Yesterday evening I had a free hour, so I decided to re-fab a table-top “LOVE” sign into a beach table-top sign. A few days ago I went to Dollar Tree and found the sign. It would fit in with a farmhouse theme well, but I wanted to create something I could use year round. Kind of like the larger wood signs that you can change the items you use to make the letter “O,” such as a boxwood wreath. I want to change it for each season or holiday, and this summer it will be a beach table-top sign. I wanted to change parts of it so that it didn’t look so cheap.
To re-fab your own sign you need:
- LOVE sign
- nautical rope
- acrylic paint in robin’s egg blue (or a color that matches your home decor)
- paint brush
- seashells
Looking for more nautical or coastal decor? You will love this coastal farmhouse flag and this post filled with DIY beach themed tiered-tray items!
Prep and paint the base.
First you need to remove the faux boxwood wreath. It was quite stuck on mine. It seemed to be carelessly glued, as many of the leaves were coated in glue and stuck in places that didn’t naturally line up. Once I pulled up the leaves that were stuck, I was able to pull the tiny wreath off without damage to it. If you’d like, you can save it to be glued back on during other seasons. I was able to save mine without any visible damage.
The base of the sign was originally black. I wanted to change it to fit my beachy decor, so I used acrylic paint in robin’s egg blue. That color also fits in with my normal decor, so I can use it all year. Since it is a cheap item, you could see bubbles of hot glue along the line where the letters met the base. If yours does as well, use an exacto knife to push the bubbles down, out of sight. Use a thinner brush to paint and you will be able to paint all the way up to the letters without getting paint on them. You will need to use two coats of paint.
Embellish your beach table-top sign.
Once your sign is dry, you can add the embellishments. Take your nautical rope, and lay it around the O. Once you have determined how much rope you need, cut it to fit. Add some hot glue in the end of the rope where you cut it to keep it from fraying open. Next put glue at the tips of the cut rope, and press it to the other end, forming an O. Line the O on the sign with glue, then add the rope, making sure the glued ends are at the bottom center of the letter.
Now it’s time to add your seashells. I found a small scalloped seashell that I liked, and I wanted to add it to the middle of the O. I had to try to glue it on several times to figure out the best way to keep it upright. Add a small line of hot glue inside the letter, then quickly place the shell onto the line. Hold it in place for a moment so that it hardens enough to stay.
Next I added a conch shell to the end of the base of the sign. The packages of seashells at Dollar Tree all have different colors, sizes, and types of shells in them, so you may have to add a different shell than I used. Some of them can be cleaned up and shine beautifully. Mine is textured and has bright white colors in it which was rare in the packages of shells I have. I glued it so that the thinner part of the shell faces the L, drawing the eye along the base and up. When you find the shell to add to your sign, try turning it different ways to see what you like best.
You are now finished with your beach table-top sign.
I love how mine turned out, and I hope you’re happy with yours as well. Mine will be sitting on my bookshelves in my dining room for the summer. Later I will change it up to match my seasonal decor in fall.
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Such a great idea Niki! I absolutely love seeing all your coastal decor. I am working on getting my house ready for summer and anything “beachy” always has a place here! Have a great weekend!
Thanks! I’ll be by your blog to see what you add for summer!
How pretty, matches the wreath!! Thanks so much for linking up with me at the Unlimited Link Party 26. Pinned!
Thanks!
Visiting again to say thanks so much for linking up with me at A Themed Linkup 56 for Crafts and DIY. Pinned again!
CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at A Themed Linkup 57 for All Things Printable from my previous linkup for Crafts and DIY!
Thank you for the feature Dee!