Living Room Tweak List: DIY Wall Sign

There's a new piece in my living room... can you spot it?


Ten points for you if you guessed the art by the TV! I have been wanting to spruce up this corner of the living room with some larger, fun, rustic art. Here's what it used to look like.


(go ahead, you can shiver while looking at that gross old yellow trim paint)

I love my DIY clothespin art, but it just wasn't taking up the space like I wanted. I had been brainstorming some ideas to freshen up the space- namely, a gallery wall around the TV. But the hubs didn't like the idea of cluttering up that side of the room (makes sense, got to have maximum viewing potential I suppose?!), so I decided that just one piece would fit the bill. And after seeing this piece on Pinterest, I knew that a rustic sign was the perfect fit.

After looking around stores and not seeing a rustic sign that I wanted, I decided to shop my house and make my own sign. What do you know, I found everything I needed to make a rustic wooden wall sign. That means this project was free. I said FREE people! Doesn't get any better than that.

I was thrilled when I found these old wooden boards in my basement- the perfect size, beaten up and rustic looking. Perfect for my project! I simply nailed them together by using support braces on the back. And yes, I do mean me. Prepare to be amazed-- I did this project all by myself.


Next up, it was time to paint these bad boys. Before I painted the entire surface of the sign, I played around with the lettering. I simply printed off the quote I wanted to use and moved the words around (ensuring that the font size I choose- 300!) fit the board the way I wanted it to to.


Once I knew the wording would fit, I got to work on painting the entire surface of the sign. I decided to continue my love affair with all things fresh and white in my living room (yes, we've gone through about 97 gallons of white paint! ha), but decided to go with a whitewash effect instead of simply painting the boards. Gotta let that gorgeous rustic character shine through.


To get the whitewash effect, I simply mixed two parts latex paint with one part water. Then I just slopped it on! The watery paint absorbs easily into the wood, so you might have to do two light coats like I chose to do.


Next it was time to paint the letters. I printed the words onto heavy card stock paper (I thought it would be less resistant to bleeding or tearing once it was covered with wet paint) and then used a craft knife to cut the shape of the words out. The process was a little time consuming, but not too bad... and I promise, I am not a patient person! Then I taped the handmade stencils onto the surface of the boards and used a sponge roller to paint the letters! Easy as pie.

And the final result?


 

I'm kind of in love. Ok, not kind of.... the piece is maj as Rachel Zoe would say. It's like that wall has been waiting for the sign all along! I chose the navy paint we used in our dining room for the lettering- I thought it would add another element to tie the rooms together.



I couldn't be happier with my new sign! And I just can't believe it was FREE! Love.

I'm linking up this project with the Pinterest Challenge hosted by Katie, Ana and Sherry!

And if the sign isn't exciting on its own, this little guy puts me one step closer to finishing up my living room tweak to do list!

LIVING ROOM TO DO LIST:
1.update mantle
2. add a gallery wall next to TV
5. paint walls a new neutral color
6. add new rug
7. figure out pillow sitcheeyation
9. spruce up wall behind couch

Sharing with:
Between Naps on the Porch
Thrifty Decor Chick

48 comments:

  1. i love it! i love that saying and i love the look of the wood!

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  2. I LOVE this look! you are so creative! the neat thing about this project is that you can be creative about what words you put on there, making it uniquely yours. And I REALLY can tell a difference with the bright white trim in these pictures! It really does look so much better!

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  3. Love this! What a great idea! The project looked simple to do, but the end result looks like an expensive piece of artwork!

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  4. You had me at FREE! ;) I love this sign and check you out with your hand-made stencil! Nice job!

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  5. I LOVE how it turned out! Seriously so perfect and cute!

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  6. Love it and I never would have guessed you made it yourself - great job!

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  7. Looks awesome, Michelle! Even better that it was free! I have that quote printed out and framed in our living room. :)

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  8. I looks great!! You did an amazing job! Perfect for that spot! :)

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  9. I love it! Super graphic and modern/rustic which is a fantastic combination.

