DIY rustic wood sign

I have seen some really pretty rustic signs on Pinterest and Instagram lately and I really want one. Most of the prices on these signs are pretty reasonable but I already had some metal letters I bought while we were in California and I knew I wanted to incorporate them somehow so I figured I might as well make my own. Here's what I ended up with.

I really like it and if you do too here's how I did it...

Supplies:

1- 1"x16"x 36" board
3- 1"x2"x4" boards
saw [i used a jigsaw]
screws
drill [or you could use a nail gun if you have one]
stain
old washcloth
white paint
gloves
paint pen [or chalk marker]
pencil or pen
printed quote
2 saw tooth hangers

the first thing I did was to cut the two side pieces. I laid the 1x2x4 against the side of the 1x16x36 and marked where it met the edge and cut it with my jigsaw.

Then I placed both side pieces down and placed another 1x2x4 across the top and marked where it met the edge of the other 1x2 and cut that with my jigsaw. Repeat on the bottom until you have all four pieces cut like so.

Next, I attached the 1x2s with screws on the edges and 1 in the center [2 in the center of the top and bottom] and it should look something like this when its all attached...

Now you can stain! I wear gloves and use and old washcloth for this part but you can use a mens sock or really what ever works for you. I chose Minwax English Chestnut for this project and just put on one coat and then wiped away immediately.

I always whitewash my wood so that it looks more weathered and rustic but if you dont want to just skip this step. To whitewash, mix 2 tblsp white paint [whatever you have] with 1/4c water. I use the same washcloth I used to stain and dip it right into the paint/water and rub it into the wood. It creates a hazy effect that I love.

When it dries it will look something like this...

After that your sign is technically done and you can stop here if you dont want to add the quote. If you DO want to add a quote the next thing you should do is print your quote out and arrange it on the sign.

Trim it and tape it into place.

Now, take a pencil or pen and trace the quote pushing down hard to create and indent in the wood. It should look like this.

Now, you can take your paint pen [or chalk marker] and trace over your indent and fill it in.
*I had issues here as my paint markers werent showing up at ALL, so I grabbed my chalk marker and it worked beautifully, or you could use a sharpie if you wanted to*

Add the saw tooth hangers to the back and Viola! You're done! I added the galvanized letters to mine but you could paint the entire quote if you wanted. Thanks for following along!

xoxo,
Jackie