Learn how easy this DIY lighted sign is to create. You can use any saying you like to create a chalkboard like look with LED lights scattered around for a lovely holiday display.
Today's fun DIY is similar to the "Merry and Bright" Christmas sign I made a few years ago but this time I've added LED lights. I really like the look of the white script on a black background and the lights give it extra sparkle for our holiday decor.
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What You'll Need
- Computer
- Printer
- Sponge paintbrush
- Fine Paintbrush
- Computer Paper
- Blank Canvas 18 x 24 inches
- Black Chalkboard Paint or black craft paint
- White Chalk White
- Pencil
- White Chalk Paint Pen
- LED Mini Lights Battery Operated
- Batteries
- Tape (masking, clear or painters)
How to Make a Lighted Sign
Start by painting the canvas black. I used a black chalkboard paint. However, you could use regular black craft paint.
While the paint dries print out a saying or quote on your printer that you like. To make it large enough create a pdf file. Then open it in Adobe Acrobat. Change the printer setting to "portrait," choose "poster" size, and set the Tile Scale to 150%. This should change the size to 17" x 22".
To the right, you should see four sheets of regular 8.5" x 11" pages that slightly overlap.
Print them out then tape the sheets of paper to the painted canvas.
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PS: I used the font "Inspiration". If you want to use this exact saying you can use the pdf file here.
Next, carefully lift up each section and coat the back of the lettering area with white chalk.
Place the paper back into place and trace over the letters with a pencil.
Lift up a section to see if the chalk has transferred properly.
Ta da! The entire saying is now on your black canvas. Don't worry about the extra chalk dust. You can remove it later.
Instead, take a white chalk paint marker and paint over the chalk transfer. Feel free to give it a second coat if needed.
If you make a mistake use a fine paintbrush and some of the same black paint to fix it.
It's pretty cute on its own. However, a few twinkle lights would be even better, right?
Use something sharp to poke holes for each light from the back of the canvas. Then, take the LED strip of lights and place them in their holes.
Place the battery pack at the bottom corner for easy access to the power source. Then gently tape them all in place.
I think my guests will love this fun sign during the holidays this year and it was really easy to create.
Here it is on our mantel with the grapevine trees I shared recently.
Do you like the bottles with the white taper candles? I put a little fresh cedar from a shrub outside and filled them with water.
I also added some pretty red berry garland around the sign and hung our family's large red stockings for a pop of color. The final touch is some fragrant fresh cedar garland hung on the mantel to complete the look. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....
DIY Chalkboard Sign for Christmas
Equipment
- Computer
- Printer
- Sponge paintbrush
- Fine Paintbrush
Materials
- Computer Paper
- 1 Canvas
- Chalkboard Paint Black
- Chalk White
- Pencil
- Chalk Pen White
- LED Mini Lights Battery Operated
- Batteries
- Tape masking, clear or painters
Instructions
- Paint the canvas with black chalkboard paint and let it dry.
- Type out your saying and make it a PDF document.
- Print out your saying in Adobe Acrobat. Set the print to Portrait.
- Choose Poster under page size and handling. Set the Tile Scale to 150% and overlap .005 in
- To the right, you should see the size as 17 x 22 inches with the saying split into four pages.
- Tape the four pages to the canvas in the center.
- Carefully pull back each page and rub white chalk liberally on the lettering areas.
- Set the pages back in place and trace all the letters with a pencil.
- Peek underneath to see if the chalk transferred as expected.
- Remove the paper and begin covering the transferred chalk image with a white paint chalk marker.
- Use a second coat of chalk paint if needed.
- Once dry wipe off any excess chalk dust and touch up any mistakes with a fine paintbrush and more black chalkboard paint.
- When all the paint has dried determine where you would like to place the lights.
- Place batteries into the box provided with the LED lights.
- Use a small screwdriver or anything sharp to poke a hole for each light.
- Set the lights into their holes and set the battery box in the bottom corner for easy access.
- Tape down the battery box and lightly tape the lights with just the tip of the light showing.
- Set your art on the mantel or hang it on the wall for all to enjoy.
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