Reclaimed wood family signs.

Reclaimed pallet wood was used to create these awesome "Family Established" signs. First, wood was cut to size and assembled together to make the plaque. Then, the wood was stained in a dark walnut stain. First letters of the surname were cut out of paper to make a stencil, which then was used to dry brush that letter onto the wood using matte white paint.

Finally, the surname and established year were painted on free-hand across the plaque. To fit the lsurname across the plaque I first cut a piece of paper the width of the plaque. I then wrote the name out on the paper in pencil. I got creative with the cursive font, staggering the letters at different heights and widths. Once I was satisfied with the style of the writing, I transferred the name to the plaque. I did this by first tracing the writing on the back of the paper with chalk, then positioning the paper on the plaque, and tracing the surname with pencil on the right side of the paper. Finally, I painted the writing on with a fine artists' brush. 

Once I had completed a few of the signs with the capital letter dry brushed in the background, I decided to experiment with the style. So, instead of one capital letter, I dry brushed on the first names (Ceri & Janet) in the background. This really worked out well in this case because the first names were short and about the same length. I imagine it would be difficult trying to fit a very long name across the plaque, but then maybe it could be done vertically? Something to try out in the future...

Another style I experimented with was to write the surname and established date near the bottom of the plaque and let a personalized quote be the feature. This particular plaque was a gift to my aunt and uncle. I chose "love lives here" because their home has always been very welcoming to everyone, and indeed, feels like is full of love.  

These make great personalized gifts for any occasion but are especially appropriate for newlyweds, house warmings, or anniversaries.