It's PUMPKIN season! Though I guess it is "technically" not Fall yet, and the weather in Raleigh definitely still feels like Summer, I consider the beginning of September to be an appropriate time to start decorating for Fall. After all, pumpkin beers are on the shelves and Starbucks is serving up pumpkin lattes. I'll take my cues from beverage sales thank you very much.
Today's post is just one of what I hope to be many Fall decor posts. As you can see, I packed up the colorful plates and bowls and broke out the oranges and browns. This is just a little peek at one table in my dining room. The rest of the house is going through its transformation as well. This table alone is sure to change in the weeks to come. Just wait until October when it's appropriate for me to start putting up the scary Halloween decorations!
Today I'm going to focus on the sign I made to complement this arrangement. I made the Tree Branch Mini Pumpkins, the Scrap Wood Candy Corn, and the bouquet as well, but you can check out the mini tutorials for those. As for the sign, I made it from a large piece of old pallet wood. It is riddled with cut-off nails and is a little warped from age, but it's the perfect plank for my rustic fall decor. One person's trash is another's treasure. Am I right?
Today's post is just one of what I hope to be many Fall decor posts. As you can see, I packed up the colorful plates and bowls and broke out the oranges and browns. This is just a little peek at one table in my dining room. The rest of the house is going through its transformation as well. This table alone is sure to change in the weeks to come. Just wait until October when it's appropriate for me to start putting up the scary Halloween decorations!
Today I'm going to focus on the sign I made to complement this arrangement. I made the Tree Branch Mini Pumpkins, the Scrap Wood Candy Corn, and the bouquet as well, but you can check out the mini tutorials for those. As for the sign, I made it from a large piece of old pallet wood. It is riddled with cut-off nails and is a little warped from age, but it's the perfect plank for my rustic fall decor. One person's trash is another's treasure. Am I right?
I sanded it down as best I could to get the smoothest surface possible. It was in pretty rough shape, so it took a little work to get it smooth enough to paint on. Then I chose an English Chestnut stain to get it the rich, dark color I wanted.
I rolled on one layer of the stain and let it dry overnight. I really wanted it to soak into the wood, so I used a foam roller.
Once the stain fully dried, I chose my phrase and my paint colors. I used acrylic paint and some regular small paint brushes. I painted the word "PUMPKIN" first so I could gauge the spacing of the smaller letters better. I wanted that word to stand out more anyway. That's why I chose to do the other words in a smaller, loopier (is that a word?) font. I thought the contrast was nice.
Once the sign was finished, I tried setting it up on the table, but I just couldn't find a place to put it that I liked. I decided that it needed to be sitting up on something in order to be more visible. So I took two dollar store vases I had sitting around and wrapped them with some rope. Then I filled them with orange ribbon and used them as a stand for my sign.
Perfect! Overall, the sign turned out just the way I wanted it to. Such an easy, cheap way to decorate for my favorite season!
Materials:
Wood (One piece of your choosing)
Sandpaper or Sander
Stain (I used Minwax English Chesnut)
Paint Brush or Foam Roller
Acrylic Paint (I used orange and white)
Small Paint Brushes
Wood (One piece of your choosing)
Sandpaper or Sander
Stain (I used Minwax English Chesnut)
Paint Brush or Foam Roller
Acrylic Paint (I used orange and white)
Small Paint Brushes
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Sand down your piece of wood until smooth
2. Roll or paint on your stain and allow to dry
3. Choose your phrase and paint colors
4. Paint the words onto your piece and allow to dry
5. Display!
1. Sand down your piece of wood until smooth
2. Roll or paint on your stain and allow to dry
3. Choose your phrase and paint colors
4. Paint the words onto your piece and allow to dry
5. Display!
You can check out tutorials for the Scrap Wood Candy Corn and the Tree Branch Mini Pumpkins as well. Enjoy!