Simple Colorful Garden Signs DIY

I’ve been painting a lot lately. I’ve been participating in a group art project that will result in a beautiful mural in NYC this spring (stay tuned!) and that process has been giving me lots of inspiration. Also, after this crummy year of despair, illness, and stress, I just feel like I want to paint everything with bright colors! A few nights ago, I found an old piece of oak board while rummaging around my “grow room” looking for trays to start some veggie seeds. I’m glad I didn’t throw it out! I figured I could get about four 8-inch signs out of this remaining piece of board.

The first thing I did was measure the boards and mark the screw holes. These signs are small (8″ x 6″) and only need 2 screws to attach them to a stake. I drilled the holes about 2″ from the top and bottom and primed the board with some Killz brand primer I found. Any brand will work. The primer keeps the wood board from sucking up all the colorful paint, so this is not a step to skip. Normally, I would cut the boards first before painting them but my husband has promised to cut them for me with his electric saw, so it should be okay. If I were using a handsaw, I would definitely cut them before painting because they can get a little rough on the cut edge and will need to be sanded.

I sketched out a quick design and started painting. I wanted the little milkweed flowers to pop, so I used white paint first and put a slightly lighter shade of orange over that. I repeated this technique wherever I needed something to pop. These are not meant to be flawless or perfect. Part of the beauty of hand painted signs is seeing the brush strokes and other “imperfections.” If you want a more precise design, you can print out your graphics or use images from a magazine, and transfer them onto the board with carbon copy paper (available in Staples and other office supply places).

Once the signs were dry, I went over the letters with a sharpie to make them pop. I love when things pop! When my husband gets around to cutting these and screwing them onto the stakes, I will seal them with Rustoleum clear gloss (outdoors, of course, because it smells strong) and I will let the signs cure for several days in my backyard before before putting them in the garden. This way they can weather a little bit and I can make sure they are not sticky. For stakes, I use square dowels (in the stair section of Home Depot). I cut one end into a point for easy staking into the ground. The stake needs to be set at least 6″ into the ground to keep the sign from flying away in the wind.

I’m still thinking about what to do for the other two signs. I like inspirational quotes but I also like to be informative and spread the native plant message. Whatever I do, I will be sure to add lots of color. I hope I’ve inspired you to make your own garden signs. The world needs some pops of color to break up this dreary year!

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