Welcome DIY Wood Sign for Wreath

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Who doesn’t love a good wreath? I sure do and I can’t help but switch it up for the seasons. Today I’m sharing this Welcome DIY Wood Sign for a wreath as part of Remodelaholic’s Outdoor DIY Challenge. I kind of cheated though because this sign uses NO POWER TOOLS!

Back when we lived in an apartment– we didn’t have any tools other than a drill. I would bring my projects over to friends or family’s houses to use their tools but I was also known to saw through a dowel with a camp knife. You work with what you’ve got. That’s when I found balsa wood. Even though we have power tools now, I still love how quick and simple this wood is to make into a fun project.

I made a sign like this for the holidays and really love the way it looks. This past year I put it in a wreath for my holiday decor and that made me love it that much more. I decided I should make a non seasonal one to have around all the time. It took me half the year to get around to it… but I finally did it!

*disclosure: Michaels was kind enough to send me a gift card to cover costs of this DIY*

I found this gorgeous faux greenery wreath at Michaels and loved the simplicity and how full it was- it was the perfect wreath to make this DIY a priority! I grabbed the balsa wood, fresh craft knife blades, and a paint marker while I was there as well. This DIY only took about 10 minutes for me start to finish. That said, if you’re new to drawing a banner or lettering- I’d totally allow more time.

I put together a little video of the process for ya! If you love DIY and decor videos- I’d so love if you subscribed to my YouTube Channel!

I honestly don’t know what happened with the video quality of some of that video!? Any one have an idea why half of it would have done that? Either way… It’s a pretty simple process, so I’m sure it’s still good to follow :) If you’d prefer a photo tutorial, you can check out my holiday one for the cutting BUT there’s a couple things different in the finishing to make it suitable for the outdoors.

The first thing that you need is your wreath to know how big to make your sign. I really love mine- it’s not a seasonal one so it should be at Michaels for quite a while. Then you can mock up your banner! I drew the banner on the reverse of my balsa wood piece in pencil. This made it easy to cut and I just flipped it over before starting my outline and lettering.

I added a little sketch of how to draw the banner in the video but I suggest making the bottom of the banner the edge of your balsa wood strip- that takes care of one of the cuts for ya! The best way I’ve found to cut balsa wood is with a couple lighter passes with your craft knife instead of pressing hard. Since the wood is so easy to cut through, it’s also pretty easy to break. If you pull your knife through with too much force (especially accross the grain), you can definitely snap little pieces off.

Once it’s cut out, you can flip it over and get to outlining your banner! I really loved the look that the brush marker created on my holiday sign. Since the brush marker I used is water based, it would not have held up in the elements- the ink would have ran. I switched to a paint marker but imitated the look by darkening the strokes. I made the outline uneven to keep it looking organic and casual.

For the lettering, I just freehanded this. I practiced on a sheet of paper first and then went for it. I get that this is not everyone’s strategy (probably a wise choice). I have a welcome hand lettered template available for download in this post here if ya like. I also have this video showing how I hand letter on wood, including how I thicken the downstrokes to imitate brush lettering RIGHT HERE. Lastly! If you’re loving the look of brush lettering and want to rock it yourself, I have a full e-course on that. I’d love if you’d join me!

Alright… once you’re done that, you could totally hang it. BUT if you want to take it outdoors like me, you’ll want to go one step further and seal it. I love to use a matte clear spray paint for this. I give it a few good coats (spray paint goes on in a pretty thin coat) and I love that it doesn’t change the look of the wood like a gloss sealer would.

Then you’re ready to hang it! I just tucked the sign into the wreath but if you live in a windy place or wanted some extra security, you could totally hot glue it in or wire it in.

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this DIY! If you did, make sure to pin it so you can make one yourself later! And if you’re ready to make your outdoors summer ready- hop around and check out all the posts in Remodelaholic’s Outdoor DIY Challenge!