| | |

DIY Sign with Iron On Graphics – Thrift Store Upcycle

Please note that this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Rewards Style influencer and Jane Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases and any sales made through such links will reward us a small commission – at no extra cost for you.

DIY Sign with Iron On Graphics – Thrift Store Upcycle

Can you believe that an entire month has gone by since our last challenge? We can’t either. We look forward to this series each and every month. Thrifting is our jam and upcycling is our soul. We get super revved up when we are fortunate to find a thrifted item for a great price. When the magic truly happens is when inspiration strikes with an idea to give that item a makeover. This month we created a DIY sign with iron on graphics.

Yes, iron-on graphics!

 

Before and After

Let’s get started! Once again we have teamed up with our blogger friends. You won’t believe the creativity this month – mind blowing!

Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge

The Rules:

  • Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
  • There’s no monthly theme.
  • There’s no budget to stick to.

Meet the Hosts

Amanda | The Kolb Corner    Erlene | My Pinterventures    Kim | Made in a Day
Dru | Polka Dot Poplars    Maureen | Red Cottage Chronicles    Pili | Sweet Things
Shirley | Intelligent Domestications    Debra | Shoppe No. 5    Marie | DIY Adulation
Chelsea | The Johnsons Plus Dog    Jes | My DIY Envy    Ann | Duct Tape and Denim
Molly | Just a Little Creativity    Ashley | 3 Little Greenwoods    Kimm | Reinvented
Kim | Farmhouse Made    Victoria | Dazzle While Frazzled    Sara | Twelve on Main
Chelc | Inside the Fox Den    Sue | A Purdy Little House    Michelle | Our Crafty Mom
Sherry | Savvy Apron    Jennifer and Vicki | 2 Bees in a Pod    Lora | Craftivity Designs
Ali | Home Crafts By Ali    Denise | My Thrifty House    Colleen | Life on Kaydeross Creek
Toni | Small Home Soul       Michelle | Michelle James Designs
Medina | Grillo Designs    Karen | Dragonfly & Lily Pads

Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!


Supplies:

  • Thrift store sign
  • Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White
  • Purdy’s Paintbrush – like THIS one
  • Lesley Riley’s Transfer Artists Paper You can get it HERE

Here’s how the DIY sign with iron on graphics came together…

We lucked out at a local thrift store and found this sign for just $1.00. Even though this challenge doesn’t have a money limit, we like to see how low we can go! Although this sign is cute, it just isn’t our style. This is basically a paper print that has been adhered to pressed wood.

DIY Bee Hive Sign

You know how much we love the power of paint. We came up with the idea to make a sign for Jenn’s home office. Other than knowing that we wanted the signage to be vintage inspired we weren’t quite sure what we were going to make.

DIY Bee Hive Sign. Purdy paint brushes are our favorite.

The top of the lake sign was painted with one thick coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White. Drying time was 24 hours.

DIY Bee Hive Sign. Annie Sloan chalk paint in pure white.

We searched one of our favorite sites for vintage graphics…The Graphic’s Fairy. She had this fabulous beehive artwork…

BEE HIVE EST 1901

 

We added the EST. 1901 at the bottom to commemorate the year that Jenn’s Victorian home was built. Cute, right?

We have never used iron on transfer paper on wood before. Throwing caution to the wind we decided to just go for it.

This transfer paper is hands-down our most favorite paper to work with. We used it make our Drop Cloth Farmer’s Market Tote Bags, THIS pillow and THIS pillow. Affiliate link provided for your convenience. 

You can purchase the Transfer Artist Paper HERE. We printed the beehive graphic in reverse on our home computer.

Transfer Paper

Once you’ve printed your design, you just use an iron (without water on the steam setting) to transfer the graphic to the wood. Be very careful to not burn yourself. Also, do not leave the the iron too long on the graphic as it can burn the wood. Make sure to gently pull back the transfer paper. If parts of it art stuck, put the hot iron back onto that area. You want to remove the transfer right away while it is still hot. Let it cool down completely before you touch it.

DIY Bee Hive Sign. The background was painted in Pure White chalk paint by Annie Sloan

We love how it turned out and is the perfect addition for the home office.

DIY Bee Hive Sign. DIY vintage sign for bee hive.

 

DIY Bee Hive Sign. Looks great paired with the bee skep

 

DIY Bee Hive Sign. Looks like a painted sign.

 

DIY Bee Hive Sign. A thrift store print gets a painted makeover

 

DIY Bee Hive Sign. Faux succulents planted in vintage sugar bowl.

We can’t wait to try using the transfer paper on other wood projects.

DIY Bee Hive Sign. DIY bee hive sign looks great on the vintage table.

 Before and After PicMonkey Image
Blog Signature Vicki and Jenn

And now for more thrifty goodness!

Check out what our fellow upcyclers created below!


18 Comments

  1. Hannah Whalley says:

    This turned out wonderfully! What a great transformation!

    Hannah x

  2. Wondering before and after transformations. Thank you.

  3. I love this sign!! The Graphics Fairy is one of my favorite places for free images. I used this same image on a bench not too long ago. It’s perfect with your blog name too!

  4. Uh oh, I think I need to add transfer paper to me craft stash…lol. Love how easy the transfer paper makes this project.

  5. This is gorgeous. I love the image you chose and I’ve never heard of this type of transfer. I’m going to have to check it out. Wonderful project as always ladies. Love it.

  6. What a great transformation! I love upcycle projects. The finished sign looks beautiful, I love that beehive.

  7. Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com says:

    Love the sign, ladies! Thrift store transformations are my favourite! Hope you’re both having a terrific weekend! Xo

  8. I need to try the transfer paper!! I love this transformation, it looks awesome!

  9. I love this entire process. I have never used these iron on transfers before and I think I may need to start. I was looking around at your blog and I just love it. You have some great posts to read and great projects to look at. Very nice!

  10. It turned out great! And how perfect is it with that bee hive basket? Love the styling.

  11. Ladies this turned out beautifully, I love that print. It’s probably my favorite I’ve seen on her sight. I’ll have to try that transfer paper, it seems like a huge time saver.

  12. I love how this turned out, what a great idea. This would make a fantastic gift for a new homeowner.

  13. This is so crazy cool, you guys! I can’t even believe it’s the same sign. I love the graphic you chose and seriously you can’t beat a dollar. Love this fabulous idea, ladies! Hugs, CoCo

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.