Rustic and Personalized Wedding or Valentines Gift

by Holly Lefevre

8 Materials

I spent many, many years planning fabulous weddings...and I gotta tell ya...I miss it (not the long hours...but everything else). Last year an amazing caterer I know asked me to make these rustic wood wedding signs for each of her couples. I love the idea and they are such an amazing wedding keepsake or unique part of the wedding decor. And the best part..they are really simple to make.

rustic and personalized wedding or valentines gift

The first thing you need is boards. You can purchase pre-cut sizes at a craft store. I buy common board (they're cheap) at the hardware store and cut them into 24" lengths. (Some hardware stores will make these simple cuts for you).

Next, I stain the board with my desired color. Some people like to sand first...but remember, I said "RUSTIC" - I like the roughness.

Using removable vinyl and my electronic craft cutter, I create my own stencils in my choice of fonts.

If you do not have a craft cutter you can use stencil purchased from a craft store.

ALSO: some people prefer the look of the crisp vinyl lettering (no painting). If you do, remove the opposite part of the vinyl, leaving the letters on the backing and use a permanent vinyl to apply it directly to the wood.

Weed (remove the letters) and apply transfer tape to the stencil.

Then, position it on the board. I try to center it horizontally and then vertically I always go up just a pinch. Visually it loos better to me.

Once, you have your position determined, remove the baking of the vinyl and apply the stencil to your wood. Be sure to rub it down really well.

This photo shows regular acrylic paint, but I have started to use chalk paint as it is thicker and runs less. You can also put a very light coat of Mod Podge over the stencil to keep you letters sharp, but I never do.

Paint in your letters. Start by dabbing. I usually apply a few light coats rather than one heavy coat.