Make a Funny Halloween Sign

tombstone-plaque

Every time I look at this sign I giggle. I am a hard core lover of puns and wordplay and this sign delights me to no end. But I have to admit, I got the initial idea from another sign I saw in a home decor store. It was one of those stores where everything is made to look a little distressed, edges are sanded, brown paint sponged on the outside of things to make them look older, birdcages everywhere, and lots of those little balls covered in moss or beans. I’m not knocking it, I was shopping there after all, I’m painting a picture. There are a lot of stores like that out there. And if you’ve ever been in a store like that you might have had the same experience I did. I saw a wood block. Just a block of wood. Painted black with the edges sanded, and a version of this phrase that wasn’t as funny painted on it. I didn’t know what I was more disappointed by, that the decoration was so uninspired, or that they hadn’t workshopped the saying so that they didn’t step on their joke. I had to solve both of those problems and make myself something adorable in the process.

step-1

I found this tombstone shaped sign at my craft store in the seasonal section with all the raw wood shapes. If your’s doesn’t carry this exact item, it’s a simple shape to cut out of wood and the border is totally unnecessary. You could make this with any plaque you like, but I love how the tombstone shape adds to the humor. I used black spray paint as a first coat but acrylic paint will work just the same. The center will stay black but the back and edges I wanted to look more like stone.

step-2

To make that happen, sponge some gray acrylic paint on top of the black. I like to use a few different colors of gray to give it some depth and really good mottling.

step-3

To get a really good stone look, finish by flecking some white paint on top by running your thumb over paint covered toothbrush bristles, or using a paintbrush and flicking your wrist quickly to make the droplets fly. I wouldn’t recommend doing this next to anything that can’t afford to get painted, though.

step-4

With your paint job done it’s time to add the letters. This can be as simple as using some vinyl letters, or stickers, or handpainting it. There are a million ways these days to get some letters on your plaque. I used my computer to find the fonts that I liked together and to get the sizing right, and then cut them out of vinyl.

step-5

Arrange your words however you decide to do it, and stick them in place. I found that the vinyl lettering was having a hard time sticking to the glossy finish of the spray paint I used, so I used glue to get them stuck instead of just the vinyl itself.

step-6

You know me, I can’t ever miss a chance for glitter. I brushed some glue on the front of the vinyl letters while I had it out, and sprinkled glitter over the top. Shake off the excess and then repeat until you get all your words covered. I even added an orange border by running a line of glue where the border meets the center of the sign and then sprinkling orange glitter on top.

halloween-plaque

Even when it’s not Halloween I call my guys my handsome devils, and I take great pride in following in the witchy footsteps of so many women who wouldn’t be controlled, so this sign just could not be more appropriate for us. Maybe instead of putting it away at the end of the season I’ll hang it in my bedroom.

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