Make sure your guests know where to get their photo props and where to share their photos with this easy selfie station sign!
Every party or occasion has photos, and if you’ve got photo props or a beautiful backdrop, you want your guests to know to use it. With my wedding coming up, I wanted a pretty way of telling guests where to get their props, to take photos and then where to share them, and so I decided to use some scrap wood I had lying around to make an eye-catching large arched sign. Being made from wood it’s heavy enough to just be propped up on a table against the wall, and I chose colours that not only go with our colour scheme, but will also stand out beautifully against the flint wall it’ll be leaning against. I’ll be sure to share photos of all my creations in place from the day, but in the meantime I’ve just propped it up against a wall on the sideboard in my dining room. I created the text and image vinyls from a font I bought from SaltyInkFonts called ‘Sophisticated’ and found a free stock image that I converted into a cut file myself in Cricut. If you want to make this, and don’t want the faff of making your own cut files, then head to my shop where you can find digital downloads of the SVG’s that I made and used. Keep reading to find out what I used and how I made my wedding welcome sign…
Wood sheet
Sandpaper
Wood saw
Wood primer
1.
First of all, measure and cut your wood sheet to size. You can get this done in stores like B&Q or you can do it yourself with a wood saw - just be super careful!
2.
To draw the arched top, measure out and draw a centreline down the wood sheet. Then tie a piece of string around your pencil and hold the other end on this centre point at a distance from the pencil that is the same as half the wood sheet. Hold the pencil lead down and swing it around with the thread taught between the pencil and your finger to create the arch.
3.
Next you want to remove the wood above this arched line. To do this, you’ll either want to use a jigsaw, a multi-tool or a coping saw. A coping saw is different to the one I used here, which is far from ideal for a curve and made my life a lot harder. Learn from my mistake and get yourself a coping saw!
4.
Use a sanding block with some sandpaper or an electronic sander to smooth the edges and remove any splinters,
5.
Paint a layer of wood primer all over to prevent your wood (especially if it’s MDF) warping or expanding.
6.
Once the primer is dry, paint a coat of your chosen paint colour all over. Be sure to let it dry and then give it a light sanding.
7.
Once dry, paint a second coat all over and leave to dry thoroughly.
8.
Use the measurements of your sign to create a template in Cricut Design Studio, and use your chosen font/images to create your sign details. You can find mine available in my shop here.
9.
Use your Cricut to cut these details out of permanent vinyl. I used the rotary blade, with vinyl selected as the material and the default pressure.
10.
Once your sign details are cut out, use the Cricut basic tool set, specifically the weeding tool, to remove the excess vinyl.
11.
Before transferring or sticking anything on your sign, do a dry fit and make sure you’re happy with sizing and placement.
12.
Finally, use transfer tape or masking tape to transfer your vinyl to the sign. Be sure to use the scraper tool to ensure the vinyl is properly stuck to the sign. If you plan on having your sign outside, you may want to give it a coat of a sealer.
