Hot cocoa mini wood rolling pin DIY

Do you have a coffee bar? I hope you said yes because coffee bars are SO fun to decorate! I picked up an old vanity from a garage sale a few years back that I have turned into our coffee bar and oh my goodness it is so cute and fits perfectly in the space we have.

This Christmas season I chose to do a HOT COCOA & COFFEE theme for the old coffee bar. I was inspired by this SVG I created, Baby it’s cold outside warm up here…hot cocoa & coffee. And from there I pinned all the cute hot cocoa themed projects I could find on Pinterest.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

This little rolling pin is one of the DIY’s I made for the coffee bar. Seriously, how cute are these wooden rolling pins that seem to be everywhere for every occasion?! I love them!

Here’s what you need to make a wooden HOT COCOA 5 cents rolling pin

• 7” wood rolling pin

• white vinyl (I used matte finish)

• red paint

• paint brush

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• baker’s twine

• paint tray

• something to cover your workspace, I like to use these washable drop cloths

• scissors

• FREE: HOT COCOA SVG

• Cricut Design Space

• Cricut cutting machine (I use an older model, Cricut Explore)

• Cricut green cutting mat

1. CUT OUT THE HOT COCOA DECAL

I used my older model Cricut Explore for this and let me tell ya that machine has been pumping out projects for me for YEARS! I upgraded to this little guy when my youngest daughter was a baby. Before I had used the super old model that was around when dinosaurs roamed the earth. I’m joking but really, the older model machines were SOOOOO hard to work with compared to the newer machines.

If you are needing a cart to hold your Cricut machine I highly recommend the one in this pic. I know it’s hard to see but it’s a wonderful cart on wheels that will hold 2 machines and has 4 drawers for storage, CLICK HERE.

Grab the SVG file for FREE in my free resource library CLICK HERE. While you’re there take a look at all the other fun things you can make with my free to use files.

I used a scrap piece of Oracal 651 matte finish white vinyl because that’s what I had on hand.

Once it was done cutting I weeded out the background and all the little middles using a sewing pin.

2. PAINT THE ROLLING PIN

I used a red paint I picked up at Walmart but if you prefer to order from Amazon I put a link above for a paint I like to use from there.

I only painted the rolling part of the rolling pin. I left the edges and the handles natural. I applied one thin coat of red paint.

Then I let it dry. I got a little creative when propping this up. I used the paint bottle and a tin of lotion to prop this little guy up and it worked great.

Once the first coat was dry I applied a second coat.

BTW this paint brush may look like a hot mess but I LOVE this style of a thin flat paint brush! I left a link to a similar one you can also get on Amazon that will work just like it.

Let the wood rolling pin dry completely before moving on to the next step. Always remember that vinyl will not stick to wet paint, like at all.

3. APPLY THE VINYL DECAL

I used this clear transfer tape to help apply my decal to my rolling pin. Be careful when applying these decals because they are so small, it’s very easy to move too fast and mess the decal up.

I carefully positioned my decal on the right side of my rolling pin and pressed it down with my hand.

Once my decal was in place I used a vinyl squeegee to help press it down a little more then slowly peeled the transfer tape off of the rolling pin leaving the decal on the rolling pin. I’ve found it’s much easier if you roll the transfer tape off and away from the decal.

4. ADD BAKERS TWINE

I added a cute little accent bow using bakers twine. I just tied it to the side of the rolling pin that was blank, the left side, and tied it in a bow.

This particular bakers twine was giving me a fit so I used my sewing pin to help me get it straightened out and that seemed to work great.

That’s it! Super easy craft to make for your tiered tray decor for winter. This craft took me just under an hour, mainly waiting on paint to dry. I think I might even make a couple more to pair with this one. So cute!

I can’t wait to finish the rest of my hot cocoa & coffee winter themed coffee bar.

I hope you enjoyed this crafty tutorial. If you have any questions please ask away in the comments below.

Happy crafting!

Check out more DIY crafts using my CRICUT cutting machine

Dollar Tree Christmas Tree rustic decoration

Have you been to the Dollar Tree lately? I don’t get there as often as I’d like but I did get a chance to stop in last night and WOW their Christmas supply gets better and better every year!

They have these cute Charlie Brown looking Christmas trees this year and I just couldn’t leave the store without buying a couple of them.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

This DIY was SUPER easy! It was almost mess free and it was ready to put on the shelf in just a matter of minutes from taking it out of the plastic Dollar Tree bag.

EASY DOLLAR TREE CHRISTMAS TREE DIY

Here’s what I used

• Dollar Tree Christmas tree

• scrap piece of burlap

• old jar from the Dollar Tree

• twine

• glue gun

• gorilla hot glue sticks

• scissors

• fairy lights from the Dollar Tree

I had everything except for the Christmas tree on hand which was awesome because when I bought the tree I had no idea what exactly I was going to do with it. Which is usually how I shop for my projects lol!

1. CUT THE BURLAP TO SIZE

I used a piece of scrap burlap I had from years ago (I don’t throw anything away lol). I placed my old jar on the burlap, pulled the burlap up over the glass so I’d know how big of a piece I’d need.

Then I cut that into a circle. I just eyeballed this. Also, this glass used to hold craft supplies and since I was covering it I didn’t think I needed to give it a bath first.

2. ADD TWINE

I didn’t get super fancy with this at all. I cut off a piece of twine I thought would be long enough to tie around the bottom lip of the glass then then pulled it tight and tied it in a bow.

3. ADD THE TREE

I didn’t want to mess with stuffing anything into the jar to hold the tree up so instead I hot glued it in. This took a bit of trial and error before I finally got it to stick right.

What worked for me was taking a piece of the discarded burlap and hot gluing it to the bottom of the tree.

Then I added more hot glue to the bottom of the burlap and stuck the tree in the glass jar. I held it there till the glue was dry. It didn’t budge after that!

4. LIGHTS

My tree was looking kind of sad so I found some lights I had bought from the Dollar Tree over the summer and strung them on the tree. They are battery operated so I just stuck the battery pack into the glass jar to hide it.

That’s it! It turned out SOOOOO CUTE! And so crazy easy! It’s nice to do a craft sometimes where the results are kinda instant and you don’t have to wash out any paint brushes or clean up hardly anything.

I can’t wait to get more of my Christmas decorations made for my new house! Let me know if you have any questions about this DIY in the comments below.

Happy Crafting!

Check out more Christmas DIY tutorials below

BOHO style floating shelf makeover

My four daughters and I were shopping around Big Lots a couple months back and found these floating cube shelves on clearance. Even though the colors were all wrong for the older girl’s BOHO themed room we snagged the shelves up anyway.

I knew it would just take a few coats of white paint and vinyl to doctor these guys up.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

If you’re new to the fancy cutting machine world be sure to check out my post on the 10 must have supplies & accessories to get you started on your Cricut (or any other cutting machine) journey.

Here’s what I used to makeover these floating cube shelves

• white paint (I used leftover wall paint from this project)

• paint brush

• dark blue matte finish vinyl

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• xacto knife or sewing pin

• Cricut cutting machine

• green cutting mat

• Cricut Design Space

• Cricut Access

• find the link to my exact project on DS (design space) here
  

Here’s what the shelves looked like when I brought them home from the store. You can see on the packaging they had been black, red, and light blue. These colors don’t really scream boho lol!

1. PAINT

The first thing I did was paint over the old shelf colors. These colors were just too dark for my girl’s boho themed bedroom. It took several coats of paint to fully cover these shelves AND honestly one of the shelves could have used another coat of paint yet but I was tired of painting lol.

Be sure you let the paint dry completely between coats.

2. DESIGN

I chose to use some images in Cricut Design Space. I searched ‘BOHO’ in the image section and it popped up with several boho themed images to use. My girls liked the feathers and arrows the best so they chose a few different variations and I resized and welded them together.

For the pattern I searched ‘GEOMETRIC PATTERN’. A ton of options pulled up and the girls liked this diamond, dashed line, X one the best.

Before I went on to the next step I measured out my shelves and sized my decals down so they would fit the different ones I was going to place them on.

3. CUT OUT THE DESIGN

I’m going to be completely honest, I used a new to me vinyl for this project. I bought a brand called STARCRAFT and I’m not totally sure on it yet. It’s just a little different than what I’m used to but who knows I may love it after using it for a few different projects. I also used it for the vinyl decals on these cheerleader gift bags.

I used a dark blue matte color for these boho shelf decals.

4. WEED THE DECALS

I weeded out my decals with an xacto knife. I will usually always use either an xacto knife or a sewing pin for this. Since these are decals and not stencils for painted signs, you want to be sure you remove all of the background, not the image itself.

5. APPLY THE DECALS

After my decals were weeded I applied clear transfer tape to them and used my vinyl squeegee to push out any air bubbles.

I found it was MUCH EASIER to cut down my transfer tape so it was the same size as my decal. Trying to put on the decals with excess transfer tape was a nightmare.

I took my time during this step to be sure my design was exactly where I wanted it by hovering over the shelf with my vinyl decal. Once I was happy with the placement I pressed it down with my fingers then used my vinyl squeegee to push out any air bubbles.

6. REMOVE THE TRANSFER TAPE

I also took my time during this step too. If you go too fast you can easily rip your vinyl. I started at one corner and slowly rolled my transfer tape off of my design. I think this is the easiest way to remove transfer tape from any vinyl or stencil design.

That’s it. They are ready to hang in my girl’s boho themed bedroom. I was so excited with how these turned out even though it took me WAY too long to get them finished. But that’s how us creative people are lol! We start a project and have to put it down for a few days (or a month lol!) until we can come back to it.

I really love this one with the arrows. They are all so different and so beautiful!

I think the girls did a great job picking out 3 different boho looking feathers. I love the patterns they have.

