How to make a table top sign with a story

Once upon a time there was a little outdoor picnic table I picked up from the thrift. I simply carried it into the house as is and left it. I fell in love with the white distressed top and deep chocolate legs and called it done.

But... I had envisioned something cool for this table for awhile now. Plain is cool, but I wanted cooler than plain. :)

So...

I cleaned up the legs with a quick repaint, ran a palm sander along the edges, did a whitewash to the already distressed top.. and came up with...

... this!

Isn't it cute?!?

Why I did it

Before I lived where I do, I use to live in Matsqui (Mat-squee) Village. It was a teeny weeny little historic town with one cool storefront in particular I've always loved. The front looked saloon style.  The store went through several phases.. coffee house, antiques shop, etc. It was always changing hands. So I decided to simply deem it a Mercantile shop full of wonderful old treasures once and for all which is exactly what I would have done with it if it had been mine. :)

Est 1927? That's my mom's year of birth. A small but subtle tribute to my fav gal pal whom I dream about daily.

The star? That's my Funky Junk star.

All three symbols touch on where I've come from, who I am today and what I love.

My friend Dan threw me a challenge awhile back. He suggested I link special meaning to a 'signed' project just because. He's done that for years with his own creations. And when I get challenged by Dan, I generally take him up on it. :)

How I did it

 I created some decals with my sign apparatus and did a reverse weed, meaning, removed the letters instead of the background.

 I applied the decal to the tabletop, then painted through the letters. Remove the vinyl while paint is still wet so letters come out nice and crisp.

Notice the square weathered area around the lettering? The vinyl lifts off the paint if not fully cured, leaving a very believable distressed finish. So I did the same treatment to the rest by means of sticking more vinyl on it and pulling off to even it all out.

Design Tip #1:

Take note of the letters... darker on bottom, lighter on top. Just because. :)

Let's use a palm sander to distress those letters just a tad... sooo much easier than doing it by hand, gals. Put palm or orbital sander on your Christmas list this year. AFTER your cordless drill of course. :) A good cordless drill MUST be #1.

Ahhh... that's better! The table really does look old and authentic which I love.

Design tip #2:

Now.. did you notice the funky placement of the lettering? Most would center the works because that's how it's normally done.

You KNOW I don't do normal though, yes? :)

I wanted the table top to have the illusion of an old sign tucked away that was suddenly whipped up into a table top. Quirky, unexpected and rather cool all at the same time.

Kinda cute, isn't it? I can't wait to pump out more! This is rather addicting...

"And the little table with it's shiny new outfit lived happily ever after." :)

How about you?

Can you think of unique locations to create your own signs?
Go on. I'm testing you.
Where could you stencil a sign/design that's on the unique side?
What would your own sign story say?

Are the decals/stencils for sale?

A few of you are also emailing me as to whether I'd consider selling the decals/stencils or doing up custom orders. If this option interests you, please give me a heads up in comments. If it's a popular choice, I'll develop a trial package and run it. Because I understand. Sometimes ya just gotta have it in order to make the gotta haves. :)

(please note, these stencils can only be used once)

Are you local? 

If you desire to attend a workshop in person on how to make 'furniture signs', and live in the lower mainland, BC Canada, or desire to have a custom piece made for you, give me a shout!

signmakergirl@hotmail.com

I will soon be selling some of my creations in a local storefront, so stay tuned for that announcement!

Edited to add: Check out Rustic Whimsy's take on this table design! Wow!

 BJ from Sweet Nothings also creates a fabulous variation! Speechless here.