DIY ~ Name Sign

 

 I made this for a friend recently. Such a fun easy project!

Supplies Needed

• Pictures of whatever you want the board to say
• Board in the size you need (I used MDF)
• ModgePodge (I used matte)
• Brush of your choice (2 ~1 for paint and 1 for ModgePodge)
• Paint color of your choice
• Picture Hanger
• Acrylic Sealant (I used a spray can version)
• Embellishments if you desire

 1. Decide on the letters you are going to use. I got the letters here. Soooooooo freakin' many to choose from, it's awesome!! This determines the size of the board you will need. I used 5 letters for their last name. So the board I used should have been 6" tall and 30" wide BUT I am an idiot and measured wrong so my board was actually an inch wider on each side of the pictures. I just used good old MDF.

2. Paint the board whatever background color you want. I chose all black and white pictures,
so I used black paint.

 MDF can be hard on little sponge brushes, so my tip for painting the edges is to smush it on. Smush is a technical term right? If you find that your brush is coming off onto the MDF at any point during the painting process, you may want to switch to an actual paint brush or a roller. Make sure you get any of the little brush pieces off before the paint dries. I used a slight damp paper towel and swept them off to the side.

 3. Before you apply any glue, space out your pictures on the board to see how you will want them to sit. I originally thought I would place the pictures with a space in between like a border but they didn't look as good as I thought.

 4. Ensure your pictures don't go over the edge of the board. If they do, just trim them.

 5. Apply a coat of ModgePodge. Ensure there are no extra clumps of glue. There were a few on mine so I took the brush and just swiped them off onto a napkin.

6. Place the pictures on the board with the spacing you want. I originally placed the end pictures first to ensure even spacing but like I said above, I didn't like how they looked. I quickly changed my mind and slid the middle picture on and placed the others right beside each other.
This left a 1" space at the end on each side.

7. Ensure the pictures butt up against each other.

 8. Once you have the pictures lined up, apply a light coat of ModgePodge. Let dry. The corners of my "T" and "F" would not stay put so I ended up doing about 5 light coats. Just ensure you let them completely dry. If your ModgePodge looks cloudy, just wait a little longer. It usually means it just needs to dry longer.

 9. Apply a picture hanger doohickey to the back.

Apply a coat or two of acrylic sealant. Make sure you let this dry and if you are using a spray can version, spray in a ventilated area. The safety dork in me also says to wear a mask made for fumes.

10. Add any embellishments you want. It looks great without anything but I added these corners I found at a local scrapbooking store. They are made by Tim Holtz. I love his stuff!

Easy peasy and looks beautiful!!

I Will Be Sharing This at The Following Parties:

A Bowl Full of Lemons

 

The NY Melrose Place

Blue Cricket Design