This one wasn’t my absolute favorite but I think it looks great to help break up the feathers and the arrows. I convinced them to put the geometric shapes on the middle sized shelf so that it would help break up the images even more and they agreed :)!

I hope you enjoyed this crafty tutorial and it inspires you to give something a makeover you may have seen at the store or that you have around the house. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

HAPPY CRAFTING!

Check out more DIY Cricut projects

DIY easy wood tag ornament with cute wooden beads DAY 7

Super easy wood tag Christmas ornament DIY

Christmas will be here before we know it! Last year I started a 30 days of DIY Christmas ornaments challenge for myself and I got so crazy busy with orders from my shop that I couldn’t squeeze very many in. I completely underestimated how busy I would be last year.

This year I have toned my shop down a lot. I am in a place where I am no longer making finished home décor items {thank goodness because while I LOVE creating it does take more time to make finished pieces than it does to create files and craft kits} and I am solely focusing on SVG’s, DIY craft kits, and writing craft tutorials for you to enjoy.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind

I’m just going to pick up where I left off last year with my 30 days of DIY Christmas ornaments.

---

DAY 7 of my 30 days of DIY Christmas ornaments I made a simple stamped wood tag with wood bead accents to hang it from.

These little wooden beads are SUPER POPULAR right now. And for good reason because they are so versatile. I have used them for photo accents, bead garland, Christmas ornaments, keychains, the list goes on.

Today I used them on this ornament and it was super easy to make. It took just minutes to make AND there was virtually NO MESS to clean up after.

Here’s what you’ll need to make a stamped wood tag Christmas ornament

• mini stamp set

• black ink pad (this one is similar to the one I used)

• wood tags

• bakers twine

• wood beads

• masking tape
  
  

1.STAMP

The first thing I did was think of a saying. I wanted this one to say “O come let us adore Him”. It’s short and sweet and the reason for the season. Mine is FAR from perfect but that’s what makes handmade so special anyway.

I had a paper towel on hand so I could stamp off the excess. I lightly tapped the stamp onto the black stamp pad. You do not want a heavy hand for this. Then again lightly pressed it onto my wooden tag. Very lightly. If you press too hard you’ll get markings from the edges of the stamp. You may want to practice this a few times on your paper towel before trying it on the wooden tag.

Then I let that dry.

2. ADD BAKERS TWINE

Next I added my bakers twine. I used one that was white and had a bit of silver in it. I just eyeballed a length I wanted. Folded it in half and fed the looped end through the hole in my wood tag. Then I pulled the loose ends through the loop to secure it onto the tag.

3. ADD BEADS

The beads I used were fairly small and it was difficult to feed the twine through the small holes. I added a piece of masking tape to the open ends of the twine to make it easier.

I fed three small beads onto the twine then tied a knot at the top of the beads so they stayed in place.

4. KNOT THE TWINE

I removed the tape and tied the two ends of the bakers twine together so I could hang it on the Christmas Tree.

That’s it. No painting, no glue gun, no fuss really. Super simple Christmas ornament you can even make with the kiddos.

I hope you enjoyed this Christmas ornament tutorial. Check out more of my Christmas and winter themed DIY crafts

Simple Halloween décor using a witch hat

Easy Witch Hat Halloween Decoration

There are some really super cute Halloween decorations out there. I love simple AND frugal! I’m not one to spend a lot on décor so I really loved this easy and cheap project!

If you want even more fun HALLOWEEN DECOR IDEAS be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for more DIY’s for the fall season.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Here’s what you’ll need

• witch hat

• something to measure with

• vase - I got mine from the Dollar Tree

• glue gun

• glue stick

• Cricut (I used my trusty old Explore cutting machine)

• Cricut Design Space

• green cutting mat

• black cardstock

• grab the Cricut file here to make it even easier

The first thing I did was measure the opening of the witch hat.

Using Cricut Design Space I made a 9” circle and cut it out on black cardstock using my Cricut Explore.

Next I used my glue gun and added hot glue to the top of the vase.

Then I quickly placed my cardstock circle cut out on top. Be sure to do this step quickly because hot glue can dry fairly fast.

Then I placed it on my hutch and added my witch hat.

I love it! It was so super easy and adds so much height to my Halloween display.

I hope you enjoyed this super simple Halloween craft. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Happy Crafting!

Check out more of my fun Halloween & fall crafts below

Interchangeable pallet style wall sign

Interchangeable wood signs are all the rage right now. And honestly who doesn’t want to have less seasonal décor to store?

Don’t get me wrong they are SO CUTE but I’ve seen them everywhere, including a similar version when I was growing up. I just wanted something different. If you haven’t see these adorable signs here’s a screenshot I took from Pinterest when I searched interchangeable seasonal signs. Super cute, just not what I was wanting in my new home.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

I thought ‘why not just put up a blank white sign?’ Not really genius but I sure felt that way lol!

Here’s what you’ll need to make a light weight blank faux pallet sign to change out through the seasons

• 1/4” plywood

• 1x2 pieces (number of pieces will depend on the size of your blank sign)

• wood glue

• miter saw (I bought this 12” slider and LOVE IT!!)

• tape measure

• nail gun (I love my Ryobi brad nailer)

• brad nails

• sander ( I love my handheld sander from Ryobi)

• sand paper

• white paint

DIY FAUX PALLET STYLE SIGN USING PLYWOOD

I had some faux planks already cut to the width I wanted. They were leftover from this budget friendly bedroom faux plank wall DIY that we did.

My planks were precut to 5” wide. Then I used my miter saw to cut them to approx 20” strips.

I wanted my sign to be fairly large because I was propping it up on a buffet in my dining room (btw I need to take some paint to it because I’m not loving the outdated brown). I have old house with pretty high ceilings so I also needed the sign to be tall enough to fill the blank space on the wall.

I ended up using 5 planks to make my sign. They aren’t perfectly even on the sides and I’m totally ok with that since I’m not a perfectionist by any stretch of the imagination.

After I got my faux strips cut the length I wanted I gave them a quick sanding with my orbit sander and 120 grit sandpaper. This was just to knock down any little splinters and make the sign somewhat smooth.

I laid them out on my table and placed the sides I liked the best faced down.

Then I took my 1x2 pieces, I cut three of these, and used them for the backing. My planks went horizontally so my brace pieces, the 1x2’s were made to go vertically (the height of the sign).

I placed one in the middle and one on each side.

I used wood glue to attach them to the back and my Ryobi brad nailer to really attach them so they wouldn’t be going anywhere.

I’m going to be totally transparent here…my first plan was to use a white wash stain. I’d never used it before and had this beautiful picture in my head of how it would turn out. Yeah, I don’t think plywood was my best choice for this stain. It just left it kinda blah looking so I wiped it all off.

Paint to the rescue! I took some leftover wall paint, that I’ve been using for everything including this framed Halloween porch sign … btw there’s a free SVG for that sign … , and painted a couple of coats on the plank sign. Painting it worked MUCH better!

That’s it. I didn’t do anything else to it. I’m so glad I used plywood planks for this project. A regular pallet pine sign like this one, would have been far too heavy to prop up. I’m a momma of 4, enough said lol!

I was so excited to decorate it for my first holiday in my new home!

Check out the flying bats post I made for this blank wood sign.

Check out more DIY power tool projects

Flying bat sign, easy DIY sign for Halloween

DIY - Super simple Halloween sign

This year I decorated for Halloween instead of my typical fall only décor. My girls are loving it! One piece they have especially loved, and I must say I do too, is my flying bat sign I made. It was so crazy simple to make too!

The best part of this wooden Halloween sign is that once Halloween is over I can simply take the bats off and replace them with something else.

If you love this DIY be sure to check out this framed Halloween sign I made for my front porch…p.s. it has a FREE SVG to use ;)!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

MAKE YOUR OWN FLYING BAT SIGN

Here’s what you’ll need

• 12x12 black cardstock

• double sided tape

• Cricut cutting machine

• green Cricut mat

• Cricut Design Space

• this Cricut bat file

• white blank sign - click here for a DIY pallet sign tutorial

If you’re new to the Cricut crafting world be sure to check out my post on 10 must have supplies and accessories when starting out using a Cricut cutting machine.

1. CUT OUT CARDSTOCK BATS

I used my older model Cricut Explore to cut out my cardstock bats. If you have Cricut Access you can use the Cricut image, click here for the link.

2. REMOVE THE BAT CUT OUTS FROM YOUR GREEN CUTTING MAT

It’s easier to flip the cardstock facedown on your table then slowly roll the mat away from the material you’ve just cut.

3. ARRANGE THE BATS

Before you put tape on the back of them decide where you want them to go. This took me entirely too long lol!

4. MAKE THE BATS FLY

Give the bats some movement by gently curving their wings upward. I used a pencil to curl the wings up so they didn’t have creases.

5. TAPE THE BATS DOWN

I used double sided tape to temporarily tape them to my wooden pallet style sign.

This is seriously my favorite piece in the house for Halloween! It’s crazy simple but it gives the spooky décor a little something extra ya know?! I love it!

I hope you loved this simple decoration to add to your own home for the Halloween season. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Happy Crafting!

Check out more of my Halloween & fall craft tutorials

Life is short lick the spoon wood sign + FREE SVG

Life is short lick the spoon wood sign + FREE SVG

Use this free life is short lick the spoon FREE SVG to make your own decal or painted wood sign.

DIY HUMOROUS KITCHEN SIGN

I’m sure you’ve seen all those gorgeous gallery walls on Pinterest. You know the ones that have all the perfectly placed together farmhouse pieces. If you still aren’t sure what I’m talking about here are some awesome kitchen gallery walls on Pinterest.

