I made some decorative signs for a fundraiser for a group of women that are doing the Avon39 Walk to End Breast Cancer in Chicago this June.

I was going to try to finish one of my UFO’s for them, but those type of things are not real money makers. So I sat on Pinterest and looked for something else….Here is what I came up with:

I made 3 sets of these in different sizes: Small – Medium – Large
Why you may ask, because I am trying to reduce the amount of “STUFF” that we have laying around, so I had the hubby check to see what we had available for wood and we used up 3 boards. Then he made the cool tray out of left over cedar pieces that were just laying around.  Way cool project!!!

This is my second favorite of the 3 things I made today.  I love love love love this sign. It turned out sooooo good, it makes it very hard to give away. But hopefully it will bring them a big return.

Last and by all means not least, this is my all time favorite of favorite signs I have made. When I stained the wood, it was super, super dark – and I hated it and it wasn’t drying. So the hubby took and wiped it down and the wood grain came out so nice, so so very nice. I sat and stared at the boards because I loved how they turned out so well.  I was running out of time and I didn’t think I was going to get this one done, but I pushed and pushed and it is my all time favorite. So many things teamed up against me getting this one done: digital cutter didn’t cut deep enought, then it ran crooked, then the vinyl had a flaw in it. I cut this sign 3 times today..  ugh … my OCD was on high – I hate wasting material.

But I learned a lot on all 3 of these projects:

1. Start before the day before – even if it’s just picking boards – do it.
2. Try the stain before the day of – I wish I would have, I would have gotten different stuff – although I am happy with how they turned out.
3. Try the paint before hand – same thing, I bought what I thought I wanted to use and I fought it all the way. Went back to simple wall paint and it all worked perfectly!!!!
4. If you design the layout yourself – do it and forget it. I played with mine for hours – trying little different things.
5. Try to relax and enjoy the process – once I was on this last one, I was able to settle down and I loved doing the tedious parts because I can see how great it’s going to turn out!!!