Hand Lettered Nursery Sign

For my niece’s first birthday, I wanted to create a special one-of-a-kind gift. I asked my sister-in-law if there’s a particular saying they use or a favorite phrase that would mean something to them, and she replied with this quote from a book. “I love you often, always, time and time again.” I decided to use that quote to create a little hand lettered wooden sign that can go on display in my niece’s room. I tried to design something that would grow with her and look just as appropriate in her room at age sixteen as it does at one. Here’s what I came up with and how you can create it too…

You’ll need:

Wood Round
White Chalk Paint {Mine is Delta Ceramcoat White Lace}
Light Green Chalk Paint {Mine is Martha Stewart Vintage Decor Pear}
Foliage Stencils {Mine are Martha Stewart}
Stencil Brush and Paint Brush
Paint Pen, Black
White Gel Pen
Pencil
Eraser
Painters’ Tape

Creating Your Nursery Sign

Step 1: Paint the surface of the round white.

I like to live a little bit of the wood unpainted around the edges to emphasize the rustic, natural look.

Step 2: Tape your stencil in place and lightly fill it in with paint.

The trick to getting a clean stenciled image is to remember that less is really more. Put just a bit of paint on a stencil brush and offload onto scrap paper first. Then, apply the paint to the image by gently tapping the brush to the surface with an up and down motion.

Step 3: Move your stencil to other areas and repeat.

Step 4: Pencil in your words.

Step 5: Trace your design with paint pen or permanent marker. 

If you’re new to hand lettering, check out my beginner faux calligraphy post and you’ll see how do-able this really is! Then, erase any stray pencil marks.

Step 6: Add highlights using a white gel pen.

That’s all there is to it; now you have a personal handmade keepsake. I’m hoping my niece and here mom and dad love it. I also gave her a tee from my shop with the Love You to the Moon and Back design…I can’t wait to see a photo of her wearing it. What favorite line from a book means something special in your family?

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