Welcome Home, Tim & Samantha! (Gabby post)

Hello again, readers! It's been awhile! I hope everyone survived Winter. I'm still not sure I have! BUT, enough about Winter, let's talk about Spring and all the cool projects we get to do now that the warmer weather is here!

Last year when my husband and I moved into a new townhouse, we finally had a little porch of our own, so I was looking around the internet for some cool front porch ideas. I found these cute welcome posts:

Welcome Post How-to

Another cool How-to

I didn't immediately make one though. It wasn't until I found this really cool cast iron hook (see pic below) on a trip to Roanoke with the husband, Tim & Samantha. Samantha and I were roaming around Black Dog Salvage (such a cool place!!) and we came across them. I loved it and knew I was buying it and using it for the front porch post welcome sign!

I went to Home Depot and got all the wood I needed (and they even cut it for me). The rest was super easy (don't worry, I'll give you all the details below). All I did was use wood glue to glue all the pieces together and spray pain the post white. I sprayed a polyurethane coating on it since I knew it'd be outside. The hubby helped me drill a hole in the post to screw in the hook!

I went to Michaels to buy a wooden sign and stained it a walnut color (brush on, let it sit a few min, then wipe off with a towel). I also bought some stencils and spelled out "WELCOME" and painted the letters white to really stand out. I decided to add some dark wax (check out Annie Sloan Dark Wax) to the post and the sign to add some texture. I also sanded the post a little to get a distressed look. The hubby helped me drill some holes into the sign and I used some thick wire to hang the welcome sign. And the rest is history!

My welcome sign in all it's glory!

I bought a ton of different holiday signs and wreathes to put out, so I definitely use the post year round. I love how it makes our front porch more home-y even though we're still renters!

I loved it some much I decided to make one for Samantha & Tim for a housewarming gift. So here comes the DIY part! I had a bunch of extra wood from the one I made, I didn't have to buy any more except the wooden fence post topper.

Here's a list of all the wood I used:

1-1X8 (@ 7.5") (bottom)
1-2x6 (@5.5") (glued to bottom)
1- 4x4 (2 ft in length) (post)
1-decorative wood fence post topper (top)
Gorilla Glue

I marked each piece of wood so I could get each once centered on top of the other, then glued all the pieces together on a warm and sunny day. Make sure you read the Gorilla Glue instructions, it definitely helps to wet the wood surface like they recommend. It didn't take long to dry (maybe an hour) and I was ready for my paint job!

I tried spray painting the post, but it wasn't turning out how I wanted, so I opted for some paint I had on hand- Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Paint in the color 'Wedding Cake'. It turned out beautiful and incredibly easy to paint with. I just used a sponge brush, nothing fancy at all. It did take 2 coats to get it fully painted (I did wait between coats, didn't take long to dry). I sprayed the post with a polyurethane coating so if it rains it will be protected.

I was having a really hard time finding a hook that I loved until I remembered Anthropologie has a ton, and who doesn't love that store? Seriously, it can do no wrong...

Here were my favorites to choose from Anthro:

I chose the one on the right, I wanted something that would stand out on the sign, but would work for anything she decided to hang on it!

I love this hook! Even better in real life! :)

Post with the hook, getting close to the finish!

The final touch was a welcome sign. I wanted to do a pallet sign, so I went to Etsy to see what I could find. I found a shop in Lynchburg, VA and ordered a framed blank reclaimed wood sign from StudioElevenVA. They had a ton of different sizes and even put the hanging hardware on there for me! Reasonably priced and definitely unique, which is what I was going for.

Front of the pallet sign

Back of the sign. The hook is great in case they decide they want to hang it up on the wall instead!

I bought some stencils and placed them on the pallet sign, I had to get creative with the stencils to make them fit.

Then I just used regular Scotch tape to hold the stencil down while I painted.

 I used the rest of the Wedding Cake paint to add the 'WELCOME' to the pallet sign. I used a sponge brush to get the paint in the stencil, the used big strokes to even it out.

 I love the way it turned out! I sprayed the sign with the polyurethane coating too to protect the pain and the wood from weather.

The final touches, a teal ribbon to hang the sign (OF COURSE!) and it was ready for the new homeowners! :)

This was a great way to welcome Samantha and Tim to their new home! I was so excited to give it to them, I could barely keep it a secret!  Check out my blog to see part 2 of their housewarming gift!

Welcome Home, Tim & Samantha!

Love, Gabby & Tyler