Barn Wood Styled Favorite Places Mile Marker Sign

Wow, isnt it crazy that we are already more than a week into January of 2014! With the kids back in school, I sat down to post some new items to my Etsy store and I wanted to share a project.
Over the holidays, I had several requests to make signs for gifts. The fun thing about custom requests is that many times a they turn into one of my favorite items.
This sign is one of those favorites.
This particular sign was for my best friend Tamaras brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Tamara wanted me to create a mile marker sign that listed some of their favorite places. Favorite vacations spots, where they met, home towns...just really personal and special places.
She also wanted to keep it fun, distressed and sort of beachy.
One of the things I loved most about this sign was the paint finish. Using just a simple 2x4 foot plywood board cut to a 2x3 foot, I used an easy aging effect, with a white wash and a simple scoring to create a barn wood effect. This sign is going up in my Etsy shop but its easy to create yourself.

Heres the how-to:
Supplies :
2x3 foot plywood or scrap wood of your choice
aging solution
white paint
chip brushes
yard stick
ice pick tool
water color pencils
sharpie paint pen

Using the publishing layout on my computer, I listed the towns and their mileage. In this case, I chose a more casual and fun font called "Connie." I used letter spacing to widen each word to make them all stretch to fit the same width...keeping it with a subway sign layout style. I then printed it out on an old page protector to use with an overhead.

Tip...for images I will only use once, I print out my layouts on left over school page protectors from my boys. It is cheaper than transparency paper but just dont smear it! Thats how I created this mural project.

The boards I select for signs are 2x4 feet which I usually have cut down to 2x3 at Home Depot. I also usually select the birch wood plywood which I find has a smoother finish than pine. This runs about $16+ dollars and I use the leftover scrap for small signs. ww.homedepot.com/p/Project-Panels-1-2-in-x-2-ft-x-4-ft-Birch-Plywood-154153/203504316#

Tip...always view your wood sideways to check to make sure it is not warped.

To prep and age my wood boards, I always use a solution of vinegar and steel wool. Here is a link to my go to recipe at one of my favorite blogs, Country Design Style. I store it in an old jar. Just brush on and in hours the solution will give your wood an authentic aged looked.

Tip...as the solution ages the tint deepens...it looks good at all stages but if you want a

certain look you may want to consider this.

To create a beachy white wash effect. I used some left over white paint thinned with water and applied vertically, leaving some open more "open" then others, revealing the weathered wood.

To create the barn wood effect. Measure increments even or uneven if you like, across the top and bottom.

Tip...I use a water color pencil so I can easily wipe away marks later. Looking back, I would have used a brown pencil just to add depth to the scoring. Who knows why I grabbed neon yellow??? Oh yes, Im lazy and it was probably closest.