Anyway, my friend is making one in her home…in her beautiful home that really probably was a true farmhouse in its day… and she asked me to make her a final piece to finish it up.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

She sent me a pic of a sign that said “life is short don’t lick the spoon” and asked if I could make one like it. Of course I said yes!

I used the photo she sent me as inspiration and created my own SVG for the painted wood sign. You can get the same SVG I used here in my free resource library.

DIY - LIFE IS SHORT LICK THE SPOON aqua stained wood kitchen sign

Here’s what you need

• wood base, I used a 1x10 pine board I got from my local hardware/lumber store

• stain - I used this aqua color from Rust-Oleum

• chalk paint - I used the color Sheepskin

• lint free rags

• dabber

• oramask stencil film

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• Cricut cutting machine (I used an Explore)

• green cutting mat

• design space

• life is short lick the spoon SVG -or- get it FREE in my resource library

• miter saw

• sander

• 120 grit sand paper

1.CUT THE WOOD & STAIN

I used a 1x10 and used my Ryobi miter saw to cut it square. If you aren’t familiar with lumber it actually doesn’t measure 1”x10” it’s more like .75”x9.25”. So, I cut my piece to measure 9.25”x9.25”. Then gave it a light sanding using 120 grit sand paper.

My friend asked for AQUA STAIN which is a gorgeous color! I had it on hand so I stained it up then let it dry. After it was completely dry I took my Ryobi sander and sanded around the edges and corners then lightly over the front. This gives it a more rustic farmhouse look.

2.CUT OUT & WEED THE STENCIL

While your wood base is drying cut your stencil out. I used my older model Cricut Explore and it still works like a champ! If you don’t have a fancy cutting machine I highly recommend getting one, even if you can’t afford the Maker (there’s no shame in that I still don’t even have the Maker lol!). Be sure to read 10 must have supplies and accessories to get started using a Cricut. 

I use Oramask stencil film for most all of my stenciled projects. If you plan to make LOTS of painted wood signs check out this post I wrote on where I buy my stencil film in bulk to save a ton of money.

3. APPLY THE STENCIL

Apply your clear transfer tape onto the front of your stencil. Remove the paper backing from your stencil. Place your stencil sticky side down onto your wood base.

Rub your stencil with your vinyl squeegee and slowly roll your transfer tape off of your stencil. FUN FACT: you CAN reuse your transfer tape over and over again.

Go over the stencil with your finger or your vinyl squeegee to make sure there aren’t any air bubbles. If there are smooth them out.

Click here to see how I made this gorgeous baby stat sign using plywood

4. PAINT THE STENCIL

I used chalk paint to paint my stencil. If you want to use the same color it’s called SHEEPSKIN.

A dabber like this one is great for stenciling. For the best results and virtually no paint bleed lightly dip your dabber into your chalk paint then dab off the excess, you want very little paint left on the round sponge dabber. Using a pouncing motion paint the exposed areas of the stencil.

Let dry, then repeat till you are satisfied with the coverage. Typically 2 coats is the perfect amount needed.

5. PEEL UP THE STENCIL

I will usually always peel my stencil up while the stencil paint is still wet. While this is my preferred method this may not work for everyone, and that’s totally ok.

Start by peeling up one corner of the stencil and peel it off toward the opposite corner.

Use a sewing pin or xacto knife to peel up all the middle areas.

Let your painted areas dry then you are ready to display in your home.

I hope you enjoyed this sign painting tutorial. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Check out more DIY SIGN PAINTING TUTORIALS

Rustic It's Halloween Witches framed leaning porch sign + FREE SVG

Rustic It's Halloween Witches framed leaning porch sign + FREE SVG

Make your own vertical rustic farmhouse leaning porch sign for Halloween. Bonus: grab the It’s Halloween Witches FREE SVG in my free to use resource library

It’s Halloween Witches! YES! I can’t believe how amazing this painted sign turned out. It has all the gorgeous elements of farmhouse basics but a not so common (on a porch sign) Halloween saying…which makes me extra love it! I could have went with a basic cutesy saying like “boo” or “trick or treat” but I wanted my porch sign to have just a bit of sass to it! And it totally does and fits my family SO well. We are a bit sarcastic and sassy lol!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

And I kept the back of it blank, well I went ahead and painted it white, so I could make it a reversible fall leaning sign later on. I’m all about getting double use out of my décor. I’m a momma of 4, double sided or dual purpose décor is wonderful in my world. Less to store and less to change out when the seasons change.

I have actually had this piece of 1x10 pine hanging around forever! I stained it when I stained this round wood base for this last name sign a couple years ago and am just now getting around to creating on them. Life of a mom and entrepreneur! Here’s what it looked like before I smothered it in creativity. Just a blank stained piece of wood. You can’t see it in this pic but it had a ton of scratches and some gouges on it from being moved around so much in my craft room over the last couple of years.

If you don’t already have a Cricut I HIGHLY recommend getting one. I still create on my old Cricut Explore and create some pretty awesome projects to share with the world ;) Cricut newbie? Read this post on 10 supplies and accessories you need to get started with your cutting machine.

Side note… If you need the checkered rug that’s on my porch get this one. I looked for hours trying to find the exact one and this one is perfect. I don’t have OCD but I really specifically wanted one that had the same stripe on the top and bottom so that it looked even and this one was the only one I came across that that did in the size that I needed it.

How to make a rustic farmhouse leaning Halloween porch sign you will love

Here’s what you’ll need

• pine board, I used a stained 1x10x52 -sign

• 1x2x52 {x2} 1x2x10.75 {x2} -frame

• It’s Halloween Witches SVG , free in my resource library

• white paint, I used leftover wall paint from when we made this faux plank wall

• black and orange acrylic paint

• paint brush

• paint stands (trust me this will make painting a large board SO much easier!)

• oramask stencil film

• transfer tape

• xacto knife or sewing pin for picking the stencil

• vinyl squeegee

• stain- I used the color Kona

• stain rags

• gloves

• Cricut cutting machine

• Cricut 24” green cutting mat

• Cricut Design Space

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi sander

• 120 grit orbit sandpaper

• Ryobi brad nailer

• lint free cloth

1.PAINT THE BASE

I chose to use a board that was already stained. This is not a must but I do like that the stain peaks through the sanded bits of my sign. I painted my wood sign with two coats of white wall paint. You can use acrylic paint too. I didn’t have white acrylic to use so I used the wall paint instead and it works just as great.

After my first coat was dry I applied a second coat of white paint then let that completely dry.

2. APPLY THE STENCIL

I cut my stencils out on my Cricut then weeded the letters out with a sewing pin. If you want to know how to make a reverse stencil sign be sure to check out this laundry sign tutorial.

Because this sign was so large I had to break it up into three separate pieces in Design Space.

I added masking tape to the sides and the seams where the stencils touch just in case I got paint a little too far outside of the stencil I wouldn’t have a big mess to clean up.

3.PAINT THE STENCIL

I used acrylic paint to paint the lettering of my stencil. The first thing I did was seal my stencil so that I would get minimal to no paint bleed. This isn’t a must but it does help to get super crisp lines.

I just painted of paint on the lettering. I painted IT’S and WITCHES with black acrylic paint and HALLOWEEN with orange acrylic paint.

4. PEEL UP THE STENCIL

I always peel up my stencils while my paint is wet. I started with the small lettering first then worked my way down the wood sign.

I used a sewing pin to lift out all the little middle pieces

If you love this tutorial be sure to check out how to make these super cute Halloween wood tags

5.CUT & STAIN THE FRAME

After my sign was dry I measured a 1x2 and cut pieces for my frame. Here’s what it looked like once I got my pieces cut and stained.

I had 2 pieces that were cut at 52” and 2 pieces that were cut at 10.75”.

Before I attached my framed pieces to my Halloween sign I distressed the 1x2’s with my sander and 120 grit sandpaper

7. ATTACH THE FRAME

I attached the two long side pieces first. I used a little bit of wood glue then used my Ryobi brad nailer to attach them to the sign.

Don’t worry if you miss cut your wood frame pieces. I do this ALL the time. Just use your miter saw to square it up after you get them attached.

Here’s what my sign looked like once I got the side frame pieces attached. I framed the sign so that the sign would be in the middle of the framed pieces instead of flush with the back. You can also see where I used my miter saw to cut off the uneven parts.

I did the same thing for the top and bottom pieces. Added the wood glue, my husband says to apply it in a squiggle line, idk if this is really how you’re supposed to do it or if he’s just messing with me lol but whatever it is this seems to work.

8.SEAL THE FINISHED SIGN

If you want to protect your sign from the elements I recommend sealing it with an outdoor sealant like this one. I did not do this step because I plan to paint a fall themed stencil on the other side of this Halloween porch sign. But after I finish the other side I’ll seal it with the outdoor spray.

Then you’re all done. I hope you enjoyed this DIY craft tutorial :)! If you have any questions please ask them in the comments below.

Happy crafting!

DIY craft kits- learn how to make your own

HOW TO PUT TOGETHER DIY CRAFT KITS

My best tips for creating DIY craft kits and how to package them for shipping

Craft kits are all the rage right now. I know when I started selling DIY craft kits for adults it took a little bit of trial and error for me to get them just right. I wasn’t sure what I should include, what I should leave out, how I should package the craft kits for shipping, and how I should write the instructions.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

If you found this post helpful be sure to check out my post on HOW TO SHIP MASON JARS WITHOUT BREAKING.

Over time I have not just figured out how to package them and what to include in them I have MASTERED it! And I want to share with you what I’ve learned so you can spread some crafty love and ship DIY craft kits too.

There really is no better time than now to send DIY craft kits to loved ones.

It gives people something to do, something to keep their mind off of the craziness of the world, and something to bring them joy!

If you are thinking about gifting someone a DIY craft kit, or maybe you want to start selling them I am here to share with you what I’ve learned over the years. My small business specializes in DIY CRAFT KITS. I can’t even begin to tell you how many I have sold even just this year. It seems like I’ve been making craft kits in my sleep these last few months lol!