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  10. Girl you are really plugging away at that To Do List! Great job on this project. It's amazing how much that one little piece changed your living room. Kudos for you on doing it yourself. I so would have been yelling for the hubby.

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  11. I adore this! I love how the boards don't match up perfectly and how the art takes up the space much better than the picture display. You just keep rockin this room (:

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  12. Thats one of my favorite quotes too!! Nice work, super cute!

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  13. Super maj! I love it and the dimensions are perfect for that space. Well done my little DIY queen!

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  14. Great job! I love that you used the navy paint to tie the spaces together. The room looks gorg.-very maj! :)

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  15. Looks great!! I love rustic wooden signs, and that quote is perfect.

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  16. That is a great piece and I love the quote. So sweet!

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  17. I love it...such a sweet quote. And, you can't get much better than FREE!

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  18. This might be one of my favorite DIY projects! I could see this being an awesome wedding gift too. FYI - I linked your project on my blog today so people can check out this idea!

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  19. You did such a great job with the wood and painting AND stenciling - I LOVE IT! I'm SO not patient with stenciling. lol. I think the scale of the art and the mirror work perfectly. :-) Thanks for sharing!

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  20. I love it all..the rustic, the diy and the sweet quote that signifies home to you!Looks great in that spot, too!

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  21. What a fun update Michelle - great job and FREE!! And the last two "to-do" items are fun ones. Great job and you're almost there.

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  22. Wow - that looks amazing!! Love love love it. You are killing that to do list.

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  23. What!? That looks awesome!! Your list is slowing disappearing!

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  24. Hi so nice to meet you..thanks for stopping by! I love your art/sign....you should go into business! A store around sells those and charges a pretty penny. GREAT LOOKING!

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  25. I just love it. Great tutorial too! It is perfect for that space.

    Maybe I need to post a to do list. It might help me stay focused!!!

    Have a great day!

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  26. Love it and of course love the price tag even better. Such a great project for anyone because you can totally personalize it with whatever you like!

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  27. It looks amazing, Michelle! I love that quote -- I have it up on my bulliten board! Of course, your sign looks a million times better than my puny print out! :)

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  28. Stopping by via Young House Love...I also linked up a DIY rustic sign so I just had to stop by and check yours out! I love the white wash and the quote!

    Kristen
    www.decoratingdiy.blogspot.com

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  29. Turned out great ! I love that quote as well. I'm planning on trying this with some old pallet wood. W ish me luck on taking THAT apart. Yikes. :)

    Thanks for sharing!

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  30. Looks awesome! If you don't mind, what color did you paint your living room? I think I've been bitten by the inspiration bug :)

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  31. I love this so much! It turned out perfectly :)

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  32. Glad I'm not the non-patient blogger. This looks great. Love your dining room!

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  33. Aww, sweet quote, perfect for that space, ties in with the dining room, and free!! Wow!

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  34. Ahh, I love the sign! It's perfect! I've always loved that quote too!

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  35. Visiting from Thrifty Decor Chick link party - love your sign!!

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  36. This is darling! I am featuring it in my Pallet line-up tomorrow!!

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  37. I'm a little late to the party, but glad I finally found your blog! I absolutely love this project- looks beautiful in your living room!

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  38. Thanks for this idea Michelle! My cousin and I tried it this weekend. But our letters didn't come out as neat as yours, any suggestions?
    http://ouryellowlovenest.blogspot.com/2012/04/crafty-weekend.html
    Thanks again!

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  39. What font did you use on this sign?

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  40. I love this sign and it seriously made me get a bit teary eyed. The meaning hit hard this morning as I've been PMSing something fierce and taking it out on my family. My husband asked me last night if I am addicted to organizing bc I've been working hard on decluttering and organizing our home for almost a year and the intensity has only increased over time. Maybe I am a little obsessed bc I want to live a little better in our home than we have in the past (a disaster). But, you reminded me of the why. Thanks!
    PS I really enjoyed your home tour. So amazing...I can't believe the amount of work you've done on your home and it looks really beautiful. I loved all the rooms for different reasons but, I just want your office. If you hadn't guessed I'm your newest follower. :-)

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Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think. I ♥ comments.

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