DIY farmhouse style gratitude word signs, original

Thanksgiving is such a heartwarming time of year. I love how it brings families home. How we spend time together and how it’s just so cozy! One thing I love most about the Thanksgiving season is that we are all reminded of all that we have and how good things are. I know, I know, sometimes things are not great, but being around friends and family can always cheer us up. These farmhouse style gratitude word signs can do just that, they can remind us to look at what we have been given and bring a smile to our face. Not just for the Thanksgiving holiday, they can be displayed all year. Follow these steps below to make one of your own.

Check out our mini farmhouse style gratitude word signs! Gratitude word mini’s.

Supplies:

1×2’s cut to sizes: (2qty- top and bottom pieces= 12″ in length) & (2 qty- side pieces= 4″ in length)
Masonite board cut to measure just under 11.5″x5″
bradnailer or staple gun
palm sander, sanding block, or sandpaper
safety glasses
Briarsmoke wood stain
gloves
old towel
Gratitude words (original) printables (free PDFs available at bottom of post)
Heavy duty cardstock
scissors

Step 1: Building your wood frame for your farmhouse style gratitude word signs

If you do not have your 1×2 cut into 4 smaller pieces, do that now. Cut 2 pieces measuring 12 inches and 2 more pieces measuring 4 inches.

Take one 4″ piece and stand it on end. Line up the edge of the 12″ piece on top of the edge of the 4″ piece and shoot 2 nails through the end of the 12″ piece where it overlaps on the 4″ piece, securing it into place.

Repeat this step for the other 4″ piece. Once you have both 4″ pieces secured to one of the 12″ pieces flip it over so the 4″ pieces are sticking up in the air. Now place the remaining 12″ piece on top of the two 4″ pieces sticking up in the air and secure it into place with 2 nails in each end, as you did before. You may need to pull and tug at it to help them line up correctly.

Step 2: Staining your frame for your farmhouse style gratitude word signs

After you have built your frame, you are going to stain it with the Briarsmoke stain. Using an old towel, dip into the stain and rub it everywhere on your frame. Make sure you get all areas covered. Using another section of your towel, wipe all the excess stain off. The harder you wipe, the more stain you remove. When you have wiped all the excess stain off of your frame, set it aside to let it dry. You want to make sure it is pretty dry before putting it all together.

Step 3: Printing your word(s) for your farmhouse style gratitude word signs

While you are waiting for your frame to dry, select the gratitude word(s) you want to put in your frame. Print it on heavy duty card stock. I just used my printer at home, because it printed so nicely. However, I was only testing it. I originally planned to have it printed at a printing place. You can do either.

If you make your frame(s) the same size as mine, the PDF is ready to print and cut. No sizing needed. Just cut down the center of the page between the two words.

Step 6: Assembling your frame for your farmhouse style gratitude word signs

Now that your frame is dry, your word(s) is printed and cut, and your backing is the correct size, let’s put it together. Double check to make sure your backing is not too big for your frame. If it is just trim it down a little so that it fits a little inside on all edges.

Lay your backing out on your work surface and center your print to it. Using double-sided sticky tape (I used my double-sided scrapbook stickies) put some under each corner of the print, securing it into place.

Now, lay your frame face down and center the backing on top of the frame. If you want to check it and make sure you like the centering,

Once you have your print held in place with the double-sided sticky tape, center the frame on top to get an idea of how you want it. Now very carefully flip everything face down on your work surface. Make sure the backing is still centered to the frame, nail the backing to the frame using the brad nailer. I put 2 nails in each long side and 1 on each short side.

After you have the back nailed into place, you are done!

It’s now time to adorn your living space with some cute gratitude words. Find the perfect place to display them. The place where everyone will admire them and want some of their own. Enjoy and display it with confidence, because you are amazingly creative! They also make great gifts for the people you are grateful for!

Ready to Print PDF gratitude words files:

Happy crafting my friend!

Brandee