But seriously, I have learned so much since the first DIY craft kit I boxed up and shipped out. Now, I have perfected my craft kits, gotten tons of amazing feedback from my customers and can’t wait to share so here I go…

Ps… We just moved and I have yet to find where to put all the things so things are a bit untidy lol! I almost didn’t post pictures/take a video of me showing what I put in my DIY craft kits but then I said to myself ‘Megan! Girl, this is real life, show the mess’ so here I am showing my mess of a crafting space.

1.KEEP IT SIMPLE

The very first thing is to decide what kind of craft you will putting together. Try to keep this simple. Something that seems easy, and may look easy too, but that is actually complex with a ton of steps might leave your recipient feeling frustrated. People love things they can accomplish relatively easily so keep it simple:)!

2. INSTRUCTIONS

Every good craft kit will come with written AND picture instructions. Something that my customers have raved to me about is that my instructions are clear and easy to follow.

My biggest tip for writing DIY craft kit instructions is to write them out like you were writing the instructions for a 6th grader to follow. That is in no way an insult either. If a middle schooler can understand what you are writing then an adult can too.

I know for myself, I don’t like instructions that are super politically correct anyway. I write my craft kit printables just how I would say them if my customer were standing in front of me. I also include pictures and a link where they can find my tutorial online.

3. WHAT TO INCLUDE

Here’s where I struggled a little in the beginning with my DIY craft kits. I wasn’t sure what I should include and what I should leave out.

Do I include every little thing? Brushes? Paints? Sandpaper? All the things? Really this is up to you. For me, I have some craft kits that include everything my customers need and other craft kits that just include the bases (the wood, canvas or any other type of base). I have a good mix of both in my shop and truthfully get the most orders for my hand cut craft blanks that don’t include any supplies.

Here are the absolute musts that you need to include in your DIY craft kits

• CRAFT BASE- this is a must. Examples of the base are: wood, stretch canvas, rocks, basically what your recipient will be crafting on.

• INSTRUCTIONS

Optional items to send in your DIY craft kits

• paint

• brushes

• sandpaper

• glue

• top coat finishes

• tape

• tools

• stencils

• etc.

You will need to decide how easy you want your craft kit to be for your recipient. Since I am in the business of selling DIY craft kits I do offer a variety of kits that range from blanks only to full on everything is included craft kits.

4. PACKAGING

If you aren’t shipping your craft kit then all you’ll need to do is put everything in a pretty bag with some tissue paper. But if you plan to ship your DIY craft kit to someone then you’ll need to do a little more work than that. Here’s how I package my craft kits up for shipping:

-I place all of my base pieces in a clear bag or wrap them in paper if they are too big to fit in the bags I carry.

-Then I place all the other materials in a separate bag and I leave a little air inside the bag, but not too much, so that the bag acts as it’s own cushion. That way the supplies don’t get smashed up during transit.

After everything is in a bag I place them inside a shipping box. I ship all of my packages via USPS and if I’m shipping anything over a pound it gets shipped USPS priority mail. I order all of my boxes in bulk online from the USPS website and have them delivered right to my door. It’s a wonderful thing to take advantage of!

Here are the plastic bags I use. I have never ordered from Ebay before but this was the closest thing I could find to what I use. They are cotton candy bags. Fun fact, my husband and I used to own a cotton candy machine and we would go set up at different locations, flea markets, auctions and things to make ends meet. Boy am I glad those days are behind us! We had thousands of these bags leftover after we hung up the towel on that and my husband had the genius idea to use them for packaging orders!

{So cute my 5th daughter, the furry one, made an appearance this snapshot!}

Most of the time I don’t have any extra space in the shipping box but if I do I will add either bags of air, thin packaging paper, or bubble wrap.

A little tip…if you order a LOT from online businesses like I do you likely have a TON of packaging materials. You can reuse those! I save all of the packaging materials that come in my packages so that I can reuse them for my online orders. There is no need to throw away perfectly good items when you can easily reuse them for their intended purpose:)!

Let me know if you have any questions about putting together a DIY CRAFT KIT in the comments below.

DIY painted & distressed laundry room sign + FREE SVG

DIY painted & distressed laundry room sign + FREE SVG

Make your own stenciled and distressed laundry room sign. BONUS: grab the FREE to use SVG in my free resource library.

Easy stenciled wood sign for your laundry room

Want to make a simple yet large sign for your laundry room? You’ve come to the right place! I’ve been making this exact LAUNDRY sign in my shop for a couple of years now and really wanted to share with you how I make it because it’s super easy and simple. Not a whole lot of fuss goes into making this larger than mat wooden sign using your Cricut.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

By the way…how cute is my little model?! This is the youngest of my four daughters and she always wants to help me work. She doesn’t care what it is she just wants in on all the fun and exciting things of momma’s business. She was absolutely thrilled when I asked her to hold the sign so I could snap a pic.

Look at that big cheesy smile! Melts my momma heart! Barefoot, girly dress with a unicorn hoodie over it and let’s not forget the wild hair. Oh the life!

If you want to DIY a wood sign but don’t have all the tools be sure to check out my DIY CRAFT KITS.

HOW TO STENCIL A SIGN FOR YOUR LAUNDRY ROOM

Here’s what you’ll need

• wood board, I used pine 1x8 measuring 40”x7.25'“x.75” (those are the exact measurements)

• white paint

• gray paint, I used pewter gray

• paint brush

• oramask stencil film

• vinyl squeegee

• transfer tape

• Cricut cutting machine, I use an Explore for all of my projects I haven’t upgraded to the maker yet

• green cutting mat

• Cricut Design Space

• LAUNDRY SVG (get it free in my free resource library)

• xacto knife

• paint stands (to keep your board up off the table)

• drop cloth (to keep your surface area clean)

• Ryobi sander

• sandpaper

• Ryobi miter saw
  

If you’re new to the Cricut world be sure to check out my Cricut newbie post.

PAINTED LAUNDRY SIGN TUTORIAL

1.CUT OUT THE STENCIL

I cut my stencil out using Oramask 813 stencil film. This is my go to for most all of the stenciled wood signs I make. If you plan to make a lot of wooden signs you’ll want to read my post on how to save money on stencil film.

Because I did a reverse stencil method, not a traditional traditional stencil methodmethod, I added lines onto my stencil to make it super easy to align on my wood base. Then I set my stencils aside till I needed them.

I used and xacto knife to weed the stencils. Be sure to leave the letters and remove the background of the stencil. Since this is a reverse stencil it will look different than a typical stencil does.

2.PAINT THE LETTER COLOR

Typically I would use acrylic paints for this but I was all out of white acrylic paint. Instead I used a white wall paint that is actually better than acrylic to use for this sign.

I painted the sides with one coat of paint and I painted two coats on the front of the sign. Letting it dry completely between coats.

3. APPLY THE STENCIL

I applied transfer tape to one stencil then reused that same transfer tape for the next stencil. Did you know you can reuse transfer tape till it doesn’t work anymore? You sure can!

After I rubbed the stencil with my vinyl squeegee I flipped my stencil over and removed the paper backing.

Then I flipped the stencil over so that the sticky side was down and I placed the stencil where I wanted it on my wood base. This is where the lines on the stencil come in handy. This allows me to center the lettering without any stress. I made my stencil to the exact size of my wood board, with the extra lines, so that when I went to apply the stencil I wouldn’t have to worry about letters being uneven.

Then I pressed it down with my vinyl squeegee to remove any air bubbles then removed the transfer tape. PRO TIP: rolling the transfer tape off of the stencil works best and it won’t lift your design up and off of the wood.

I did the same process for the other part of my stencil. Then I removed the lines on the tops and bottoms because I didn’t need them anymore and didn’t want them to be apart of my design.

3. SEAL THE STENCIL

The key to no paint bleed is to seal the stencil before you paint it. Essentially what you are doing is filling in any tiny air bubbles that paint could get under with the same color as your lettering. So in my case I sealed my stencil with white paint. It just takes a TINY bit of paint, you want to paint into the direction of your stencil. I let this dry completely.

4. PAINT THE SIGN

After the sealing was dry I painted my sign gray. I also paint the back because I think this gives pieces a more finished look but it’s all personal preference. I did two layers of gray paint. I let the first one dry totally before applying the second coat on top of it.

5. PEEL THE STENCIL

While my paint was still wet I peeled the stencil up. Some people choose to do this after their paint is dry and that is totally ok, this is just my personal preference after making thousands of handmade signs over the last few years. Using an xacto knife or a sewing pin works great for this step.

After I got all the stencil pieces removed from the wood base I let it dry.

6. DISTRESSING

This is totally optional. If you don’t want to distress your sign you can choose not to and be done. But if you do want to distress your painted wood sign I recommend using a sander for this step. Mainly because I really don’t like sanding anything with a piece of sandpaper. It’s so much easier to do this with a sander. Focus on the edges and anywhere that would naturally be worn. I also lightly go across the front of my pieces with my sander.

The last thing I do is to wipe it with a lint free cloth to get all the dust off from sanding. Super simple and easy! I told ya, it’s pretty much no fuss.

If you have any questions about this tutorial let me know in the comments below.

Happy Crafting!

Halloween wood tags, how to DIY your own set of cute spooky mini tags

DIY WOOD TAGS FOR HALLOWEEN

I just love these adorable rustic wood tags! Since they are so small they make such perfect little accents to your décor. Especially these Halloween wood tags. I made these adorable little guys and placed them in my Halloween porch décor. Oh my goodness they look so cute with all the orange, black, and rustic-ey decorations!

