DIY Fall Porch Sign Made Using the Cricut

Celebrate fall by creating a beautiful custom DIY fall porch sign with a bit of paint, vinyl and a little creativity.

When it comes to decorating, I tend to decorate for seasons rather than holidays (with the exception of Christmas of course). And Fall happens to be my favorite time of year. I love when the temperature drops and the humidity goes away. I love the crisp air and falling leaves. I love all the delicious food, getting to wear pants again and the overall vibes. To decorate, I like adding little changes, both indoors and outdoors, to create a cozy atmosphere. Indoors, I add natural elements like pine cones and orange garlands, along with warm autumnal colors. I also like to change the art in my photos frames to something more in line with the season. When it comes to the outdoors, adding some faux terra cotta pumpkins, a cute rug and this porch leaner really make a difference.

This DIY fall porch sign is a really fun project to do with your favorite show in the background. You can make it easily using a Cricut machine, but you can also customize your sign by hand painting letters and designs or using pre-cut letters. These signs can be made relatively cheaply compared to buying one AND you can decorate the other side to have two signs in one!

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FAQs

What do you make a porch sign out of?

You can use any type of board size, shutters, raw edge wood, pallets or really any material you like to make a porch sign. I like using a 1 x 12 that’s cut to 48″ or 4 feet because I find it to be the perfect height and there’s plenty of room to add your design.

Do I have to have a Cricut in order to create a DIY fall porch sign?

You absolutely do not need to have a Cricut to make a cute porch sign. There are so many options when it comes to the design. You can use handmade or store-bought stencils to create a design or letters. You could use store-bought wooden letters or apliques. If you have great handwriting and painting skills, you could also just free style the design. The sky’s the limit really.

Should I seal my DIY porch sign?

To keep your sign lasting a long time, I recommend sealing your sign with something like Polycrylic or outdoor mod podge, but it’s not 100% necessary. It really depends on the environment the sign will be in and the elements it will come into contact with like UV rays, humidity, rain, et cetera.

Materials

Board Prep

Pine board: You don’t have to use any fancy wood, unless you want to of course! I buy my 1 x 12 x 8 (1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 8 feet long) boards from either Home Depot or Lowes and have them cut in half at the store so I get two signs, or four if you put a design on the other side. You can also use salvaged wood, wood that you already have on hand or go to places like the Restore where you can get secondhand options like shutters or pallets.

Stain: I really like the look of dark stained wood with the vinyl letters; it really helps them pop. I prefer to use a darker stain, like dark walnut, but you can really use anything you want. You can also paint the background too if you prefer.

Paint: I thought this particular DIY fall sign would look good with a border, so I used my favorite paint, Creamy Mushroom from Behr. It’s a paint and primer all in one and was something I already had on hand. That being said, you can easily use acrylic paint, a darker stain than the original base, or any other type of paint you have on hand. If you’re using a lower quality paint like acrylic, I highly recommend sealing the board with something like Polycrylic.

Additions

Permanent vinyl: For this project I used permanent vinyl from Cricut. It is UV and water resistant, which makes it perfect for an outdoor sign. That being said, the best place to have signs like these with vinyl is either inside or on a covered porch. They will last longer if they are not in direct sunlight or in the elements.

Ribbon: I thought my fall sign needed a cute bow on the top, so I just used some ribbon I had on hand, but it’s so much easier to make a nice bow with wired ribbon. I suggest going to Hobby Lobby when they’re having sales or even the Dollar Tree to find affordable ribbon.

Pumpkin: I found a cute pumpkin wall hanger at the Dollar Tree for $1.25 to add to the bottom of the sign. I thought it added a special touch. If you want to add something similar, I recommend checking out the Dollar Tree or other craft stores that have wooden appliques that you an easily add to the sign with hot glue.

How to Make a DIY Fall Porch Sign

Here’s a quick link to everything you’ll need: https://amzn.to/47yLHvQ

TOOLS YOU MAY NEED

MATERIALS

1 x 12 x 8 pine board (cut in half to 48″)
Sandpaper
Stain
Polycrylic sealer
Painter’s tape
Paint
Permanent vinyl
Transfer tape
Ribbon
Wooden pumpkin (Dollar Tree)
Glue sticks

DIRECTIONS

How to Prep the Board

Purchase a 1 x 12 x 8 pine board and have it cut in half. You can do this yourself or get it done at the hardware store.

Sand the board down first with 120 grit sand paper, then 220 grit to make it nice and smooth.

Wipe the board down, apply your favorite stain following the directions on the can, apply 1-2 coats of polyurethane (optional), then allow the board to fully dry.

Use painters tape to tape around the outer edge of the board, then apply another piece of painters tape right next to the first piece of tape. Finally, remove the first piece of tape to reveal a border.

Using your favorite paint to paint the border around the board, then remove the tape while the paint is still wet.

How to Create and Apply the Vinyl Design to the DIY Fall Porch Sign

Create your design in Cricut design space or use my design here.

Cut out the design on permanent vinyl.

Weed the vinyl using a weeding tool.

Apply transfer tape on top of the vinyl, making sure to use the scraper to get it to adhere to the tape.

Peel the tape from the paper, then apply the letters and words to the board using the scraper. I placed the letters centered and about 1.5″ part from each other.