DIY Weathered Summer Pallet Sign

Super excited to be bringing you a Summer Blog Hop filled with lots of summery fun!

Check out all of the projects below!

I'm bringing you a DIY Weathered Summer Pallet Sign.

This DIY Weathered Summer Pallet sign is 

a fun and colorful way to welcome in the sunshine!

I love a good no-cost project. And I love pallets. 
So when the two marry, it brings a big ol' smile to my face.
Check out this simple tutorial below {and all of my friends' projects, too}>>>

I started by cutting wood pieces off of a pallet with a circular saw. I attached the pieces {each about 10-12 inches long} to a scrap piece of wood with one-inch screws.

I used 60-grit sandpaper to smooth out the pallet boards {I needed something really toothy to sand these babies}. I don't know where everyone finds these pristine pallets that keep popping up all over Pinterest and the blog-o-sphere. Every time I find a pallet pile, they're usually in a heap by a dumpster, half falling apart, covered in bird poop...and crazy rough.

And I still can't resist them...

Whenever I paint pallets, they tend to soak up a ton of paint, so I started with a quick coat of ASCP in Country Grey. This worked out really well. It acts as a nice barrier so the pallet won't soak up so much paint. It also kind of evens it all out nicely...kind of like applying make up foundation to skin does. 

Then I distressed it a bit to make it a bit translucent. I wanted the wood grain to come through...but still needed the chalk paint there as a base.

There's several ways you can do lettering for this type of project. I used my Silhouette and used the vinyl as a template...only applying the negative to my board. 

If you don't own a vinyl machine, I have a great tutorial on doing this by hand. It involves a ball point pen and a little patience. You can find that tutorial here.

On my particular sign, I used the font "Lobster" for the 'welcome" and Bebas Neue for the rest.

I used a variety of acrylic paints that I had on hand. I mixed the purple one out of a couple of other colors. I peel my vinyl off before the paint is completely dry...this helps the paint not pull off with the vinyl.

I sanded a bit more, this time by hand...I wanted to give the words a weathered, beachy feel. I really wanted this to look like something that hung out the outside of a kitchsy surf shack for twenty years or so. 

To get it back to that pallet-look and weather it even more. I applied stain to the piece, working it in and wiping it off quickly as I went. You can see the difference in the unstained part versus the stained part. I just think it gives it a bit more depth and authenticity as far as aging goes. 

I was really happy with how all of the colors came together...looks so ice creamy!
Bring on summer!

And check out all of these fantastic projects from my friends!
{Links included below}>>>

Tropical Fruit Salsa - The Benson Street

Clay Anklet - Seven Thirty Three

Homemade Yogurt Berry Popsicles - Practically Functional

Mason Jar Beach Decor - Here Comes the Sun

Triple Berry Pie - Made to Be a Momma

Summertime Sign - Crafting in the Rain

Nautical Anchor Art - Dolen Diaries

Grilled Fruit Kabobs - Just Us Four

Ombre Painted Mason Jar Silverware Caddy - One Krieger Chick

Neglect your chores like me and don't miss a thing:

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