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DIY Signs – Adding Charm To The Outdoors

While most of my recent blog posts have, obviously, centered around entertaining the kids over their summer break, I haven’t completely strayed away from my crafty ways, there has just been little time to share it with you all.  Since we spend most of our time in the summer outdoors, I do find that I try to make the spaces that we hang out in a little more inviting.  Today I wanted to share with you three of my favorite DIY outdoor signs that I have made to decorate our outdoor spaces and add a little bit a charm.  I love making signs, because I get to create them exactly the way I want them, instead of looking for pieces that fit the bill.  They always turn out to be exactly what I need.

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The first sign I wanted to share is definitely my favorite creation so far (other than my sleigh rides sign that I made to decorate around the holidays).

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 Everything about this sign makes me happy, and it is one of the very first projects that I shared with you when I first started A Spotted Pony.

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 This is a sign that I created from scrap wood with leftover paint and printed out font off of the computer.

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 In the summertime it graces the gate of our garden, and in the wintertime it hangs in the kitchen over the window to remind me of summer.  Check out the post I wrote about how I made it to see the step by step process if you want to try making one for yourself.  The farmer’s market sign and the next sign are made using this same technique.

We are very lucky to live in a Lake Town, where in the summertime, our downtown really does run on lake time.

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I spotted a sign on Pinterest from the Absolute Vintage Store on Etsy that was my inspiration for this sign.    I use this sign by the front door to greet our guests, and remind them that, when they are at our place that I hope they stay on lake time while they are visiting us!

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It hangs by the front door next to an old boat oar and makes the perfect lake like decoration for the summer months.

The last sign I wanted to share with you is one that is made a little differently, but makes a fun and whimsical sign to hang over our grill, which helps us make the majority of our meals in the summertime.

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I scored a stack of these vintage Oscar Meyer posters for free that were about to be thrown away and was looking for a fun way to use them.

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 The font was fun, and I thought the poster, in general, was light-hearted and really screamed  summertime cookouts with the kids.  So, I cut a piece of wood to fit the sign, glued it the poster securely to the board, and then layered Modge Podge over the top.  I also added a layer of lacquer over the top and the back of the sign to seal everything in, and make sure it could hold up outdoors.

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 Then I added some little hooks, and a wire and it was ready to grace the space over our grill outside.

The moral of the story is… take the things you have and create the stuff you love!  Indoors, or out it will help you enjoy your space at home even more if it is decorated with those charming little things that appeal to to you and your family.