If you love this tutorial be sure to check out these mini wooden fall signs

If you don’t have all the tools/materials to make these little wooden tags from scratch you can grab a DIY CRAFT KIT HERE.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

This DIY HALLOWEEN CRAFT KIT COMES WITH

• 3 precut and lightly sanded 5” wood tags

• professional outdoor grade vinyl cut outs

  • HAPPY HAUNTING

  • spider web image

  • OCTOBER 31

• detailed picture instructions

• ****paint and brushes are NOT included

If you don’t need a DIY CRAFT KIT here’s what you’ll need

• black, orange, & white vinyl

• transfer tape, here’s one with gridlines for easy application

• vinyl squeegee

• black and white paint

• paint brushes or sponges

• sandpaper

• twine

• 3 wood tags 5”, I cut mine from a 1x4

• Cricut cutting machine

• green Cricut mat

• Cricut Design space

• HALLOWEEN SVG’s

• I also recommend using a drop cloth to protect your crafty surface

Want to know how I make my wood tags? Click here to read my post on DIY MINI WOOD TAGS, it also includes a video tutorial.

After you have your wood pieces cut out, sanded and your vinyl decals cut, weeded, and transfer tape applied you can start on the steps below.

If you want to learn how to cut out your own wood tags read this post. If you are new to Cricut, or the world of fancy cutting machines in general, check out my post on the 10 must have accessories and supplies to get for a Cricut newbie

1. PAINT

Paint 2 of your wood tags black, one coat will be fine for this, and 1 of your wood tags white, this will need 2-3 coats. Let dry. Letting your wood tags dry completely is a MUST. If your paint is still wet when you move on to the next step your vinyl will not stick to it.

2. DISTRESS

Using a piece of sandpaper distress the edges. You’ll want to focus on the edges and any area that you think would have a natural wear to it.

Then wipe with a lint free cloth.

3. APPLY DECALS

Be extra sure that your paint is completely dry before you start this step. Vinyl does not stick to wet paint.

Using your vinyl squeegee, a plastic rewards card will also work for this step, rub the front of your Halloween themed vinyl decal.

Flip it over and do the same thing on the backside.

Then peel the paper backing away from the clear transfer tape, your design should stay attached to the clear transfer tape.

Flip your vinyl decal sticky side down onto your wood tag. Don’t push it onto the wood tag until you are happy with the placement, then press it down. Use your vinyl squeegee for this step. Then remove the clear transfer tape.

Start on one corner then slowly peel your way to the opposite corner. If your decal comes off with the transfer tape just press it back down and slowly roll the transfer tape away from the decal again. Be sure you take your time during this process, especially if you are new to the decal game.

BLACK TAG: HAPPY HAUNTING decal

BLACK TAG: OCTOBER 31 decal

WHITE TAG: SPIDER WEB IMAGE decal

4. TWINE

Add some twine to make them even more adorable! Feed the twine through the hole in the top middle of the tag. Then tie the two twine ends together.

You’re all done! I hope you enjoyed this DIY craft tutorial. If you have any questions please ask in the comments below.

Happy Crafting!

Classic farmhouse tiered tray signs

Tiered tray sign bundle for your CLASSIC looking farmhouse decor

I am loving this tiered tray decor that’s all the rage right now. There are so many different seasons, holidays, and themes you can do. Or you can keep it super classy and simple with the classic black and white farmhouse colors. There is so much you can do with these simple color scheme. You can keep it black and white or add a couple rustic pieces that will give it a pop of color here and there. I love how versatile it is!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

If you LOVE this crafty post be sure to check out how I made a mini house family number sign. Instead of using vinyl like I did on these rustic farmhouse mini signs I painted it instead.

If you’re in to the rustic farmhouse style how can you not love a mini wooden tag that has farm animals on it?! This one is probably my favorite of all the bundled pieces. I absolutely LOVE chickens! Well of course cows and pigs too but chickens are really my favorite farm animal! Every time I see one, whether that be a real life chicken or a picture of one, I smile! They are just too cute!

TIERED TRAY RUSTIC SIGNS

For this tiered tray bundle I incorporated different sizes and shapes to these farmhouse pieces mix it up a bit. I typically create identical bases for my handmade sign pieces, like these hilarious rustic looking cactus signs. Another example are these Easter mini wood tags. They come in a set of 3 but they are all the same sized wood base. While they are super cute I am really loving the mix and match look of the different sized and styled bases of these classic farmhouse tiered tray signs.

Here are the sign bases I used:

• MINI ROLLING PIN

• MINI WOOD HOUSE

• MINI WOOD TAG

• MINI WOOD SIGN

Since they are all different sizes and shapes they truly work perfectly for the tiered tray signs.

Unlike most of my signs I actually chose to use vinyl on them instead of painting the entire design. I have been one BUSY momma this year so I’ve been adding more simple designs and styles to my shop line up. I guess I always thought using vinyl was “cheating” in the sign making game but I have no regrets using the vinyl on these designs. They are quick to make, priced at a more affordable price point, and I can get them out to my customers even faster because it takes SO much LESS time to create.

While stenciling designs will always be my preferred method for making signs I do love how these vinyled signs turned out. So much that I have plans to add even more in my shop!

You can grab the FARM FRESH design in my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY.

Want your own set but don’t want to make them? You can purchase your handmade signs from my shop, click here —-> CLASSIC FARMHOUSE STYLE TIERED TRAY SIGNS

If you are a DIY-er and want to make your own rustic farmhouse style tiered tray signs here’s what I recommend you use.

• matte finish black vinyl

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• white paint

• mini rolling pins

• paint brush

• xacto knife

• sandpaper

• Cricut

• Cricut Design Space

• green Cricut cutting mat

• HOME SWEET HOME SVG

• FARM ANIMAL SVG

• OUR NEST SVG

• FARM FRESH SVG

New to Cricut? Check out these 10 must haves to get you started on your crafty journey

I don’t have a full on tutorial on how I made these signs they were really pretty simple to make since there wasn’t any stenciling involved. Stenciling is a WAY more involved process. But this process is super easy.

Here’s how I made my rustic tiered tray signs

1. Paint each wood base white. Let dry. Paint a second coat. Let dry.

2. Once dry distress the edges. Wipe with a dry lint free cloth.

3. Cut out your designs using your Cricut, or other cutting machine.

4. Weed your designs using your xacto knife.

5. Apply your transfer tape and remove paper backing from your designs.

6. Place your designs on your wood bases. Rub with your vinyl squeegee and remove your transfer tape.

7. Add any twine accents.

8. Place on your tiered tray and enjoy!

It’s really that simple! No messing with paint bleed. No fuss with drying time between stenciling paint coats. No stress about paint peel up. I really enjoyed how quick and easy these DIY mini wood signs were!

I hope you enjoyed this crafty tutorial. If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments section below.

Happy Crafting!

See how I make my mini wood tags. Don’t have the power tools to create the tags from scratch? Grab the unfinished wood tags here.

DIY Tiered Tray signs for 4th of July with Rae Dunn inspired SKINNY FONT

DIY 4TH OF JULY TIERED TRAY WOOD SIGN

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE rustic mini signs… yes!! Tiered tray signs are all the rage right now. If you’ve been on Pinterest, Etsy, or anywhere in between then you’ve definitely seen these little farmhouse looking beauties! They are usually made using a simple design and just tie in perfectly with the whole clean rustic look that’s in right now.

If you’re wanting to make your own mini wood signs it’s actually pretty easy to do. I make my tiered tray signs from 1x4’s that I cut down using my miter saw BUT even if you don’t have access to power tool you can still make your own mini wood signs! I’ve put together this DIY PATRIOTIC CRAFT KIT you can grab online in my shop. It comes with everything (except paint brushes) you need to make your own Independence Day signs at home. No need to go out and buy any fancy equipment or tools, especially if you don’t plan on making a ton of DIY craft projects.

If you are wanting to take the sign painting world by the horns be sure to read these 6 must haves for painting wood signs. I share the basic must haves to get you started on your own sign painting journey.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind.

DIY 4TH OF JULY WOOD SIGNS FOR TIERED TRAYS

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own set of patriotic wooden signs

If you purchased the PATRIOTIC DIY SIGN PAINTING KIT your wood blanks will come pre-stained. You can skip to the step #3

• pine 1x4 cut into these lengths: 6”, 10”, 12”

• Cricut cutting machcine

• Cricut Design Space

• Cricut green cutting mat

• oramask stencil film

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• stenciling sponge

• red, white, blue, black acrylic paint

• paint brushes

• stain color of choice

• lint free cloth

• gloves to protect your hands when staining

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi sander

• 120 grit orbit sand paper

• xacto knife

• FREE CRICUT 4TH OF JULY CUT FILE

1. CUT & PREP YOUR WOOD PIECES

If you purchased the 4TH OF JULY DIY CRAFT KIT you can skip this step. If not you need to cut your 1x4’s to 6”, 10” and 12”. I use a miter saw to cut mine then give them a quick sanding with120 grit sand paper using my orbit sander. I stain my pieces then let dry for 24 hours. Once dry I sand around the edges to give it a distressed look. Now they are ready for paint :)!

2. CUT YOUR STENCILS

Cut out your stencils on your cutting machine, I use an older model Cricut explore and it always does a perfect job! I highly recommend using Oramask stencil film to cut your stencils out of. This material is specifically made for stenciling and performs very well. Weed your design and apply transfer tape to it so it is ready to go. Get your FREE Cricut cut files here to use for this exact 4th of July project.

3. PAINT YOUR BACKGROUND COLOR

Using a dry brush apply a THIN coat of paint on the front side of your wooden bases. For a more rustic look apply the paint so that it doesn’t touch the edge of the wood base and so that it a little uneven. Let that dry then paint a second coat. Let the second coat completely dry.

