Tuesday, April 2, 2013

MAKE AN AWESOME INTERCHANGEABLE SIGN!

I promised to show you a makeover of that cute little Easter sign that I repaired and here it is....
 I turned that Easter sign into this very cool bee sign with a poem by Emily Dickenson that I just love.  The most awesome thing about this project is that it's totally interchangeable and I didn't have to destroy the original piece, which is this....
 All I had to do was swap out the four pins and put a new sign on the front that I made on pic monkey with a great image from The Graphics FairySuch a great blog and Karen is so awesome! (Thank you Karen for making it all so easy for us!)
 I'm going to show you how you could make this interchangeable sign for yourself in just 6 easy steps.   I had a sign to start with, but you could use a block of wood(any thickness) and it would work the same way.  Let's get started:
 You'll need a block of wood, a couple of mini dowel rods, some buttons and gems, a piece of mylar or clear plastic, hot glue gun and the graphic of your choice.
1)  Drill holes all the way through the four corners of your block.  
     (If you want to be able to put something on top, like I did with
     the egg, drill a hole in the top as well.)
You can see the dowel sticking out on the lower left here.
2)  Cut your mini dowel rods so that you have 4 pieces that fit
      through the block with just about 1/4" sticking out the back.
      If you are making a piece to attach to the top, cut your dowel
      for that as well and make it stick up about 1/4" also. 
I made 4 sets, so I'd have extras with matching buttons for future signs.
 3)  Attach buttons or gems or (like I did, both) on one end of the
     mini dowel rods with a hot glue gun.
Tip:  An easy way to stand your dowels upright while your waiting for glue to set is to put them in a small container some dried beans or gravel.
4)  Make a template out of the mylar that is the exact same size as
      the front of your block of wood.  Trace the holes and punch 
      them out with a standard paper punch.
5)  Make your graphic in whatever program you like and size it to 
     to fit the template.  Now lay the template over the graphic and 
     trace around it with a pencil.  Trace the holes as wellCut it
     out and punch the holes with your paper punch.
6)  Put the graphic over the front of your block. Add the Mylar 
     template over the top to protect it.  Push your dowel rods 
     through from front to back so that the decorative buttons are 
     on the front side.  If you have made something to attach to the 
     top, put it on the dowel rod and insert it in the top hole. 
  There ya go! Your sign is finished in 6 steps!      When you want to change it out...just make a new graphic, remove the pins, use the mylar template to line it up, insert new graphic and and replace the pins.  It took me only about 5 minutes to change the Bee sign into another sign using the logo from my good friend Mel's blog, Mellywood's Mansion.  I put a little crown on top because she is indeed the queen of her home, which she is making over one awesome room at a time!
  Now how fun is that?!  I'm pretty sure I'll be making this sign over a bunch of times.  (Once you have made one, the rest are just new graphics!)  Mother's Day is coming up.....maybe I'll start there!
But for today, I'm loving the bee poem.  I love the simple message behind those words. 
***This project is dedicated to all of my blog friends who are constantly emailing me telling me NOT to take apart something that I made!  You know who you are!***
Enjoy your day and go make a sign for yourself!
  
  Linking up to any or all of the fine parties listed at the bottom of this page as well as HERE and....      

43 comments:

  1. Omg I want my sign!!!!! That is awesome :)

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  2. Oh my goodness this is gorgeous Danni!!!! I love it

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  3. Good grief, Danni! You are fast, love this sign :-)

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    1. ps: hope you link this up at our party today ;-)

      http://withablast.blogspot.com/2013/04/all-my-bloggy-friends-link-party-40.html

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    2. Thanks for linking this at our party, Danni!

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  4. Fun idea, Danni! I love the crown on Mel's sign.

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  5. Now this is just too cute. And what a great way to reuse the wood to change out the signs!!!

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  6. This is so cool! It's right up my ally since I change things out with the seasons. The bee sign is just adorable too. Great idea Danni!

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  7. Awesome project! I love the bee sign :D

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  8. Danni, please do not take this apart. I love it! Plus, Emily Dickinson is just the bomb.

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  9. Your makeover signs are so cool Danni! You really have a great idea going here. It's so very versatile!

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  10. *sshhh* I am making a sign. Really. To use at a table top. Don't tell anyone.

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  11. Hi Danni, it is darling. I know you paid me a sweet visit. If you poked around my site I am not crafty in this way but I greatly admire those of you who are. I followed you on bloglovin. xo, olive from Olive Out

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  12. Like I said...You remain The Quaft Queen!

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  13. That is such a fabulous idea Danni! Love it's reusability for different occasions and holidays. Sooo smart!!!

