Get ready for the autumn season with these easy fall decorating ideas! Learn how to create a charming mini fall directional sign to stage with white painted pumpkins to add a touch of seasonal charm to your home!
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One fine rainy day this September, my son and I head into town and stopped in at a local thrift store to gather up on some supplies for fall decorating ideas to make.
I think collecting thrift store finds to make your own custom home decor any time of year is so inspiring! It makes you visualize what you would like to make vs. buying ready-made! Which can not only be so much more affordable and earth-friendly, but more custom and creative too!
However with fall on the horizon, I was up for some fresh ideas for fall accessories that could possibly chime in well with faux or real pumpkins.
And such was the case when I came across this little wooden inspirational sign. Someone went to great lengths doing a fantastic hand lettering job with their Faith, Love and Hope message!
However, my mind went immediately to a special stencil that I had hoped would fit the planks perfectly…
And boy did it! It became the perfect companion teamed together with a group of faux pumpkins!
However even if you aren’t lucky enough to land a sign to revamp like I did, this idea couldn’t be easier to replicate using 3 random sized boards! Because this cute looks good everywhere! And couldn’t be easier to make.
Here’s how:
Fall decorating ideas: mini fall directional sign with pumpkins
Supplies you’ll need:
Pumpkins, Cider, Hay Rides, Fire Pit stencil
3 wood planks (mine measure 3.25″ x two at 10.25″ long and one at 15.25″ long)
Sprigs of faux fall-themed foliage, such as flowers, grasses, wheat or foam pumpkins
Wood glue (optional if using tongue and groove planks)
Sanding the wood sign to clean it up
1. Clean up the wood by lightly sanding it down to bare wood.
I could have sanded the original lettering off, but just using the bare back was faster and easier!
However, you are building a mini directional sign like this from scratch, here’s what I’d do:
How to build your own sign
Lumber cut lengths of mine:
- 3 thin tongue and groove planks were glued together.
- Two boards: 3.25″ x 10.25″
- One board: 3.25″ x 15.25″
How-to:
- Cut three planks of wood with two the same length and one longer one for the middle.
- Flip the boards good side down.
- Arrange as desired.
- Brace them from behind by attaching two vertical boards on the back using very short screws.
If using thinner tongue and groove wood like how mine was made, it looks like the planks were glued together. You could also use a finishing nail gun for extra durability.
Pumpkins, Cider, Hay Rides, Fire Pit stencil
Selecting a fall directional sign stencil
What I love most about this stencil with little fall directional sign sayings are that they’re compact enough to fit most anywhere desired! So they they can fit great on smaller planks, a wood serving tray, TV tray, burlap placemats, etc.
2. Decide which plank will be painted in which saying.
Since I was displaying this sign with some faux pumpkins I had on hand, all I really cared about most was using the Pumpkins stencil. Then I choose the other two stayings based on the arrows rotating their directions.
How to stencil a mini fall directional sign
3. Stencil each plank with a saying.
I stenciled Pumpkins on the middle plank, then Cider above it, and Fire Pit below it.
How to stencil for flawless sharp lines and no stencil bleed:
- Dip dome-tipped stencil brush into paint.
- Remove most paint onto a rag until the brush ‘feels dry’.
- Hold stencil in place or use masking tape.
- Tap or swirl brush through the stencil images until coverage and effect is met.
You can learn many more tips on how to stencil, clean stencils, or store them in THIS post.
My chosen signs of Cider, Pumpkins and Fire Pit with rotating arrow directions turned out as cute as can be!
That fit though… it’s like those thin tongue and groove planks were made for this stencil!
So let’s add some additional fall decor to pretty-up this little fall directional sign to decorate it up to the hilt!
Adding twine to detail the fall sign
4. Wrap thin twine around each of the longer plank ends.
I simply wrapped the twine several times, then knotted it.
Attaching faux fall foliage to decorate the fall sign
5. Embellish the two twine areas by stuffing in some faux flowers through the twine or hot gluing some foam pumpkins directly onto the sign.
