Distressed Wood Sign {how to}

Today I am sharing a tutorial on how to make a distressed wood sign like this one I made for my son's bedroom makeover. I love this saying and I thought it would be the perfect reminder for my son to see everyday.

You can go here to checkout the full makeover.

First start off with your wood of choice.

Next, I knew that when I distressed the sign I wanted it to have several colors showing through. So I started with a dark blue base color and started to paint. I love that this method allows for imperfections.

My New Shutters

I have been totally inspired by all the shutter projects out there and fell in love with the look of barnwood shutters. Specifically the ones found here. I have looked everywhere and could not find any...so I decided to make my own version. Now, this project would have been a breeze if I would have had some real tools...but I made it work. (Keep in mind I am NOT a builder...so I am sure there is a better way to go about this...lol) I went to Home Depot and got some standard (1x3) pine boards. I had them cut them 36" long. I then got some (1x2) boards that were just at the end of the isle and I took the home and cut them myself. I can't remember how many of those I bought. I think they were 8 feet long so I bought 2, but not sure. Anyways, I bought miter box and saw to help with my cuts. Now...this is the first time I have used a miter box, and maybe I am just a wimp...but it was so hard. I knew better than to ask my husband....he would have just mocked the idea and said we don't need barn shutters in our house! :) So I tackled this all on my own. Anyways, this project was kind of just me using trial and error. I cut the boards and then cut cardboard to use as spacers.(I have my measurements diagrammed at the bottom of this post)

I set out my angled piece and put that in place so I knew where I would want my top cross pieces. I clamped these and used liquid nails to set them in place.

After I got them all set in place I used a few finishing nails by hand to secure the pieces. Then I sanded it down a little but wanted to leave these kind of raw. I wanted these to look natural and like old barn shutters uneven and all. I used white paint that I watered down a little so that after I painted them the wood grain would still be visible. Kind of white washed.

For easy hanging, I attached picture hanging wire to the back of each shutter.

And here are my shutters. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out especially since I am such an amateur!

And my current holiday decor.

Here are my rough measurements:

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