An Authentic Farm House Sign With Tutorial

I created this GATHER sign from a board taken from my Great Grandparent's falling down farm house.

If you missed the post about their house, you can read it here.

The board is full of character - nail holes, grooves, gouges, and dents. 

This is my way of preserving a piece of my heritage...

through the wood board
and
through the word that I chose to put on it.

I chose the word GATHER because it is a powerful word...

GATHER 'round the table

GATHER with family

GATHER the harvest

The word GATHER

has been and always will be a powerful word!

past - present - future

How I made it:

First, Handy Hubby cut the board down using a miter saw.

Using Microsoft Word, I played around with font styles and sizes until I found one I like and fit on the board.  I ended up using the font Amienne with a 500 font size.

I printed the letters on regular 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of paper.
I spaced between each letter.  The lower case letters printed two per page.

I then cut around each letter and spaced them out on the board, using a tape measure for appropriate placement.  I taped them on top, leaving room for the transfer paper to slide under each letter.

Using transfer paper and a pencil, I traced the outside of the letters onto the board.

Using white craft paint and a small paint brush, I carefully painted in the letters.
I did two coats of paint.

Because the board is old and worn with beautiful grooves and dents, the tracing and painting are not perfect, and that's okay.  It adds to the character.  Farmhouse style is not perfect, right?

I gently placed a hanger on the back of the board. 

The sign is proudly displayed in our eating nook.

A place where we GATHER daily.