The 4th of July is coming up and I’m having fun putting together my patriotic mantel for this year! I’m still in the gathering and creating phase of said mantel but am hoping to get it done and share it with you later this week. Today I wanted to share a sign I created for my 4th of July mantel this year and a quick tutorial on how I made it. Everyone knows that hand painted signs are all the rage right now and it is amazing how much you’ll have to pay if you want to buy it from somewhere! Crazy! The hand painted sign I made for my mantel was practically free! I took a piece of scrap wood from my basement (we are having it finished right now and there are small pieces of wood everywhere left over from the framing… at least I hope it was scrap wood!) and cut a vinyl stencil with my cutter and then I was off and running.
So, first of all, you need a piece of wood. This was a 12.5″ piece of 2×6. I then created my design with my vinyl cutter program and cut it out. I used the fonts Aleka, American Purpose and StateFace. Remove all of the lettering from the vinyl to create your stencil and apply transfer tape over the top. Paint your wood (I painted mine white) and allow to dry. Then remove the backing from your vinyl, apply the vinyl/transfer tape down on top of the wood, burnish it down (using a credit card or something similar), and carefully remove transfer tape making sure all of the vinyl remains adhered to the wood.
Now it’s time to paint! Using a very small amount of paint (a practically dry sponge brush), start painting in your lettering. You want to apply your paint in very thin layers to avoid bleeding under the stencil. I also wanted a pretty weather worn look so I applied my paint lightly.
Then I needed to create my American flag look on my America shape. Using a ruler I laid out the design (not trying to be too exact) and then painted on the stripes, etc. using a small paint brush. I was not going for perfection here! That made it such an enjoyable process! It was so fun to free hand paint a little (using my pencil marks as a general guide) with in the stencil itself. After allowing my paint to dry I removed the stencil and added small white dots of paint for the stars on the “flag.” I then sanded the edges of my board and was done!
If you want to have your sign outside I would suggest sealing it with a layer of modpodge, varnish or a spray sealant of some kind.
If you have a vinyl cutter, vinyl and transfer tape already then this is a super easy project that anyone can do! Put those vinyl cutting craft machines to good use and make yourself a hand painted sign! Get creative and make the perfect design for your home!
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- Summer Craft Ideas for Kids!
Make sure to PIN THIS IMAGE to save for when you’re ready to create yours!
Happy crafting!
Cute! What do you use to make your vinyl?
I cut my vinyl on either my large 24″ vinyl cutting machine I use for my Etsy shop or my Silhouette Cameo.
What if you don’t have a vinyl cutter?
How do you get the vinyl to actually stick to the wood? I’ve tried this multiple times and the vinyl always peels up in places!
Depending on the wood and paint you use it can be tricky!! Sometimes I’ll even do a layer of mod podge first, let it dry, and THEN apply my stencil and paint. Rough raw wood is hard to get vinyl to stick to! I hope this helps and good luck!
lightly sand the board after you paint, this helps the vinyl stick
Great tip Bonnie! Thanks!
I’ve had problems with the vinyl leaving a sticky residue when I peel it off at the end. Any suggestions on how I could avoid that?
Hi Sharlie! I’ve never had that happen as vinyl is pretty low tack stuff. I wonder if the vinyl you used was old or something? I’m baffled!
This is a terrific sign! Thank you, Landee, for being so kind and sharing your idea! I home to try it and home mine comes out as well as yours! I love to decorate with a patriotic theme in the summer, but can’t help but keep some special things out year round. This would be one of those special pieces.
What kind of vinyl did you use?
I use Oracal 631. It cuts and peels so well!
I’m interested in knowing if you would sell the vinyl stencil. I do not have a machine but love stenciling on wood.
What type of paint did you use?
Just regular acrylic craft paint. Like those little 2oz. bottles you can get at any craft store or even Walmart!
I love this, so cute. Thanks for sharing!