DIY Pottery Barn Knockoff Brother & Sister Signs

I love getting an e-mail from a friend that has the words,

"Hey you think you can do this...?"

Or having a friend walk through my home and see something I've made and go,
"Ooo.. Make me that."


A few weeks ago one of my amazing friends Caron sent me an e-mail asking if I could pull off this beast:


They are from Pottery Barn and while stunning... cost a whopping $60 a piece  and are kind of hit and miss in actually describing your child.

She wanted them both to hang in her house for her amazing kiddos Jackson and Avery.
So, I went to work. 

I took Caron to Home Depot and we were going to pick up some already pre-cut boards. They are usually about 2" wide and 1" thick. Depending on what wood you get they range from $.98 to about $3.00 a piece.

Now if you are making one of these signs I would suggest just buying the pre-cut boards. They come in about 25-26" so that is usually perfect for a sign.

Since we were making two signs for Caron I went ahead and got a six foot board and had it cut down to size. I needed four boards for each sign so I had to get two 6' boards.

Home Depot lovingly  cut them down for me and I grabbed a small stick like board from the cubbies. It looks much like a yardstick. It's only an 1" wide and about as thick of a yard stick.

That piece I used to actually put the signs together.

She picked out her colors and I took the boards home and spray painted one side of them, even doing the sides of the board.



Once they were  fully dried (You should wait a day... I usually wait an hour, mess them up and have to do it again... darn my impatience) I put them together.

I took a hack saw and cut down my yardstick looking piece of wood so I'd have four pieces, two for each sign. Than I just took some finishing nails and nailed them on the back of the four wood pieces and VIOLA! Plank sign.



I've done another version of this as well with bigger slats between the wood that turned out pretty well. Check it out: DIY Distressed Outdoor Sign


Than I created the design. We worked on a custom design that actually highlighted things her children did. I had it printed and traced it on the boards.


The letters were tiny but they were all completed in the span of one Pixar Movie. (Cause that's how us mommies tell time now a days)





I distressed them a tiny bit but they looked stunning as they were.




A little hanging wire and these beauties were ready for their new home!

Here are the materials I used:

- 2 - 6' 2"x1" boards
- 1 - Thin finishing board (Don't know it's name but it looks like a yardstick. You could probably use a yardstick if you wanted too)
- Finishing Nails
- Spray paint
- Printed Design
- Pencil
- Tape
- Paint & Paintbrush
- Hanging Wire

And if you are curious how I got the design printed come back in a few days when I post a
Wooden Sign Tutorial.

It wasn't the easiest of projects because a can of spraypaint and I kept having a fight...   darn you blue spray paint. You will not be able to do it in an hour but  it was worth the extra time and effort.  I think she loves them and that makes me incredibly happy.








God Bless & Much Love,
    Jessica

  This is linked up at  504 MainTatertots & Jello, Your Home Based Mom, Be Different Act Normal Chic on a Shoestring, and Suburbs Mama.

4 comments :

  1. So, so cute! I have three boys, so the brothers sign would be perfect at our house. Thank so much for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend!

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    Replies
    1. Hey Brooke, I'm a boy mamma too so I understand where you are coming from!
      Thanks for stopping by! Have an amazing weekend!

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  2. OK, I was actually eyeing these at pottery barn, but decided that the colors would lot work for me. I didn't even think if I could make it myself. I have a question, did you trace the letters then paint them?
    If you get a chance, please link up to my Linky Party: http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/2013/07/sunday-linky-17.html

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    Replies
    1. Hi Rita!
      Thanks for the invite! I will!
      I did trace them... cause girl I'm not that good. ;)
      I have a post about that coming up this week with step by step instructions how I do all my wood signs.
      Check back soon!

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