4. APPLY YOUR STENCIL

Using your vinyl squeegee apply your stencil to your painted wood base. Once you feel it is adhered good slowly remove the transfer tape off of your stencil. The best way to do this is to start at one corner and slowly roll the transfer tape off of your blue stencil material. PRO TIP: you never want to pull up when removing your transfer tape, this will cause your stencil to pull up as well. Use your finger to rub the exposed area of the stencil to work out any puckers or air bubbles.

5. PAINT YOUR STENCIL

Cut your stencil sponge into 3-4 sections, depending on the number of different colors you plan to use. Lightly dip the end of one of your stenciling sponges into your paint of choice, dab off excess paint onto a scrap piece of cardboard (or something similar) then using an up and down dabbing motion dab it onto the exposed areas of your stencil. Your paint coverage should be super thin, you want to be able to see the background color at this point. Let dry. Once dry dab on a second thin layer. If you are happy with the coverage you can move on to step 6. If you want a little more coverage wait for the second layer to dry then dab on a third layer of pain

6. REMOVE YOUR STENCIL

Using a sharp xacto knife or sewing pin peel your stencil up while your paint is still wet. Be careful not to touch the wet paint. Let your painted wood sign dry.

7. DISTRESS

This step is completely optional. If you want a little more rustic look lightly go over the front of your wooden sign with a sanding sponge or piece of sandpaper. I personally like adding this touch to my signs to give it a more farmhouse look. Wipe off the dust with a lint free cloth and you are ready to display them on your tiered tray.

DIY How to make a RUSTIC UNICORN sign + FREE SVG

Unicorns…my third daughter is OBSESSED with these magical creators and has been for years. She was the inspiration behind these rustic looking glittery unicorn themed mason jars that we found on Pinterest and HAD to make our own. Everything is unicorn theme from her bedroom décor to her birthday party themes to her clothing. So, this year for her birthday of course she asked for…you guessed it UNICORN themed presents!

With all the craziness going on the world in the year of 2020 she couldn’t have a traditional birthday party. BOO! Instead she had a small but SUPER FUN day at home filled with a unicorn shaped cake made by her older sisters and LOTS of fun outdoor activities.

While she did get a few store bought gifts I thought it would be so fun to make her a rustic looking unicorn sign to hang in her unicorn themed side of the bedroom. She already has this gorgeous unicorn themed bedspread and SO many other purple glittery unicorn knick knacks I thought this sign would tie in perfectly with all of it.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

And she LOVED it! I was so happy because sometimes you make or buy something for your kid and you don’t always get the reaction you were hoping for. You know the one where they give you a huge smile and a thank you but you can tell deep down that it really wasn’t what they were expecting. Thank goodness my sweet girl BEAMED with unicorn excitement when she got her handmade rustic always believe in magical things sign from her momma! YAY a mom WIN!!

If you want to make this exact unicorn SVG you can get it for FREE here in my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY. If you’re new to the blog my resource library is where I share all of my freebies. It’s all in one place so you can access it super easy. Just click here to get my password. If you already have the password click here and it will take you to my secure page.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own rustic unicorn sign

• always believe in magical things FREE SVG

• Cricut cutting machine, the MAKER or EXPLORE

• Cricut Design Space

• Cricut cutting mat

• Oramask stencil film

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• xacto knife

• premade pallet sign - DIY tutorial to build a pallet sign

• acrylic paints

• assorted flowers

• paint brushes

• stenciling sponge

• cone form

• floral wire

• hot glue gun

• gorilla hot glue sticks

• nail polish I used a glittery gold

• tulle

HOW TO MAKE A RUSTIC PALLET STYLE UNICORN SIGN

For this tutorial I’m starting with a pre built, stained, and painted pallet style sign. If you’ve never built a pallet style sign before not worries they are actually really easy to make. You can read my post on how to built your own pallet style sign here. I also used a weathered gray stain on this wood unicorn sign along with white paint for the background colors.

1. CUT OUT YOUR UNICORN STENCIL

The first thing I did was cut out my stencil on ORAMASK STENCIL FILM. If you plan to cut out a ton of stencils and want to buy stencil film even cheaper you must read my oramask stencil film post on how I dramatically my out of pocket on this material for my small business. I used my Cricut to cut out my stencil and weeded my unicorn themed stencil with a super sharp exacto knife.

If you’re new to the Cricut world here are 10 must have to get you started on you Cricut journey.

2. APPLY YOUR UNICORN STENCIL

Using transfer tape apply your unicorn stencil to your wood base. When removing the transfer tape it’s easiest to roll the transfer tape off your of stencil film. Use your vinyl squeegee to get your stencil good and adhered to the base of your unicorn sign.

3. PAINT YOUR STENCIL

To prevent tons of paint bleed you can seal your unicorn stencil first with the same color paint that you used for your background color. In my case I used white paint because my background is white. The wood I used to make my daughter’s rustic unicorn sign was EXTRA RUSTIC. Meaning it had lots of imperfections. The wood was very uneven, rounded on the edges, and had small and large gouges all over. I knew even with sealing my stencil I would still have paint bleed unless I took extra time to paint the sign very slowing. I’m a momma of 4, I don’t have time to be that perfect lol so my sign had more than usual paint bleed. When painting your stencil you can use a cosmetic sponge or a paint brush. If using a cosmetic sponge you want to make an up and down dabbing motion to paint the stencil. Do very THIN even coats and layer up to 3 THIN layers but no more than that. I promise the coverage will be darker once the stencil is removed.

4. REMOVE YOUR STENCIL

An xacto knife works great for removing stencils. Just be sure is super sharp. If you don’t have an xacto knife you can also use a sewing pin. You want to gently lift the stencil film up and off your wood base without causing damage.

5. DISTRESS YOUR UNICORN SIGN

I used a sanding sponge to lightly sand over my lettering on my unicorn pallet sign once my paint was dry. Just to give it a little more rustic look. I didn’t want my sign to be all gorgeously distressed and the lettering be crisp.

6. PAINT ON UNICORN EARS

I almost forgot to do this part…insert facepalm!… I freehanded the ears with a pencil then painted them in with light pink paint. I added a little detail with a little bit of gray paint while the pink paint was still wet just so they didn’t look so flat. Then I distressed them with the sponge sander.

7. MAKE THE HORN

I used a foam cone for this and cut it down to the size I needed. I used craft paint for this instead of spray painting it (check out my tips for spray painting Styrofoam here). Let dry. Once dry wrap it in tulle, I did this several times to get a good coverage.

8. ADD ACCENTS TO THE HORN

I only needed a small piece of wire for this project so I used what I had on hand. I only had silver or green floral wire so I painted a piece of the silver wire with glittery nail polish and let it dry. Then I wrapped it around the horn and secured the ends inside of the foam. This really made a big difference in how the unicorn horn looked overall. Without this piece of glittery wire I don’t think it would have turned out as cute.

9. GLUE ON FLORAL UNICORN CROWN

I picked up my floral accents from Walmart. It’s spring/summer so they had a great selection of florals that had a magical unicorn vibe. I used gorilla hot glue in my glue gun to attach them to my wood base. I highly suggest doing a dry run with the floral crown before you actually glue them down. You want to make sure you are going to like the placement before you commit to the glue. Don’t be afraid to cut down your florals. Sometimes you just need a small piece of baby’s breath instead of a whole piece of it.

Some of the florals I used on this unicorn crown were leftover from these DIY corsages I made from my youngest three daughters for the daddy daughter dance. I love that I could also incorporate them into this piece. They were such beautiful florals and my store was completely out of them so I couldn’t get any more for this sign.

Now you’re ready to give this gorgeously rustic unicorn sign to your sweetest unicorn obsessed little girl to hang in her room. I hope you enjoyed this crafty tutorial. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments below.

Happy Crafting!

DIY mini wood house family number sign

DIY how to make a rustic wood house sign for your farmhouse style home decor

How to make mini wood houses from a 1x4. Stenciling a wood family number sign. DIY rustic farmhouse decorations to make at home, easy

Have you seen those adorable tiered tray signs on Pinterest? They are oh so tiny and oh so ADORABLE! They tie in perfectly with any rustic farmhouse style décor. If you have a miter saw you can make these little beauties at home.

If you don’t have a miter saw but still want to DIY these mini wood houses no worries! You can grab these precut unfinished wooden houses in my shop.

I used a scrap piece of 1x4 to make mine. Click here to read more of my SCRAP WOOD PROJECTS.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional

Are you planning on making LOTS of signs using stencil film? You must read how I save TONS of money by buying my oramask stencil film this way.

Click here to grab your own rustic wooden mini house DIY CRAFT KIT

Make your own tiered tray mini house signs

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own mini rustic wood houses

• 1x4 or precut wood houses

• miter saw

• sander

• 120 grit sand paper

• Cricut cutting machine

• Cricut Design Space

• Green Cricut cutting mat

• oramask stencil film

• transfer tape

• vinyl squeegee

• white and black acrylic paint

• paint brush

• family number SVG

1. CUT OUT YOUR WOOD HOUSE

The first thing I did was to cut my wood house out of 1x4 scrap piece of pine. Well, my husband cut mine out because he was bored lol. He cut them using a 30 degree angle on the miter saw. Then cut them to the length you want. The one I’m making for this rustic craft tutorial measured approx. 4” in length. Then I sanded it down using my Ryobi orbit sander and 120 grit sandpaper.

2. CUT OUR YOUR STENCIL

I used my Cricut explore to cut out my stencil. I have yet to get a Cricut maker because my Explore is still going strong :)! I used a scrap piece of ORAMASK STENCIL FILM and this FAMILY NUMBER SIGN SVG. I’ve found that using an xacto knife to weed your designs works even better than traditional weeding tools. If you’re new to CRICUT be sure to check out these 10 supplies and accessories you need to get started with your Cricut.

