Farmhouse Style Signs recipe

Let's try a DIY.. I have been making these adorable little farmhouse style signs for my mouse houses for a while and I really love the way that they look. But then again, my style is a combo of farmhouse and cottagecore, so they work well for my aesthetic. They are very easy to make and you don't need a lot to make them. Plus, any things you need to purchase will come in very handy for other mouse house projects as well. So, let's get started.

First let's chat about your art work. This is 100% up to you how you choose to create the look you are going for. You can use free graphics you find on websites like this one. The Graphics Fairy or you can go on Etsy and purchase clip art, but be prepared there are so many gorgeous options it will be very difficult to choose. Another option is to search on Etsy for Printable art. You will have to purchase it but you will be helping out a small business and that's always a good thing! You can also create your own art on in a program like Print Shop or Gimp if you are familiar with either of those. You will then need to use a program on your computer to import these images so you can size them the way you would like. Once again this is up to you. When you have everything sized the way you want it you need to print it on card stock. But here is the most IMPORTANT part of this. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST have these printed on a LASER PRINTER! Here's why! Ink jet printers print with ink! and that ink is water soluble. So, if you put anything wet on it, like Mod Podge it will smear and ruin your piece. Trust me, and learn from my mistakes! You need to have it printed on a laser printer which uses toner which will not smear! So, that means if you are lucky enough to have a laser printer at home you can just print it at home. If not, no worries. You can put your design on a flash drive and take it to either a Staples, OfficeMax or other printer close to you and they will happily print it for you for a small charge.

Please Note: Be very careful about copyright.

Ingredients:

1. Printed artwork ( must be printed on a laser printer! )

2. Several paint sticks depending on how many pieces of art and the size you are creating

3. fine grit sandpaper

4. wood glue

5. Mod Podge ( I prefer the matte, but it's up to you )

6. scissors

7. pencil

8. old paint brush

9. hand saw ( this is the one I have )

10. miter box ( this is the one I have )

11. distress ink ( optional, but if you are interested I highly recommend the Tim Holtz Distress ink )

step #1 - Cut out all your art work.

step #2 - Place your printed artwork on top of your paint sticks. As you can see in this one I am using two side by side. Mark with your pencil where you need to cut and then using your hand saw and Miter box cut the pieces you need to create the base for your art work.

step #3 - Using your wood glue glue your pieces together making sure they are even. Let it dry completely. Use your sandpaper to lightly sand the edges and round the corners if you choose.

step #4 - Using an old paint brush or sponge brush apply a light coat of Mod Podge to your wood base, and then carefully apply your image. Take care to try to center it as well as you can. It doesn't have to be perfect, but a nice centered image will be more appealing. Be sure to smooth out any wrinkles and make sure everything is laying down flat while it dries. This is why I prefer the card stock over regular weight paper. It's more substantial and I feel it gives better results. Let it dry completely. Once it is dry apply a top coat of Mod Podge to seal everything and let it dry.

Step #5 - This step is totally optional, but I think it adds character to your art. Using your ink pad lightly go around the edges to create an aged effect to your piece. You might want to practice this on a piece of scrap paint stick before you use it on your final project.

Voila! That's it..Easy peasy, right!?

Here are some of the pieces I made up this morning to share with you. This is such a fast, fun and easy project. You are truly only limited by your imagination. You can have so much fun with this and create totally custom and unique art work for your mouse house!