Sign Post for Again and Again

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Reading is crawly. Books are crawly. Anything that encourages kids to read is awesome.

And one affair that I think is essential is to have a squeamish space in which they can enjoy books.

A few years ago I made a couple of book signposts for Little C's old school library. I ended upwards getting them back, and finally got around to hanging them upwards in her room. Little C is a serious reader, so they're pretty appropriate decor.

I posted a picture on Instagram, and quite a few people seemed to like them, and wanted to know how I'd fabricated them.

Well, when I made them I didn't record the process. Then what to do?

Brand some more of course!

Turns out that Petty C'due south schoolhouse librarian was quite not bad on having some for the library, which gave me the perfect excuse.

These are my original DIY book signposts. They're sort of weathered-looking in style.

See? But hey, I was making information technology up as I went along.

I do like them, but I decided the next lot would have a chip more pizzazz.

That meant more colours, rather than simply brownish with a few extra touches hither and in that location.

As for the signs, we're talking places from books, rather than volume titles.

I wasn't sure if I would employ the same ones every bit before, but equally it turned out, I only changed a couple.

The historic period group should suggest which locations will piece of work. Mine are for a prep school library, so I thought a mix of age ranges would be advisable.

As yous tin meet, I take Panem, from the YA Hunger Games trilogy, simply also Hundred Acre Wood. After all, kids who are reading YA novels volition still be familiar with Pooh, right?

I also think that the classics are useful. I take no idea if kids now read Treasure Isle, but they should. And of course we can't forget Harry Potter!

Here are a few more suggestions:

Hogwarts, Mr MacGregor's Garden, Green Gables, Camelot, Wonka's Chocolate Factory, Grandma'southward House, Moominvalley.

At that place are tons of possibilities!

Which brings me to how I actually made them, and the DIY itself.

This is what yous demand:

Balsa Wood – I used 2 packs of this. One pack of twenty x  ii.4mm x 100mm (for the posts) and one pack of xx x 1.6mm x 75mm (for the signs themselves) .

I made 2 signposts with vii signs each, but had plenty left over to make more than.

Acrylic pigment – these are nice large tubes which will final for for ages.

Foam brushes – for painting the groundwork quickly and easily. This pack has a great option.

Fine brushes – for the lettering. These or these give yous enough of choice.

Arts and crafts pocketknife – it'south the best thing for cutting balsa forest.

Craft mat – to protect whatsoever surface you're working on from the blade.

Ruler – a metal one is best, but whatever you take.

Gum gun – because it's not a DIY arts and crafts without a glue gun! (I have this one)

String – every home should have string. Whatever is fine, every bit long as it'southward non too sparse.

Optional:

Accents – glitter pigment, sequins, sparkles etc. You lot don't have to utilize these, but depending on which signs you cull they might add a petty extra something. Y'all tin use regular glitter, but I think glitter paint (or glue) is amend than that annoying dry stuff that goes absolutely bloody everywhere.

Masking tape – if y'all make any stripy backgrounds (like my Whoville sign) it's much easier if you employ masking tape. I likewise used it to stick newspaper to the floor when I was painting.

How to go far.

1. Make a list of the signs you lot program to brand.

Place names, and the colours you lot want to use.

Of course you lot could do them in merely black and white, or fifty-fifty brownish on natural forest like my original signposts.

But whatever you cull, plan it offset, groundwork colours and text colours.

Make sure they contrast and stand out from a scrap of a distance.

Yous tin also try colours that are appropriate to the place proper name. For example, I made Hundred Acre Wood brown on green, and yellow on blue for Treasure Island.

2. Paint your sign boards and mail service boards white.

While nearly of my backgrounds are colours, I know that they will come up out better when painted over white rather than the beige/light brownish of the balsa forest.

This is what you utilise the foam brushes for. It'south so much easier than using a regular castor.

Do two coats.

It doesn't accept long, by the time you've finished the starting time coat, they will be dry out enough to go over again.

iii. Pigment your coloured backgrounds.

Yous can apply a foam brush for this also.

Most of mine are a plain colour, but I made a couple that were a lilliputian unlike.

The i above is red and white striped for Whoville. I just used masking tape to block off white stripes, and painted the gaps in red. Again, I did ii coats for actress brightness.

This is my groundwork for Neverland. It's a sort-of sunset, as it fabricated me think of 'straight on till morning time'.

Yeah I'm fancy.

four. Programme your lettering.

I sketched out my lettering in pencil (information technology will erase if you aren't perfect with your painted letters).

You'll need a space at one end of the board to make the pointed function.

