DIY "PRAY BIG" Farmhouse Sign Upcycle

February 6, 2017



A thrifted old sign, just waiting for a farmhouse makeover, called out to me recently --  and I knew exactly what to do with it. I had been thinking of making a certain sign that I'd seen in varying forms on Pinterest and this one seemed to be the perfect template for the job.


While I love all those signs that say "Market" or "Grocery" or "Farmhouse" that people hang up in their kitchens (and I still may even do one), I wanted to try something a little bit different.



Here's what I started with. The sign itself had nothing wrong with it. It just didn't go with my current decorating style.


Here's the back side, autographed by the couple who gifted it to their friends for their "movie room." I know that we're never going to have a movie room, so that's another reason the sign was perfect for a farmhouse upcycle.


The nice thing about it was that the original picture was made to look like a real painting so it had some depth to it. Therefore, I left the approximately one inch wide "painted" border in tact. Then I painted the entire area within the border in acrylic black paint, covering all the original writing. Sorry, no picture of that. The process was going so fast I forgot to take pictures!


Then I used my handy dandy 4-inch stencils to paint the words in white. But before I painted the letters I painstakingly spaced out the stencils, measuring where I wanted them to go.


Here's a template I created on paper first to ensure that I spaced out the stencils evenly. Whenever I complete a stencil project I spend quite a bit of advance time setting up the stencils. I'm always afraid that if I don't plan it out I'll end up with bad spacing which will ultimately ruin the project. You know what they say: Measure twice, cut once.


And I think I did an okay job of spacing the letters out this time. It wasn't a huge project by any means, but I do think what I did made a huge difference. I love this! Now I've got a custom piece of upcycled art in the farmhouse style that I love! Since I already had the stencils and the paint it essentially cost me all of $2.99 for the original artwork. I think this is one piece that will have a place on my wall for a long time to come. I also think it would look great hanging over a doorway.


I really love these faux miniature evergreen trees left over from my Christmas decor. The burlap is just perfect for the farmhouse look. I think they work well as general winter decor for the longer haul as well. Wouldn't you agree?  



I'm also keeping up all my boxwood wreaths, even the ones that are tied up with this lovely red and white striped ribbon. It worked so well as understated Christmas decor. But it also reminds me of French grainsacks (which you all know I love) so I'm happy to leave the ribbons on throughout at least the rest of the winter.


Here's a closer look at that pre-painted border I was telling you about. By leaving it intact I was able to hold onto the illusion of depth which I never could have added myself (as I'm no artist).


 I think that by leaving that part alone it added a really nice touch to to the overall effect.




What do you think?

There's another reason I love this. Recently I've been thinking about the Biblical notion that says you have not because you ask not. I could probably write a book about the philosophical implications of that idea but I'm okay with just distilling it down to two words:

PRAY BIG

Works for me.


Well, that's it until next time!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my
DIY "PRAY BIG" Farmhouse Sign Upcycle.
And thanks so much for spending 
time with me today!

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Leave a Comment!

My thrift store addiction said...

Love the sign, and the message! Sharing on FB!

The Charm of Home said...

Luv it and yes, the message is timeless! Great doover!

Tuula @ Thrifty Rebel Vintage said...

Love how your sign turned out Kathleen! The message is perfect.

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

I love what you did with the sign, Kathleen! Thrift store signs are a great inexpensive supply source for signmaking. Beautiful!

Maria said...

This is what I need! Thanks for such a lovely sign and such an inspiration. will pin.
Maria

Lidy@FrenchGardenHouse said...

This is a brilliant idea! I love it, thank you for sharing this.

krishna said...

I love your up cycled sign.. It's really beautiful...

https://www.vintagesouthernpicks.com said...

Chiming in with your other commenters...it's a great sign with a timeless message!

The Charm of Home said...

Kathleen, this was a hit! I will feature it tomorrow at Home Sweet Home!

Kathy said...

I love it! It goes so well with one of my favorite prayers, "Help." I love the reminder of signs like this as it makes me stop and think! I have Serenity Prayers all over my house; just got one of those peelable ones at Dollar Tree last week. I just fits thw width of the archway between living room and front hall. Gonna go back and buy another to go on a yard sale tray!

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