DIY Distressed Nursery Sign





One of the last projects I completed for Charlotte's nursery was this sign to go above the diaper changing station. 

My original plan was to make some sort of pallet sign, however when I saw the decal I ordered to place on a pallet surface, I realized I was going to need a completely flat surface in order for the decal to look right on a DIY sign.

And so I came up with plan B.  I discovered I had just enough plywood left over from our DIY planked/shiplap wall.  The width fit the decal perfectly.  All I had to do was load the boys in the van and make a trip to Home Depot.  I waddled my 34 week pregnant self into the store and asked them to make one cut in length for me.  And just like that, I had a piece of plywood ready for painting.

From there, I put the boys down for naps and had this project complete before they woke up.  Using some leftover Annie Sloan chalk paint in the color "old white", I brushed two coats of paint on the plywood.

Once dry, I took a rag and very gently wiped a coat of Annie Sloan dark wax over the paint.

For me personally, I found the dark wax to be too much for this piece, so I went back over and lightly brushed white paint over some of the wax until I got the look I wanted.  I let it dry, before doing a little sanding for finishing touches, and then I was done!

To officially make it a sign, I applied the decal I ordered from Amazon.  I'm not very good at hand lettering. Applying a decal is much easier for me than painting my own words onto wood.

Lastly, I tacked picture brackets on the back of the plywood.  Before dinner that night, I had my new piece of art hanging on the wall, and my diaper changing station was complete.

The decal I ordered was from Amazon.  You can find it here.  I fell in love with this quote when I saw it, as Charlotte truly is our miracle baby, conceived without any fertility drugs!

I could have very easily just applied the decal to the wall, but I envisioned a specific look.  Again, it's all about the details for me.  You can see that applying the decal to a painted piece of plywood, instead of applying it directly to the wall, makes this decal visually more attractive and gives a nice focal point above this large piece of furniture.

Because I used supplies I already had, my only investment in this piece was the decal and the brackets on the back of the sign, making me a happy mama!