My theme for Christmas this year is evergreen/plaid/"Oh Holy Night" so I decided to make the lyrics of "Oh Holy Night" the central focus of my mantle.
Right below this ▼ is one of the signs I made and below that is a sign for sale by Hobby Lobby. They are very similar, but this is $39.00 at Hobby Lobby (same approximate dimensions, same wood frame, same black and white text) - but I made these signs for about $14 each, which is a great deal compared to $39.99 AND it let me customize the sign to be exactly what I wanted.
Step 1: I designed the prints. I knew I wanted lyrics from "Oh Holy Night." Below is a visual representation of my theme this year.
Step 2: I had the design printed at Office Depot/Office Max as an 18x24 engineering print and the total cost was $1.82 each.
Step 3: I went to Lowe's and found an inexpensive piece of mdf that I asked them to cut into two 18x24 pieces. I also picked out some unfinished flat trim board with the dimensions 3/8 x 2 x 36 (you'll need 3 per frame, if you're making the same size I did).
You'll also need for this project:
miter box and saw
sandpaper
Elmer's spray adhesive
Gorilla Wood glue
wood stain - I used Minwax classic gray and Rustoleum kona
gloves/cloth/brush
Step 4: Cut the trim pieces to make the frame. This was my first time to use a miter box and it was really fun! I have a history of cutting myself (knives, mandolin slicer) so I was extra cautious with the saw. I cut two pieces down to 24 inches and then the third I was able to cut into two pieces approximately 15 in. long.
Step 5: Sand the rough edges.
Step 6: Use a scrap piece of the wood you cut to test out your staining methods. The process I decided on was to use a foam brush and brush on the brown Kona stain. Then immediately wipe off all excess stain with a clean cloth. Then with a different brush, I painted on the classic gray and let it sit for a while, then wiped off the excess after several minutes.
Step 7: Time to assemble everything! Use the spray adhesive to glue down your engineering print to your mdf board. A word of caution - don't spray the glue too heavy and don't spray it on the paper. I had a spot of bleed through and had to tear off the paper and get another print made. (Which was a PAIN!)
Then make a thin line of wood glue (another lesson learned - too much and glue smushes out the edges) and place the trim on the glue. Then clamp it down and give it time to dry - I used really big binder clips and they worked perfectly!
Then you take off the binder clips and you have a handmade piece of art that looks just as amazing as anything you could buy, is less expensive than what you can buy, is customized to say exactly what you want and you can take pride in the fact that you made it!
I'm very excited to decorate my Christmas mantle now!!
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