Halloween Sign and How to Make Your Own Stencils
Halloween is next week, and you all know what that means. . . Time for a Halloween Craft!! I created this adorable "BOO" sign with my aunt's a few weeks ago and I have finally found time to write about it. I am super excited to share this project with all of you! I am also including instructions on how to make your own stencils using microsoft word so you never have to buy any more.
Here are the supplies you will need for this project:
~Wood (Ours measured 1X12X4; we got it from the Home Depot)
~ Paint (We used Orange and White weather proof paint from the Home Depot)
~Paint Brushes (Bristle or Foam works great. We also found a round foam brush to use for the polka dots.)
~Burlap Wire Ribbon
~Hot glue gun and glue
~X-acto knife
~Paper
~Scotch Tape
First start by painting the base color of your board. We did two coats using the bristle brushes. The paint that we used for this project was from the Home Depot. I really liked using this paint because it had a primer mixed in and the quality was much better than regular craft paint.
Once the base color has dried, use the foam round brush to add polka Dots to the board. We found that you can either place the dots strategically or randomly, but both work great!
When painting the dots, make sure to give equal pressure or some may be thicker or thinner than others. We noticed that a few of the dots needed to be done again because the orange base color was showing more than we wanted. If this happens, you can easily fix the problem by doing another dot on top.
While the dots are drying, it is time to make your stencils! Using microsoft word, find a font that you like. There are also thousands of free fonts you can download and install onto microsoft if you can't find one you like. Change the font size to 550 and type "BOO" in all caps to the document. This should make each letter on a separate page. I have made one document for you to download here if you would like to use the font we used for this project.
If you find you are impatient with the long drying times like we were here is a way we found to shorten the time. Two Words: Blow Dryer! My aunts hair/blow dryer worked great! We put the settings on high and cool.
Next print your document and break out your X-acto knife. Place one of the letters on a cutting board and using the knife, cut around the letter. (Make sure to save the insides of the letters for later.) And now you have a stencil to use. Continue this process until all of your letters have been cut. I have found that you can use your knife to make any stencil you want. Check out my pumpkin stencil from my previous project Wood Fall Welcome Sign.
Once all of your letters have been cut and the polka dots have dried, start placing your stencils on the board. For our "BOO" we wanted our letters to not be centered or uniform. After placing the letters, use scotch tape to tape down the stencils to the wood. This doesn't take any paint off. Make sure to place the center of the "O" and "B" down as well. It helps to roll the tape and place it under these sections.
Once all of the stencils are secured, begin painting. My aunt really liked using a paint pen/marker they found and our local craft store. It was super easy to use and didn't cause us any problems. I liked just using a foam paint brush, but there is some technique to it. I found that instead of using a brush stroke, dabbing the brush onto the board worked best.
When you finish painting each letter, take of the stencil. It is harder to take it off once the paint has dried. Just make sure to be careful to not smudge the paint in the process. If by chance you do, it is a really simple fix. Let the area dry first. Trying to wipe it off with a paper towel made the smudge worse. After the area has dried, use your base color and a small brush to cover the smudge. You may have to go over it a few times.
while the letters are painted and drying, make a bow out of some wire ribbon. We used a ribbon similar to burlap at our craft store.
After the paint has all dried, use hot glue to place your bow in the upper Left corner.
Finally, display your adorable halloween decor on your front porch for everyone to see.
I enjoyed creating this fun project with my aunts. They also used the opposite side of their boards and added the word "HARVEST" Which I love! This project can be modified in any way that you want. I think I have a similar christmas project in the works.
Feel free to share your projects with me or ask any questions!
I am looking forward to my next project! I can't wait for you to see it!
Happy Crafting!