I grabbed a few bunches of fall foliage from the dollar store, then clipped them smaller to embellish my little directional sign.
These faux flowers had barley, pinecones, silk leaves and faux white styrofoam miniature pumpkins attached! So sweet and incredibly versatile too!
Shop for these cute fall accessories:
Finished mini fall directional sign with white painted pumpkins
Then all that’s left to do is hang it up the mini fall directional sign where desired to create your own version of a pumpkin farm in full swing during the fall season!
I placed a grouping of freshly painted faux pumpkins on my new shed porch for this fall photo scene! I can see that porch coming in mighty handy already!
Painted white pumpkins how-to
How I painted the pumpkins on Hometalk HERE
I’ve had these foam pumpkins for years! They use to be orange but had seen much better days, making them long overdue for a makeover.
So I repainted them in Fusion’s Raw Silk, then used Antiquing Glaze to tone down the white and create a little more realism!
But I also did something special on the back of the pumpkins too! Be sure to see the pumpkin transformation on Hometalk in video format… it’s a good one!
Shop for:
Styling ideas for a mini directional fall sign
And of course, the mini fall directional sign is cute enough to stand on its own as well! Here’s some ideas:
- hung on a front door
- positioned on a fireplace mantle
- fall living room wall
- front porch
- attached to a large wreath made from fall leaves
- on a post in one’s own pumpkin patch
Other ways to use this stencil:
As for the stencil design, I could see it used on serving trays, tv trays, stenciling pillow covers to create cute new fall pillows, t-shirt… however I really love it on simple separate wood planks.
This turned out to be a very versatile budget-friendly piece!
However for today, this white pumpkin display with its own fall sign for simple and sweet fall decorating ideas is perfect. A few gourds and mini pumpkins for an additional pop of interest would look equally cute!
Video tutorial: how to stencil on wood
Watch the video above to capture how to stencil on a wood serving tray decked out for fall! All the same stenciling principles apply.
Visit the full acorn wood nut serving tray tutorial HERE
Aren’t the tones, textures and woodsy warmth of these fall decorating ideas simply sublime? I’m feeling more ready than ever now!
How about you? Are you ready for fall?
Visit more unique fall decorating ideas:
How to create fall wood signs on most anything!
Create scrap wood pumpkins with this easy stencil kit!
Make easy fall directional arrow signs with 3D tips HERE
Visit MANY more of my unique fall decorating ideas HERE
Fall decorating ideas: mini fall directional sign with painted pumpkins
Tools:
Supplies:
- Pumpkins, Cider, Hay Rides, Fire Pit stencil
- 3 Reclaimed wood planks - 3.25" x two at 10.25" long and one at 15.25" long
- Dome tip stencil brush
- Fusion Mineral Paint - Coal Black
- Fusion Mineral Paint - Raw Silk
- Fusion Mineral Paint Antiquing Glaze
- String or twine
- Glue gun
- Wood glue (optional)
Instructions:
- Cut wood boards to length desired. Mine are 3.25" x 10.25 long (2) and 15.25" long (1).
- Join boards together by gluing if tongue and groove wood, or attach at back with two support boards screwed into place.
- Stencil in a saying in Coal Black on each board, rotating direction of the arrows.
- Wind with twine on both sides of longer board.
- Decorate around string areas with faux foliage as desired.
- Mount sign where desired.
Painting faux pumpkins
- Clean pumpkin surface, then coat with Raw Silk.
- For a realistic look, brush Antiquing Glaze on top, then remove most with a cloth. Allow to fully dry.
- Arrange sign with pumpkins for a pumpkin farm vibe!
I love this cute fall wall decor. It is so cute with the little mini pumpkins and I love how you can customize it to say what you’d like. I have never worked with mineral paint before so I am excited to try something new! Thanks for this tutorial.
This is so cute Donna and a great idea!
Tania