Peace Sign: An Outdoor Holiday Decor Tutorial

Hey guys! I don’t know if it’s because Turkey Day is late this year or if I’m just so excited to have Matt home this year for Christmas, but I have been dying to just deck out the whole house for Christmas. This weekend I pulled down all of my fall stuff off the porch and started putting up my Christmas porch decor. I was pretty certain my neighbors would think I was totally nuts as it’s not even Thanksgiving yet but the next day I noticed my neighbor also started to replace her fall decor with Christmas. Phew. She doesn’t think I’m crazy and she’s totally with me on being ready for the most wonderful time of the year 😉 One of the big focal points of my porch this year is this giant peace sign. I was inspired by this one I saw in the Pottery Barn catalog. I thought I’d save a few dollars (or a hundred) and just make my own. And of course, I’m sharing it with you today!

Outdoor Holiday Decor: Peace Sign

Supplies:

6 ft pine board (1x4x6 I think)

Wood Stain

Vinyl and Transfer Paper

Paint

Sand Paper
First step was to sand and stain the board. My absolute favorite stain of all time is Minwax special walnut. I pretty much use it for everything so here it is, making an appearance again 🙂While your stain is drying you can work on getting your vinyl cut for the peace sign. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the letters. I resized the cutting area to fit the board so 6ft long and made the letters the appropriate size from there. I used vinyl because I have an excess of it. I know it’s expensive, and using 6 ft of it can be costly. You can use contact paper for a less expensive alternative.

After the stain had dried, and the vinyl was cut, I laid the letters onto the board getting the placement just so.  Then, I used a piece of transfer paper to transfer the letters onto the board. Once all the letters had been transferred, I painted over the whole thing with creamy white paint. After two coats of paint, I peeled the letters off. Don’t you love the crispness? I was going for a distressed look like the one of the PB catalog so I started sanding off the paint on the edges and in other little patches.Once it’s all done you can put a layer of protective wax over it. Since it will be outside I want it protected.

I love the stained wood with the distressed white. Such a rustic combination. I’m still working on my porch but I do love the way it’s coming together with the bright white and pops of red and the rustic feel of the peace sign and the burlap basket.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year.