If you're looking for great Christmas decorations, make your own Christmas yard signs. Yard signs are fairly easy to make and inexpensive because you can scavenge for scrap wood and materials. The best thing about making your own yard signs is that your holiday display will be a unique creation that stands out. Does this Spark an idea?
Giant Christmas Cards
Make some giant Christmas cards to stand in your yard--include warm holiday greetings written inside. For this project, you will need two large, rectangular pieces of wood or plywood for each card, cut to the same size.
If necessary, sand them so that they are smooth; coat them with an outdoor sealer/primer.
Decorate one board (your giant card cover) with Christmas designs. Paint the design so that the card will go vertically. You can trace designs with a pencil or hand-paint them directly, if you prefer. When lettering with stencils, use a yardstick to ensure it is straight.
Paint the other board (which will be the inside of the card) with a nice message. Again, remember to paint the message on the board vertically. When the boards are dry, line them up and attach one long side with hinges so that they will open and close like a card with the fold on the side.
Stand them up in your yard on an angle facing the street and partially open so both sides can be seen.
Cabinet-Door Yard Sign
Recycle some old cabinet doors by turning them into great yard signs with Christmas messages.
Remove the hardware, sand the doors and wipe them clean.
Turn the doors face-down. Place two wooden stakes on the back of the door, hanging half-way off one side. Be sure they are even and straight. Nail or screw them into place. When you pick it up, the door will be horizontal, and the stakes will sink into the ground to hold it up.
Paint the door and stakes with a primer/sealer, both the front and the back. Paint your message on the front and paint a final coat of clear sealer on it.
Rustic-Tin Yard Sign
Give your yard decor a country-style flair by using tin for your signs. Purchase a sheet of tin in the size that you want. Use pliers to bend about 1/2 inch of the edge of the tin back, going all the way around the sign. Crimp the edges flat against the back of the sign with the pliers. Cover the edges with duct tape. This will prevent you or anyone who touches your sign from getting cut on a rough edge.
Turn the sign over to decorate the front. Apply a patina solution to encourage rusting, and your tin will age before your eyes. You can then paint a design with craft paints and stencils. If you prefer, you can punch designs into your tin. To do so, lay the tin onto a piece of scrap wood. Print or draw your designs on paper and tape them to the sign as a guide. Tap a nail through the tin, following the lines of your design. Space the holes out evenly, about 1/4 inch apart.
Punch holes in the top to thread a wire through. Hang your sign from a porch, on a tree, or on a rod hanger used to hold hanging flower pots.
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