#17) from Lowe's for $1.30 to attach the letters to the "pallet".

I had also picked up a pack of cedar shims from Home Depot for $3.96. Thought I'd use them for a different project, but it didn't work out. But I figured I could use a couple of them to attach all the pieces together to create a "pallet"

So, once I had everything I needed, I measured how long I needed the shim pieces to be. 

And I couldn't find a saw in our garage, my hubby swears there is one out there, but not where I was looking. So, I did a little improvisation. I used a handy dandy hammer and screwdriver to chisel away at the wood.

Huge thanks to my friend Brianne for help document the progress on this project

Once that feat was tackled, I was on a roll. 

I laid out the pieces of wood and the shims to figure out how many I needed and what not.

Next step: Nailing down the braces on the back.

Then I attached a hanger to the back so it would be ready to go. Didn't want my hubby to have to put a hanger on. It give him more reason to not hang it up. 

Once I had that all done, I flipped it over.  I loved the weathered look of this wood, plus it saved me from having to weather it. But I felt like the letters got a little "lost" in the color of the wood. So I used some of the stain I had left over from the dice I made a couple weeks ago. You can see that tutorial here.

I wanted to keep the weathered look, but give it a more brown hue 

After the stain had dried, which took about 3 hours by the time it sat out in the sunshine to dry it up!

Nailed in the 1 inch nails to hold the letters

Have to say I am pretty proud of this, don't mind the crooked letters, I fixed them, but I was so excited to have finished this one off!

So all in, this was a relatively simple project to create. It probable took about 4.5 hours to finish (including drying time for the stain).

And this could be made even easier if you buy a pre made "pallet" from a craft store, but I figured I could just as easily make one, plus, the more DIY the better in my opinion.

So, take notice of all your blessings, and enjoy your imperfect slice of life!