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  14. Danni, I would have to agree, this is my favorite as well. What a beautiful job. The graphic and quote are pure perfection. Making it all interchangeable is so fitting for you :) and definitely brilliant. I adore that you made a sign using Mel's header. You are a creative genius.

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  15. I shall be stealing some wood from Brian's stockpile to try this one out for sure. Right now I'm still trying to get the lettuce done! I can't keep up with you.

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  16. A standing O for the queen of craft! All hail her highness! She has made something she can take apart without destroying! I LOVE IT!!! I can see a cute little file folder (decorated in your style) for each sign. You can just whip them out as the seasons progress. DO NOT DISAPPOINT, Ms. Baird. This one is a keeper. I am expecting a wonderful sign for each month. Great poem and I am surprised no one mentioned the cute bee on top. Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, etc.

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  17. Love it. LOVE IT. I'm totally doing this.

    I also really really love the Emily Dickinson quote with the bee graphic. So awesome.

    Where did you get your mylar/plastic? How do I go about finding that?

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  18. Seriously Danni, you are so clever.

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  19. Another gorgeous project! I love the bee quote and the way you put it together. And i love that you are able to release all these wonderful creations you make and do something new with it. A real being in the flow!
    hugs my friend xxx

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  20. How do you think of all that amazing stuff you do?!?! That interchangeable sign is so very clever! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

    BTW... You are my featured blog for the The Great Blog Train ;-)

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  21. Such a delightful project. Thanks for the inspiration! I'm a new follower.

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  22. What a great idea. I love how you can use it for all the different holidays and other ways too. Much better than seasonal decor that then needs to be stored. You could leave this out year round

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  23. ee! that is so cute! i love how it is interchangeable danni!

    huggies♥
    rea

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  24. Smart idea from a smart cookie!

    Bliss

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  25. You are just amazing! Love the poem!

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  26. This is adorable! I am returning the follow now :)


    Justina @ http://justinawho.blogspot.com/

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  27. I LOVE your bee sign! Especially the Emily Dickinson quote, I think my mom would really like something like this for mother's day...hmmm

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  28. Hi Danni, I got your message about being a no reply blogger. A couple of weeks ago you told me the same thing and I didn't know what it meant (I am fairly new to this blog thing). So I looked at all of my settings in Wordpress and could not figure out how to change this. Then I tried to search all of the help topics and there was nothing that could help me. I gave up at that point, i'm not sure how to change this. if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them! My e-mail is kraiger5@me.com. Thanks, and I am sorry for being a no-reply blogger!

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  29. CUTE! Danni, you are not only creative, you are clever and thrifty :) It's always a joy visiting you.

    Hugs,
    Stephanie

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  30. It always looks so different! Just like the pallet sign and the bird cage, I can hardly recognize them when you put your imagination into action!

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  31. Hi Danni. Just popping in from the blog hop at Stone Cottage Adventures. I've seen your name pop up at a lot of my favourite blogs. Thought it was about time I checked you out. Am your latest follower. (PS I have a linky party every Thursday called "Thriving on Thursday" here in Australia and would love to see what you've been making.)

    Anne xx

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  32. Thank you for hopping on board The Great Blog Train! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  33. Hi! Rachel from Architecture of a Mom here...I love this sign! And I've definitely been known to take apart crafts I've made to make new things. I noticed you stopped by my corner of the internet and thought I'd check it out over here. Have a great day!

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  34. I will never again tell you to not take a craft apart. Promise. This is a terrific idea to switch it out quickly! I have a problem with storage in this house and anything that can be changed seasonally is a bonus. I love the bees and bit of poetry!

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  35. Another genius idea! I love bees too. CUTE!

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  36. I love the bee sign! In fact, I am somewhat desirous to have a hive...on my less than 1/4 acre lot. :) Maybe when I move out into the country to become your neighbor I'll get a hive. I also love Mel's sign with the crown, too cute....wait, there's more, I also love that you can take it apart and make it new...but still have the old ones! Great job Danni!

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  37. Danni, you are so clever! I love how you take an great project and then make it so you can easily update it for another season! GENIUS!

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  38. Thanks for the great tutorial and introducing me to the Graphics Fairy! I am headed over there now. I am visiting from Penny's Vintage Home and am a new follower of Silo Hill Farm!
    Come visit sometime! Blessings from Still Woods Farmhouse

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  39. What a unique idea, Danni! I love that you can take it apart and change it up for the season, holiday or just because! Very creative...love it!
    Debbie :)
    Oh, and I have to pin this one...

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  40. Danni, I just love this project!! What a great way to be able to change out for seasonal decor, or when you just want a change and it looks quite easy to do! That bee sign is so adorable. Love it and pinned ~ Amy

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