If you tin, attempt to brand the discussion(s) in the heart of the board, so you can choose the direction in which information technology will point.

Some of them might be too long, but don't worry, as long every bit there is a reasonably like amount that will point the aforementioned style. And if you're concerned about all the longer ones pointing the same fashion, try writing them from right to left, to leave a space on the left rather than the right.

5. Pigment the lettering.

Here'due south the first one I did.

See the infinite on the right? That'due south where the point is going to be.

Plain black on white for Toad Hall.

Again, two coats.

When I did this yellowish on blue for Treasure Isle, I realised that the yellow didn't pop too well over the much darker blue.

See how it looks in the first picture? Not great.

Using the same principle as the white base coat, I did the lettering in ii coats of white first, then put xanthous on summit.

Much better!

I must also acknowledge that after the first couple I didn't bother with the pencil guide, I just freehanded them. My lettering isn't perfect by any ways, but I did try to make a scrap of diverseness in the styles.

6. Suit the gild of your signs.

Make sure similar colours are further apart.

You also need to consider which style each sign volition point. Again, yous don't want them all pointing the same direction.

I rearranged these SO many times.

Also consider the spacing. Yous want the seams of the posts to exist covered with a sign.

7. Cutting the points.

This is what your craft knife and ruler are for.

Don't forget to practice this on your craft mat!

Either measure to make sure they are even, or use guidelines on your craft mat.

And hither they are, all laid out with their points, plus some artistically scattered offcuts.

This gives y'all a much amend idea of how they will end up.

I decided to make the Lilliput sign smaller than the rest, for what I promise are obvious reasons.

8. Add decorative accents.

This is optional! If you don't want to exercise this, skip to footstep 9.

I had some sparkle paint that I added to the Enchanted Wood (silver) and Diagon Alley (gold).

Also I used green glitter glue for Emerald Urban center.

And I got super-fancy with Treasure Isle!

I had some sparkly apartment-backed jewels and large gilded sequins, and then I glued them onto a corner like a little pile of treasure. Then I added a tiny bit more than silverish and gold sparkly pigment effectually it.

It looks quite effective, if I practise say so myself.

9. Assemble your signpost.

Use offcuts of balsa woods to gum your pieces of signpost together.

Glue them on the back, obviously.

10. Attach your signs.

Make certain they're reasonably spaced.

Don't forget to comprehend the joins in the signpost!

Y'all can make them all beautifully level, or angle them. I made Whoville bespeak slightly up, and Wonderland signal slightly down. The residue just went on every bit they did, I didn't utilise a spirit level or anything.

Depending on how many signs y'all've made, you might find the postal service is besides long. Just grab your craft knife and mat and trim it down equally you like.

11. Make a hanging loop.

Cut a piece of string, brand a loop, and glue it to the back of the post near the top.

Cover it with another piece of balsa wood for extra security.

Though balsa weighs practically nothing, they're unlikely to come up off.

And you lot're washed!

Stand back and admire your work.

Or go someone else to admire it. Even more satisfying.

How much did information technology cost?

The balsa wood was by far the nearly expensive item, costing a niggling over £25. But I had enough over for one more signpost and another vi signs. The cream brushes were £1, and the paintbrushes were £ii.99.

If yous don't want to trounce out for balsa they could be made from paper-thin. But they would exist very flimsy and wouldn't last long, and then I wouldn't recommend it.

I already had the pigment, only it costs £two per tube and you won't employ much except for the white. I also had the accents, but you lot can detect things similar that for very little, and yous'll be able to add together them to your crafting stash. If you're a crafty person you'll probably already have a glue gun and paints.

So I'd say information technology toll less than £30, allowing for items you own.

I don't know if you can purchase these ready made. Possibly on Etsy, they seem to sell everything in that location.

But I think it's totally worth the money and the fourth dimension. A literary book signpost is a wonderful decoration, and would look proficient in a child'southward room, library, or classroom.

I also have a couple of additional ideas/suggestions.

Rather than making a dissever signpost, you could paint the post on the wall and stick the signs on, like a slightly 3D mural.

You lot could brand smaller book signposts using paint pens.

If you're a super-crafter, you could make the lettering using a Cricut machine. Then yous could use fancy fonts, similar the Harry Potter lightning font. Only hey, I don't have a Cricut, and I like the handmade wait.

Whatever you decide to exercise, this is a really fun project. Information technology's creative and colourful, and the last event looks marvellous!

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Give thanks you lot for reading. Tell me your favorite book in the comments, and your ideas for other signs!

Pivot this for later and share.

You can also find a few other crafty thingshere.

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Source: https://www.merith.com/make-a-diy-book-signpost/

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