By Shannon Magsam, co-founder of nwaMotherlode and Ladybug’s mama
When I was walking around the neighborhood recently, I saw a cute “HOGS” sign on a front door and immediately thought, “Well, I need to make a “BOO” sign for my front door — for Halloween!”
I mentally calculated what I would need:
- Twine (or jute)
- Ribbon to make a big bow
- Pipe cleaner to secure the bow
- Lightweight wooden letters in B, O and O
- Green Paint
- Embellishments
We have a spider theme that we build on every year at our house, so I figured the embellishments for the sign should include arachnids. I went to Hobby Lobby the next day and found one wooden B and one wooden O. As a geek and social media nut, I immediately thumb-typed a Wheel of Fortune-ish tweet that said:
I’d like to buy an “O”. But hobby lobby doesn’t have one. Actually, they have 1, but not 2. So I can spell Bo, but not Boo 😉 #halloween
The next day, I went to a different Hobby Lobby and found the much-needed “O”.
I spent my Friday evening watching Shark Tank and painting letters. I HATED waiting until the next day to assemble my Boo sign (have you ever noticed I’m impatient?), but it had to be done.
I thought it turned out pretty well and it was really inexpensive, too. I highly recommend you have a black cat around to inspire the Halloween mood as you’re making this:
How to assemble:
1. Paint your letters with acrylic paint (or any paint suitable for compressed wood) on both sides (because one will inevitably flip around and show the “naked” side); allow to dry
2. Make or buy a large bow in a color that complements your letter color (I chose burlap because I’m obsessed with it lately); secure the bow with a pipe cleaner and make a loop to attach to your over-the-door hanger
3. After the letters are dry, affix some cute embellishments (or paint directly on the letters)
4. Next, cut three lengths of twine or jute the same size and attach the letters in a row (it’s up to you if you want them closer together or further apart; I chose to space mine pretty far apart).
If you make your own front door decor, I’d love to see it! Email me: mamas{AT}nwaMotherlode{DOT}com. Happy crafting!
This post originally published on nwaMotherlode in October 2014.
