I start my garden signs out with all kinds of wood scraps, some from home projects, some from the building supply, some from craft stores and others just serendipity....if it looks like a good piece of wood the right size for a sign, I'm on it! After painting the wood flat black and white washing with a dry brush and a bit of paint, they are ready for their messages.
Every year I paint a crop of garden signs for my yard and some to sell online. This year I am trading a local garden center some signs for impatiens and snap dragons, which is a win win for both of us. I do love me my impatiens and snapdragons...they are reliable bloomers all summer long and give a generous show clear up until the frost of fall.
Here's a group ready to be sealed with clear acrylic. On many I just freehand and use Donna Dewberry's one stroke technique to give the letters a nice tonal effect. Then I dink around with the flowers around the edge and I do have a tendency to get carried away, but painting is very enjoyable for me. I usually put them on metal stakes tho grade stakes work, too. Some have curly wire hangers. It just depends on what I have available.
They are very durable and with a fresh coat of acrylic sealer each year I have many of these signs in my garden going on 6 and 7 years. They do weather, but it adds to the appeal I think.
This is one of my favorite signs to paint and it always gets a laugh. When my grandkids were younger they were scandalized about the bloomers until we explained it also referred to flowering plants. Don't you love it when kids are still young and naive? Sigh. It doesn't last long, though.
And this is my favorite sign of all. It is in a planter with needlepoint ivy and a climbing rose right next to the archway on our stairs. Our house is far from perfect, but our yard and garden in the summertime is gorgeous! We cannot afford to build a new house or even fund a major redo on this house, but working with what we've got we can make the best of things.
I'm linking to the Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage, please visit us there!
