I even resorted to bribery. I finally got so fed up with it, I told big baybay that I'd pay him $20 if he could tell me how to do it before the night was up. But I figured it out first. It does not amuse him when this happens. Yes, it's something I do occasionally. Last week, I offered a $5 reward for the baybay that found my black flipflop first. It is amazing how much harder I work to find something, fix something, or figure something out when I'm trying not to give them my money.
Ok...on with the post....
This post is sponsored by my need to get several things done yesterday in a short amount of time. I promised a crafty tutorial, and I shall deliver. I also needed to make a sign for my new booth coming in October. So, a pallet sign tutorial was born.
Last, but certainly not least.....I needed some creative punishment. I have always believed in creative punishment, and in my house, if you are irresponsible with your schoolwork, then you get to involuntarily participate in a crafty tutorial.
Meet big baybay and his beautiful lady....
- I have used all of my good pallets in previous projects, so my sweet hubby
took off his recliner suitgave up some of his last day home to locate and pick up some really nice pallets for me.
The first thing you will want to do is decide if you want a small or large sign....this will decide where you will cut the pallet. I wanted a smaller sign since it will be hanging at the entrance of my booth.
Break out your reciprocating saw, and cut away...
- I wanted my sign 3 boards high, but we cut an extra board to be used to attach all the boards together. Big baybay used the jigsaw to strip this board down the middle and then cut off the excess.
***You will probably notice as some point in this post that all of my pictures are just headed straight down the page, and wonder why I'm not putting a few of them together so that this post isn't 40 miles long...well, I haven't figured out how to do that yet, so lets just be happy we have pictures for tonight, ok?****
I wanted my sign to have a little more finished look, so we sanded down the edges really well and even kind of rounded them a little. This step is purely optional.
Next, you will want to arrange your boards and put the smaller strips across the back of them. You will see big baybay using the pneumatic staple gun to attach these, but of course screws and a screwdriver would work as well.
Now, you can leave it natural or give it a coat of paint...I chose a Valspar white for mine. Paint the front and back...one at a time, of course. Make sure it is good and dry before you move on to the lettering.
You will need a computer and printer for your lettering. Just choose your font and size...make sure your size is going to "match" your sign....type up your saying and print it out.
Cut the words out so that your placement wont be wonky...but make sure you leave a little white around the edges so there is somewhere to put the tape.
Now, just trace the outline of each letter with a blunt object. Press hard enough to indent the wood, but not hard enough to tear the paper. Think about this step again when you are choosing your font...those beautiful, swirly calligraphy type fonts will make you lose your Jesus when you start trying to trace them onto a pallet. Just sayin.
Ok...now just paint it in! I use acrylics and a tiny paint brush and go very, very slowly.
You will notice mine has holes in the top. I decided I wanted a little something extra, so I had big baybay drill some holes at the top.
Now, I'm gonna tell y'all something about me...I'm not necessarily cheap, but I just don't see the point in spending money when you can make do without sacrificing quality. Making do doesn't have to equal sacrificing quality...if you are creative. I have alot of stuff laying around from different projects, and I found a super cute drawer pull that I thought would look nice. I gently pounded it flat with a hammer and painted it to match the sign. I don't have a picture of this step, but I do have a picture of our favorite way to make sure we drill holes in the right place here in the zoo.
That's right folks, that's toothpaste. I am a couponer, and we have about 150 tubes of the stuff, so we get creative with our uses of that too. Dab it onto the prongs and then press it to the sign...tada...two nice little dots right where your holes should be...
Now, you need to attach something to the back with which to hang your sign. I have in the past used the little tab looking thingies (very technical terminology, I know) that go onto screws...but I wanted this sign to hang from a ribbon. And once again...we are using what we had...because, well, why not? Big Baybay used the pneumatic staple gun to attach these large book rings to each of the braces on the back...
And to finish it off, I tied my ribbon to each ring on the back. It was a little time consuming, but it wasn't hard, and big baybay enjoyed it, whether he admits it or not.
Isn't she lovely?
If you love this sign and would like to have your own, but do not have the time, the power tools, or the teenager to make one, please feel free to message me on my Facebook page (link below) and we can fix you up!
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