3. PAINT YOUR WOOD HOUSE BASE

I chose to keep my mini wood house sign simple and paint it all white. I used acrylic paint and painted two coats for a decent coverage. Let completely dry.

4. STENCIL YOUR WOOD HOUSE

I stenciled a family number sign on my wood house and I love how cute it turned out. I applied my stencil using transfer tape and a vinyl squeegee. Then removed my transfer tape once it was properly adhered. If you don’t want any paint bleed be sure to seal your stencil. you can do this using the same paint as your background color. See how I also did this on a reverse stenciled sign to get crisp no paint bleed lines. Let dry.

5. PAINT YOUR STENCIL

I kept it safe and painted my family number stencil with black acrylic paint. I did one thin coat. Let dry completely. Then painted a second thin layer.

6. PEEL UP YOUR STENCIL

While your stencil paint is still wet use a sharp xacto knife OR sewing pin to peel up your stencil. Be careful not to guage the wood underneath. You want to carefully lift the stencil film up off the wood then grab it and peel away.

7. DISTRESS

If you like your sign without distressing then you are ready to display it once the lettering is dry. But if you’d like to add a little more rustic charm to it you can do so with your sander, after your lettering is dry of course. I use 120 grit sandpaper for pretty much all of my craft projects and it’s what I used to distress this mini wood house sign too. Focus around the edges and corners then lightly go over the front of the sign. I went a little crazy on my mini wood sign but I still like it. I think it just adds that much more character.

CLICK HERE TO GET INSTANT ACCESS TO ALL OF MY FREE SVG’S, PRINTABLES, AND MORE

Now you're ready to display it in your home. I hope you enjoyed this crafty tutorial. If you have any questions please ask them in the comments.

Happy Crafting!

REVERSE STENCIL, the NO paint bleed method

How to paint a REVERSE STENCIL wood sign, easy tutorial plus video

Have you tried stenciling wood signs but keep running into issues like paint bleed or your paint peeling up? I completely understand your frustration when that happens when painting signs. I have been there and am so glad I learned how to paint signs without these issues now AND I’m happy I get to show you how to paint wood signs without the headache.

One of the easiest methods to stenciling painted wood signs is the REVERSE STENCIL METHOD. It’s the method I suggest people start with when they are just learning how to paint signs. No matter if you are wanting to learn how to paint signs for a hobby or you are wanting to start your own momma side hustle this is THE sign painting tutorial you need to start with. I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much sign painting lingo but this is also referred to as the PVPP method. Or in other words, Paint Vinyl Paint Peel. But I like to call it a reverse stencil because that just sounds better to me ;).

DIY REVERSE STENCIL WITH YOUR CRICUT, the NO paint bleed method

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

After making thousands of hand painted wood signs for my own business I think I’ve pickex up a thing or two about how to paint signs and I am so excited to be sharing my tips, tricks, and techniques with you. So hopefully you don’t make the same mistakes that I did starting out.

If you have a Cricut or Silhouette cutting machine you can purchase the SVG FILE for BLESS OUR NEST here. If you’re just getting started with your Cricut I highly recommend you read this list of 10 things you need to get started with your Cricut. .

If you’re planning to make lots of signs like I do you may want to consider ordering stencil film in bulk to save some money. Here’s how I save 40% on my Oramask 813 stencil film.

Watch the video below or keep scrolling to read the written sign making tutorial.

NO PAINT BLEED REVERSE STENCILED SIGN

Here’s what you’ll need

• Bless our nest SVG

• Acrylic paint

• Paint brushes

• Stencil film

• Transfer tape

• Vinyl Squeegee

• Xacto knife

• Wood base

Helpful tools

• Cricut cutting machine

• Cricut Design Space

• Cricut green cutting mat

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi sander

1. CUT AND WEED YOUR DESIGN

The first thing you want to do is cut your design out. I use my Cricut to do this on Oramask 813 stencil film. After having issues with pretty much any other kind of “stenciling” material, I have found this stuff truly works and does the job it was made to do. Using things like shelf liner, aka contact paper, and oracal 631 they can cause so many issues and a giant headache. So now I just stick to what works and Oramask 813 works! Instead of weeding out the letters like you would on a typical stencil you will actually weed out the background, leaving the letters.

2. PAINT YOUR LETTER COLOR

I know this is going to sound super backwards BUT you want to paint your wood sign base whatever color you want your lettering to be. I have to add that if you are wanting your lettering/design to be multi colored this method will not work. But, if you want one solid color like the design I’m showing here this reverse stencil method is perfect. Let your paint dry.

3. APPLY YOUR STENCIL

After your letter color paint is dry you want to apply your stencil. This can be tricky to get on there straight at first. If it makes it easier you can measure or use tape as a guide line. Place your transfer tape over your design, use your vinyl squeegee to gently remove any air. Flip your stencil over and carefully remove the paper backing. Go slow you don’t want to rip your design. After you’ve removed the paper backing place your stencil down on your wood sign base sticky side down. Use your vinyl squeegee to remove any air bubbles then remove the transfer tape from your design, leaving your stencil film on your wood sign base.

4. SEAL YOUR STENCIL

This is THE STEP to do if you want ZERO PAINT BLEED. I don’t know about you but I’m a busy momma and business owner and I don’t have time to daintily paint around stencils then cross my fingers that it won’t bleed. Nope! Instead, I seal my stencils with the same color that is under the stencil. So in this case I sealed my stencil with black paint. You want to paint a SUPER THIN layer of paint over your stencil. Be sure it’s a thin layer, this step does not need a lot of paint.

5. PAINT THE BACK

This step isn’t a must but I always finish the backside of all of my signs. It gives my signs a more polished look. When the sealing step is dry just flip your sign over and paint the back the same color you are going to paint the front. I just do one layer of paint for this step. I also paint a layer of paint on the sides while I’m on this step.

6. PAINT THE FRONT

Once the front is dry flip your sign over and paint a SUPER THIN layer of whatever color you would like your background color of your sign to be. Let that dry completely. After the first layer is dry you can add a second layer if you’d like more coverage.

7. PEEL UP YOUR STENCIL

While your paint is still WET peel up your stencil. I find that a sharp xacto knife works perfectly for this step. It easily gets under the stencil film without damaging your wood sign so you can lift the stencil up and off your wood base.

8. FINISH

Let your sign dry completely. You can leave it as is or your can sand around the edges to give it a more distressed look like the Bless our Nest wood sign I made.

I hope you enjoyed this sign painting tutorial and it helps you on your sign painting journey. As with all of my tutorials, if you have any questions please leave them below in the comments.

Easily attach hanging hardware to your signs

Attach your own sawtooth hanger to your wood signs

Even if you’ve never used a hammer in your entire life you can quickly pick up this new skill to attach hanging hardware to your signs. You might enjoy this so much that you start using other tools. Not that long ago a hammer was pretty much the only tool I knew how to operate. I was deathly afraid of all power tools but over time I have grown a love, really an obsession, for them and now use power tools daily. You can read more about what power tools I recommend for crafty people and about how I’ve overcome that very real fear that a miter saw would completely chop me in half. Thank goodness that fear is behind me so I can make amazing projects and share them with you.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind.

When you’re done reading this tutorial be sure to check out my other tips for sign painting. Like how to save money on stencil film for sign painting, how to build a pallet style sign, and these 6 must haves for stenciling wooden signs.

HOW TO ADD YOUR OWN HANGING HARDWARE TO YOUR HOME DECOR

Here’s what you need

• wood sign

• hammer

• sawtooth hanger/nails

• masking tape

• tape measure

• pencil

1. MEASURE

Flip your sign so that you have the front facing down. Be sure you have it so you are working on the top and not the bottom of the sign. Measure to find the middle of the wood sign and make a mark with a pencil.

2. PLACE YOUR HARDWARE

Attach a piece of tape to the front of your sawtooth hanger, masking tape works great for this but you can use regular scotch tape if that’s all you have. Then place it evenly where you made your pencil mark. The tape helps hold down the hardware so it doesn’t move around when attaching it to your sign.

3. HAMMER YOUR NAILS IN

Once you have you masking tape holding your sawtooth hanger in place you can hammer your nails in. Hold your nail steady with one hand and lightly tap it with the hammer using your other hand. It doesn’t take much force to drive these small nails in so take your time. If you hammer too hard you can smash your sawtooth hanger and then have to replace it with a new sawtooth hanger. After you have one nail in do the same for the second nail. Then remove the masking tape.

Now you’re ready to hang your sign up on your wall and enjoy it! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Click here to get instant access into my free resource library

New to cricut? 10 must have supplies and accessories you need to get started with your CRICUT

What are the must have craft supplies to use with your Cricut?

Welcome to the CRICUT world! I know when you first get your machine it can be SUPER overwhelming. With all the amazing projects that are out there it’s so hard to figure out what you should buy. Are you going to be paper crafting? Vinyl crafting? T-shirt making? Sign making? SOOOOOO many things to decide. But no matter which path your crafty heart wants to take these 10 craft accessories and supplies will set you up for success.

And it doesn’t matter which machine you use, an Explore or a Maker, these craft supplies will work perfectly with both Cricut cutting machines. I personally use a Cricut explore for both my personal and my business life. I have yet to upgrade to the Cricut Maker although I would LOVE to! I just can’t bring myself to spend that money when I have a Cricut machine, actually two because I found them both on a good sale, that works perfectly fine.

 Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

See one of my latest videos on how I used my CRICUT to create a rustic sign with no paint bleed.

If you get to a point where you are crafting like crazy you might want to look into where you can buy things you use often in bulk. Here’s how I save lots of money on stencil film for my handmade business.

