Growing up, I was not a fan of the Fall. It meant that summer was over, school had begun and Winter was coming. But now, as I get older, I have grown to adore Fall–it’s slouchy sweaters, suede boots, tolerable weather, pumpkin everything, race season, and oh yeah, Friends-giving, baby!
So what better way to welcome the changing of the season than to create some Fall crafts — a little something something with your little something somethings? Since very recently our welcome decor was damaged in the Harvey winds, we decided to make a new, Fall, kid-infused decoration to welcome our guests into our humble abode.
What you’ll need:
- 1 Fence Picket – You can find this at most local hardware stores (we went to Lowes), and it’ll cost you about $2.50 (heck, come curbside pick-up, you will probably find yourself a few decent pieces for FREE—Christmas gifts for the Grandparents perhaps?!)
- Sandpaper (Grit should be between 60 and 220)
- Various Paint Colors (washable is fine if you plan to seal it at the end) – keep in mind that you want the colors to coincide with the season
- Paper Plates – for ‘plopping’ your paint colors down (so that all the colors don’t mix in their containers and your organized self goes into full-on panic mode…. not that this happens to me)
- Popsicles – because it gives the kids something to do as you prep, and well, they’re gonna get messy anyway
- Vinyl Letters, Alphabet Stickers and/or Seasonal Stickers (such as acorns, squirrels, etc.)
- Fingers – for painting all the awesomeness
- Clear Protectant Spray Paint – this can also be found at pretty much any craft or hardware store. Should run you around $6
Steps to Making Your New Signage:
- Sand off any splitters or rough edges
- Make sure to remove any excess sawdust by wiping the service with a damp cloth, let dry
- Lay out vinyl letters/stickers carefully onto your fence picket
- Divvy out equal amounts of paint onto the paper plates for the kiddo(s) (trust me, equal is key).
- Paint, with your fingers of course! Keep in mind that you want to fully cover all the letters you have applied to the board
- Let the paint dry and then slowly peel the vinyl letters from the fence piece
- Spray a clear protectant over all painted surfaces… and… TAH-DAH! You, my friend, have yourself some swanky new Fall decor.
Optional: Add some lace, beads, small trinkets, ribbon to give your signage a bit more pizazz!
Other things to try:
- Staining your wood before you begin (whitewash or dark brown perhaps?)
- Using another saying instead of ‘Welcome.’ (i.e. ‘Happy Fall Y’all,’ ‘Pumpkin Kisses + Harvest Wishes,’ ‘Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice,’ ‘Fall is Short for Football’)
- Use only black and gray paint and spell out ‘Boo’–then adhere plastic spiders, orange ribbon and some webbing for some easy, funky Halloween decor.