Be Merry Christmas Sign

‘Tis the Season for magical decor, twinkling lights, bells, music in the air and snow.  Christmas time brings out the little kid giddiness in me.  I don’t have a ton of Christmas decorations, but each year I like to build a few more pieces to add to my collection.  I really like those big statement porch signs PEACE, JOY, BELIEVE, so I decided to do a gigantic Be Merry sign!  For the accent design, I thought it would be fun to use the Herringbone Shuffle stencil from Royal Design Studio. The chevron shape of the herringbone reminds me of pine boughs and the random colors seem like twinkling lights.  I’ve been wanting to try it ever since I saw the amazing herringbone shuffle wall designs floating around Pinterest.

How to build a Be Merry Christmas Sign

Materials

• 2 – 6′ x 10″ boards (reclaimed lumber or new)
• 1 – 2″ x 4″ x 8′ board
• 1 – 4′ x 4′ x 1/2″ plywood
• 2″ brad nails or screws
• 1″ brad nails
• paint
• Herringbone Shuffle Christmas Stencil

Step 1

For this Christmas Sign, I though it would be fun to combine the modern design of the herringbone shuffle with the rustic flare of the reclaimed lumber.  I grabbed a couple planks of weathered barn wood and cleaned them off.  Cut the length to about 6′, and the width between 18″ – 21″.  Cut 3 pieces of 2″ x 4″ x 18″ long for the supports.  Place a support at the top, middle and bottom, nail the planks to the 2″ x 4″ boards with 2″ nails or screws.

Step 2

Pick out a few colors for the stencil.  I used white, red, forest green and lime green.  The stencil was super easy to use.  I lined up the markings with the side of the wood and bottom, then taped it in place.

For the color scheme, I decided to pick a color order (white, red, lime green, forest green).  I pretended that there was a herringbone block at each spot, and if it was open it got painted whichever color I was on, if not I kept rotating colors.  While painting, I found it easiest for me to dab a small amount of paint on my brush and pounce it onto the wood.  I was surprised at how well the stencil lines came out, even on the super rough barn wood surface.

Once I finished the first block of stencil painting, I moved the stencil and lined up the very convenient markings on the stencil.  Painted and repeated moving until everything was painted.  Turned out fun.

I let the paint dry, then lightly sanded the wood to distress it a bit.

Step 3

I cut Be Merry out of 1/2″ plywood.  (Note: If you don’t want to cut out your own letters, you can purchase pre-cut wood/cardboard letters from many of the craft stores.)

Download and print the following letter patterns:  Be1 Be2 Be3  M1 M2 E R Y1 Y2 make sure your print settings are on 100% and not ‘fit to page’.  Line up the multiple paper patterns (Be, M, & Y) and tape together.  Cut out the letter patterns, (the E and R take up the whole width of the page 8 1/2″ even though the ink may be slightly cut off).  Trace the letters onto plywood and use a jig saw, band saw or scroll saw to cut out the letters.  Lightly sand the letters as needed.  Paint the letters, I used red.  Once the paint is dry.  Nail the letters onto the sign with 1″ brad nails.

And it’s done!  Love my Christmas sign – it’s got a big impact 🙂

 

(Note:  I received the Herringbone Shuffle Christmas Stencil in exchange for reviewing the product.  I love it, can’t wait to stencil my son’s room!)

Linked to: My favorite link parties, Remodelaholic, Savvy Southern Style.