Our Hopeful Home: DIY Faux Wood Stenciled Pumpkin Sign

I absolutely love all the really cool "fall feels" signs that are out there for sale in stores right now. But what I love even more is when I can make one of those cool signs myself for less. I actually did that by making my own DIY faux wood stenciled pumpkin sign. So how did I make it look like wood? It was truly easy peasy.

The stencil was provided by Stencil Revolution but all opinions are my own. Also, this post contains affiliate links. A purchase of any one of these items helps to support this blog and its creative efforts at no cost to you. To read more, please see my disclosure page.

Originally, I wanted to find an old wooden sign at Goodwill that I could paint over, but since my stencil was pretty big (24" x 18") I knew I' d need a big old sign for this project -- and I didn't find one in the time frame that I needed. In that case, what's a girl to do? She gets creative, that's what she does.

I brainstormed and realized that a thick, tri-fold poster board was probably the right size, sans the flaps. And I was right. You can get one at the Dollar Tree. They may make one in thick cardboard without the flaps, but that's what I already had on hand so that's what I used. You really need very little in the way of supplies (and nothing fancy) to pull this off, so let's get started.

DIY Faux Wood Stenciled Pumpkin Sign

SUPPLIES

1. poster board large enough to fit your stencil (Dollar Tree)

2. stencil of your choosing (Stencil Revolution)

3. Sharpie markers in various colors (I prefer to use fine point)

4. pencil

5. scissors (if using a tri-fold)

6. mounting putty (to hold stencil in place)

7. masking tape

8. photography backdrop paper (Vintage Wood)

So now you know my secret: photography backdrop paper. I learned about this trick way back when, when I was learning how to take better still photos for the blog. You can get it in rolls and use it for whatever you need -- as a backdrop to a photo shoot or even as faux wood for a DIY sign (wink, wink).

Here's the stencil sitting on the poster board, after I cut the two side folds off of it. I saved them for another project.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If using a tri-fold poster board, cut off the two side flaps.

2. Cut photography backdrop paper to fit the poster board, leaving enough overhang that you can fold it over and tape it onto the back of the board with masking tape.

3. Secure stencil onto the board/backdrop paper using mounting putty.

4. Using pencil, trace out your design.

5. Remove stencil.

6. Trace over your pencil marks with Sharpie.

7. Go back and color it all in with Sharpie.

And here's the finished product. I couldn't be happier with the result. I think my faux wood looks pretty good.

I think filling in the letters added a welcome dimension to the sign.

Here it is on my "floating mantel" as I like to call it. It's a gorgeous white wooden fireplace mantel that Mr. OHH snagged for me on Craigslist a few months ago. I haven't said anything about it yet since I really don't know how it will be used/upcycled. I've been searching Pinterest for ideas, though!

I used an Orange Sharpie for the pumpkin. It looks like a more traditional orange in person than it does in the photo. I just love the bright pop of color on the otherwise neutral background.