This weekend I’m hosting a launch party for a couple of friends who have started a teaching website.  They started it earlier in the year and have been working hard to get it up and running.  They wanted to celebrate and let some of the local teachers and administration in their district know more about it.  So, since I love a party I offered to host it in my backyard.  It might be a little chilly but we will be bringing in a few outdoor heaters.

I’ve been working on getting everything ready for the party this week and yesterday I made a sign directing traffic to the backyard.  I got the inspiration for this sign from Taryn @ Design, Dining and Diapers.  She had used a similar style sign on her Fall porch.  It was super easy and I thought I would share a few quick tips on how I did it.

 I used a reciprocating saw to cut an old pallet down.  {I have a few behind my shed for occasions such as this. 😉 }

 I got a pack of 3″ stencil letters from Hobby Lobby for less than $5, and taped them down using painters tape.  I couldn’t find my stencil brush in the two seconds I looked for it, so I just used a regular paint brush.  It worked fine for this project because I wasn’t going for “perfect.”

 To make the arrow, I first found a simple one online and printed it off.  Using a piece of chalk, I drew around the arrow.  Go over what you want to transfer several times with the chalk, so it’s pretty heavy.  {If the image is a letter, you will need to flip the image first.}

Lay the traced image where you want it and use a pencil to transfer it.  I used a moderate amount of pressure.

 You can see that it worked really well.  I don’t know how good lettering would come out  but like I said, I didn’t need this perfect.

 I ended up tracing it in pencil, just to be sure it didn’t come off while I was painting.  You can erase it after the paint is dry.

 This is an easy way to direct traffic for a party and reusable.

Today I will be finishing up all the little projects in the backyard.  The party is tomorrow night, so I’ve hung lots of lights.  I can’t wait to show you all the details next week!

Have a great weekend!

~Angela

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To see how the party turned out click here.