Typography Heart Faux Pallet Wood Sign

Remember last week when I shared my Valentine’s Day vignette and the love story of how my husband and I first met?

You may have spied the typography heart artwork and thought it was made from pallet wood.

But it’s not! No power tools were required in the making of this sign!

Just craft supplies!

Let me show you how I made it.

Supplies

1 sheet 1X12X36-inch FloraCraft® Make It: Fun® Foam
FloraCraft® StyroCutter® Plus
2 tubs FloraCraft Smooth Finish®
DecoArt Americana Multisurface Satin Paint in Steel Grey
DecoArt Americana Multisurface Satin Paint in Battleship
DecoArt Americana Multisurface Satin Paint in Overcast
DecoArt Americana Multisurface Satin Paint in Cottonball
2 sheets newsprint scrapbook fabric (newsprint scrapbook paper would also work)
DecoArt Decoupage medium

Use a ruler or a T-square to divide the foam sheet into 18X4-inch planks. Use a marker to create cut lines on the foam sheet.

Heat the StyroCutter® Plus and slowly slice the foam into planks. (You’re probably wondering what happened to my marker lines. This shot is actually for another project I’m working on using the foam sheets. Just pretend the lines are there!)

When cutting with the StyroCutter® Plus, be careful not to burn yourself and don’t force the wand through the foam or you could break the thin metal cutter. Just move slowly and the foam will melt like butter.

Once your planks are cut, coat the front and sides of each board with a thin coat of Smooth Finish. I like to use a putty knife to apply it and smooth it. Smooth Finish has the consistency of cake frosting, but it dries hard with a slightly chalky feel.

You’ll find a  great video tutorial for how to work with Smooth Finish at the Make It: Fun® website.

For my project, I applied two thin coats of Smooth Finish to my foam planks. Be sure you let the first coat dry completely before applying the second one.

Next, I lightly sanded the planks with a sanding block, front and sides. I wasn’t too concerned about getting a perfectly smooth finish, as I wanted to replicate the rustic, rough look of pallet wood.

Then, I used hot glue to attach the planks to one another. To give my faux pallet wood sign more stability, I did add two thin foam boards to the back, running perpendicular to the seams.

Finally, I painted the sign using craft paint. I started by layering on the darkest color of gray paint, then streaking on lighter colors, then adding dark highlights here and there  to mimic the look of wood. It’s really just a process of trial and error, until you get the look you want.

Now, this is where the project got interesting. My original plan was to create a knockoff of a this striped heart plaque from Ballard Designs, but ultimately I wasn’t happy with the result.

I will say that I was sick with the flu when I decided I hated the painted heart. I felt like a major craft and creative failure, so  I decided to go back to the drawing board on this one. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who struggles and is plagued with creative self-doubt.)

My fix was to cut a heart out of newsprint scrapbook fabric I had in my stash and decoupage it to the foam faux pallet sign.

That actually turned out to be a great choice. It was definitely the right creative choice for me, because it inspired me to create this romantic newsprint-themed Valentine’s Day vignette.

It’s perfect for us because my husband and I met while we were both working as newspaper reporters!

This was not my first time working with FloraCraft products. I kinda fell in love with the possibilities in the fall when I was decorating for Halloween.

I made a version of the Sleepy Hollow sign using these same supplies. You can check out that tutorial here.

For more great projects, visit Make It: Fun®. #MakeItFunCrafts