HELLO SUNSHINE WOOD SIGN + FREE SVG
DIY HELLO SUNSHINE WOOD SIGN + FREE SVG painted sign with stained base
Make this simple and chic hello sunshine sign to display with your warm weathered décor. I used my old school Cricut Explore to make this wood sign but you can use any vinyl cutting machine you have. Be sure to grab the FREE SVG in my free resource library to make this exact design (find the link below;) )
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Here’s what you need to make a HELLO SUNSHINE wood sign
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prestained wood base (I made a square from a 1×8)
Want to learn more techniques for painting wood signs? CLICK HERE to check out my list of DIY sign painting tutorials for the most crisp clean lines for your lettered painted signs.
The type of stenciling I used for this wood HELLO SUNSHINE sign is called REVERSE STENCILING. I also used this stenciling technique on this BLESS OUR NEST wood sign. I love this technique when I’m only using two colors, the base color and the letter color. It gives super crisp lines and is really quick to do.
1.CUT THE STENCIL
Upload the HELLO SUNSHINE SVG into Cricut Design Space (or the program you are using with your fancy cutting machine). Then add a square to the canvas. Size the square so it’s about the same size as the wood base you are using. I sized mine to 7.25” then resized the HELLO SUMMER SVG till I was happy with the size of that. This process isn’t a must, you can just cut the SVG out without a square around it BUT adding this square does make centering your design much easier when you go to stencil the design.
Once you happy with the size select both the SVG and the square and center them. After they are centered and still both selected use the Cricut SLICE feature to slice the SVG out of the square.
Now you should have 3 images. You will only need the square that has the circle cut out of it so delete the two other circle images.
This is what your canvas should look like when you are ready to hit MAKE IT in Cricut Design Space.
I used ORAMASK STENCIM FILM and the Cricut GREEN cutting mat. I set my machine dial to cut vinyl.
—> CLICK HERE to see how I save big $$ on Oramask Stencil film <—
2. APPLY THE STENCIL
When weeding this design you want to weed out the CIRCLE and the MIDDLE PIECES from the letters.
Use transfer tape to easily transfer the image onto your wood base. I’ve used LOTS of different transfer tapes and this brand is one of my favorites.
PRO TIP: you can reuse your transfer tape over and over again. As long as it is still tacky and fits the design you want to transfer you can use it. I often use my transfer tape 3-4 times before getting a new piece.
Align your stencil then press down using your hand and a vinyl squeegee. Working from the middle and then out press out the air bubbles.
Now, roll your transfer tape off your design. Be sure to go slow, especially with this design as it has delicate lines that can rip easily.
3. SEAL THE STENCIL
This step isn’t an absolute must but you’ve already worked this hard why ruin it with paint bleed? I always hate myself when I skip this step so just save yourself from a kick in the butt later and seal your stencil before you paint ;)!
Paint a SUPER THIN layer of matte finish mod podge all over your design. Essentially what you are doing is filling in all of those tiny little air bubbles that you can’t see that are between your stencil and your wood base with a clear layer. This keeps your paint from filling in those air bubbles, aka: paint bleed.
Be sure you are painting the thinnest of thin layers when doing this step. If it’s too thick your paint will peel up with your stencil when you remove it…again speaking from LOTS of sign making experience lol! Then let that dry completely before moving on to the next step.
4. PAINT YOUR DESIGN
After your mod podge seal has dried you can paint your design. The lighter the color the more layers you will likely need to cover your design completely. For your first layer of paint you want to paint it on thin enough so that you see the wood grain through the paint. I used white acrylic paint for this project and painted 3 coats total.
After you apply the first layer wait for it to dry completely before moving on to the second coat. If you need a third layer of paint repeat the drying process again then paint the third layer.
5. PEEL UP YOUR STENCIL
After your happy with the paint coverage it’s time to peel up the oramask stencil film. I personally peel my stencils up while my paint is still wet but some prefer to peel after their paint has dried, both ways work. Grab one corner of the stencil and peel it off toward the opposite corner.
Then using your weeding tool CAREFULLY peel up the lettering inside of the circle. I ended up grabbing a sewing pin for this as my weeding tool was a little too large for the job.
Let your sign sit and dry completely before displaying in your home with the rest of your summer decorations.
I just love how this little sign turned out! It’s so simple and it can be displayed with both spring and summer décor. I extra love double duty decorations!
If you have any questions about this DIY craft tutorial or any others on my blog please reach out.
Check out more sign painting tutorials below. Happy Crafting!!
HELLO SUNSHINE WOOD SIGN + FREE SVG
Equipment
- Paint brushes
- weeding tool (I picked mine up from the dollar tree)
Materials
- prestained wood base (I made a square from a 1x8)
- white acrylic paint
- FREE hello sunshine SVG
- Oramask stencil film
- transfer tape
- matte finish mod podge
Instructions
- CUT THE STENCIL
- APPLY THE STENCIL
- SEAL THE STENCIL
- PAINT YOUR DESIGN
- PEEL UP YOUR STENCIL