10 supplies you need to start creating with your Cricut

Here’s what you need to get started using your CRICUT

1. CRICUT CUTTING MATS

2. XACTO KNIFE

3. VINYL SQUEEGEE

4. CARDSTOCK

5. SCISSORS

6. ASSORTED VINYL

7. TRANSFER TAPE

8. GLUE TAPE

9. MARKERS

10. CRICUT ACCESS/DESIGN SPACE

1. CRICUT CUTTING MATS

These are a must have no matter what type of project you are planning to cut out using your Cricut machine. Cricut has several different mat options and thankfully they are color coded to make crafting even easier for us.

• BLUE- LIGHT GRIP: Use with standard paper, light cardstock, vellum, and more

• GREEN- STANDARD GRIP: Use to cut heavy cardstock, iron-on, vinyl, and more

• PURPLE- STRONG GRIP: Use with specialty cardstock, matboard, and backed fabric

• PINK- FABRIC GRIP: Use to cut most fabrics with Rotary Blade or Bonded-Fabric Blade

  If using a CRICUT EXPLORE OR MAKER you want to purchase the mats either in size 12”x12” or 12”x24.

I personally use a green mat for most of my DIY craft projects but I also have a purple and pink mat on hand for when I need them. Here’s a project I used my CRICUT PURPLE MAT to cut out faux leather hair bows for my youngest daughter’s Valentine’s Day cards. It worked great for that type of material.

2. XACTO KNIFE

You must have an xacto knife to use with your Cricut projects. This is my most versatile tool I have in my craft room. I actually prefer using an xacto knife when weeding my designs vs using a Cricut weeding tool. And they are super inexpensive and you can pick one up almost anywhere. You can also use this to cut tiny spots in a design that your Cricut may have slipped on during the cutting process.

3. VINYL SQUEEGEE

This is typically used when applying vinyl but you can also use them to smooth out paper projects too. There are several different sizes when buying these squeegees. I use my vinyl squeegee mostly for making my wooden signs but I use it for other non vinyl projects as well.

4. CARDSTOCK

Cardstock is a must have to keep in any craft room in my opinion. Of course it’s great to create beautiful cards but cardstock has a purpose beyond that too. It is so much thicker than regular paper that it’s great for using for patterns. I use cardstock all the time to cut out different shapes to trace on to wood then I cut them out using my scroll saw. Check out these adorable pumpkins I made using my Cricut and my scroll saw. I also used cardstock to help make this light up fairy jar.

I highly recommend stocking up when the big box craft stores have their cardstock sales. This is what I do. Having crafting little girls we go through a LOT of cardstock every year.

5. SCISSORS

This is just a must have for crafting in general. But I do suggest having a different pair of scissors for the different materials you will be using. One for paper crafts. One for heat transfer vinyl. One for regular vinyl. One for fabric, etc. Unless you have kids then, pretty much all of the scissors for good for all the things ;)!

6. ASSORTED VINYL

Vinyl, there are several different options here. I won’t go super deep about their differences in this post but you can use vinyl for many different projects: t-shirt designs, decals on cars and cups, sign making, labeling your pantry and so much more. You can buy bundles of different types of vinyl. This is a great way to have something on hand just in case you have the crafty need to create something that requires a certain type of vinyl.

• HTV- used on fabric and comes with its own transfer sheet

• ORACAL 651- permanent grade vinyl that is suitable for outdoors up to 6 years

• ORACAL 631- removable vinyl typically used wall decals

• ORAMASK 813- translucent blue material used for stenciling

7. TRANSFER TAPE

Transfer tape is generally great for vinyl type projects. It is a carrier sheet to get your vinyl design off of its paper backing and onto the base you are placing it on. I know it can be really difficult deciding which transfer tape will be the exact one you should use, I have battled with this myself. Here are couple things to know, a stronger high tack transfer tape is best for permanent grade vinyl. It takes a stronger tack to lift the vinyl up off of the paper backing. Stenciling material can be removed from its paper backing a little easier since the grip on that isn’t as strong as a permanent grade vinyl. Here’s what I recommend:

• TRANSFER TAPE FOR PERMANENT GRADE VINYL

• TRANSFER TAPE FOR STENCILING MATERIAL

8. GLUE TAPE

This is a must if you are doing any kind of paper crafting. Glue tape is quick and easy and gives a better overall finish than using wet glues. There are several different options for glue tape out there. Just like with anything they range from super inexpensive to a little more expensive.

9. MARKERS

Instead of making a cut project with your Cricut you can also WRITE with your Cricut using these Cricut pens. You can do all kinds of projects with these markers including making personalized coloring sheets for your kiddos. I don’t know about the new Cricut Maker but the older Explore, which is what I use to create all of my crafty projects, you use a pen adapter to use these with your machine.

10. CRICUT ACCESS/ CRICUT DESIGN SPACE

Cricut Access is a must if you plan on creating projects at least once a month. I have had it for what seems like forever and I can’t tell you how much time and money it has saved me over the years, and with four kids that is a big winner for those reasons alone! With the Cricut Access membership plan you get access to THOUSANDS of images, fonts, ready made projects, and you also get a discount when you order products from the Cricut website. And a bonus because you can add your discount to their sale prices! WOOHOO!

Although there is SO MUCH MORE I’d love to share these are my top 10 supplies and accessories you need to start creating with your Cricut. If you have anything you’d add or anything you have questions about please leave a comment below.

Where to buy STENCIL MATERIAL for SIGN MAKING super cheap

SAVE MONEY ON ORAMASK STENCIL FILM WHEN MAKING PAINTED WOOD SIGNS

Making painted wooden signs can get expensive. The wood, paint, SVG files, transfer tape, stencil film, power tools, it all adds up. But, did you know you CAN save money on STENCIL FILM for sign making? I know a lot of people prefer to use anything but Oramask 813 because it can be pricey but you don’t have to compromise. You CAN use the proper material, ORAMASK 813, for the same price OR even cheaper than other materials that tend to be less expensive. The key is to find the right vendor. With prices varying so much from vendor to vendor it’s hard to know where you should order from. One may carry a 12”x12” sheet for $0.90 while another will have the same thing priced for $1.25. While the difference in price isn’t a lot it does add up when you figure some signs take several feet of stencil film just to create.

 Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

I have ordered through countless companies and I will tell you I have sent some stencil film back. Why? Stencil film is a sensitive type of material. If wound TOO tight it will not cut properly and will leave bubbles all throughout the freshly cut design making it impossible to use. If you ever receive Oramask 813 stencil film from a company and the stencil film is not wound around a large 3”-4” cardboard tube you will likely waste your time trying to use it.

A little comparison, the stencil film on the left cost me $0.66 per fo ot, the one on the right cost me $0.90 per foot AND I have to order a LOT or pay for shipping for the $.90/ft price one.

I haven’t always used stencil material to paint my handmade signs though. When I first started out I used shelf liner…please just save yourself the headache if you are planning on painting signs for a business and DON’T use shelf liner. For me anyway, shelf liner caused more problems than it was worth. I have made THOUSANDS of signs and that is a decision in my business that I do not regret one bit. It caused so many problems, too many to get into for this post but I will make one later about the pros to using professional grade stencil film vs shelf liner later on.

WHERE TO BUY ORAMASK 813 STENCIL FILM IN BULK TO SAVE MONEY?

I swore I would never order rolls of oramask 813 from Amazon again but…here I am telling you that's exactly where I order from now and where you should too if you want to cut costs on stencil making. After a lot of buying from different companies, Amazon and small business websites, I have found the LOWEST PRICE I’VE EVER SEEN FOR STENCIL FILM and they properly wind the stencil film around a wide enough cardboard tube. It saves me SO MUCH MONEY in my sign making business. That’s more money that our family can put into savings. More money for my husband and I to feed our four daughters. More money we can put back into the business. I couldn’t keep this little secret to myself because I want you to order from a good company AND save money too!

So here’s what I do, I order a giant roll of ORAMASK 813 STENCIL FILM that measures 24'“ wide by 10 yards (30 feet) long. You’re probably thinking ‘seriously, Megan, I have a CRICUT and it only cuts up to 11.5” wide thanks but no thanks’. If you follow me on here or any of my social media accounts you know that’s what I use too, for almost a decade now.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR ORAMASK STENCIL MATERIAL

Hear me out… IF you have a miter saw, have a family member that has a miter saw, know someone who has a miter saw OR happen to make a brand new best friend that has a miter saw, you can cut that 24” wide roll of stencil film in HALF so now you have 2 rolls instead of 1 that you can easily use to make stencils with any 12” deck vinyl cutting machine.

Let that sink in. I was kicking myself when I found this out! SO MUCH MONEY WASTED ON 12” ROLLS OF VINYL. But you live and learn and since I’ve learned I’m sharing it with you.

Your vinyl will likely come shipped in plastic to protect it. Leave it in the plastic until you are done cutting it. Measure in 12” from where your stencil film starts, NOT where the cardboard starts. Then make a mark.

Be sure your stencil film is still in the plastic, this will help keep the edges nice and clean. If it didn’t come shipping in plastic you can tape around the very middle where it measures 12” with wide painters tape, this will have the same effect. Then line your saw up with your 12” mark and cut. Wipe away any saw dust, you don’t want any of that when going to cut your stencils out with your Cricut or Silhouette machine.

I’m not a big math person but I can do simple math lol. When I buy these giant rolls of stencil film they cost about $40. $40 divided by 30 (number of feet in the roll) = $1.33 but wait it’s still 24” wide so you divide $1.33 by 2 (because you will have 2 12” rolls of stencil film after you cut it in half) = $0.66!

Yes, SIXTY SIX CENTS $0.66 per foot for oramask stencil film. Granted, prices go up and down so it may not be exactly this price when you go to buy but that is the price when I purchase it. And since I am a AMAZON PRIME member I’ve already paid for my shipping with my membership. Which is totally worth the super small fee in my opinion.