Funky Junk Interiors

Old beach sign towel hooks

I think it’s impossible to have too many hanging opportunities in a home. 

Or on vacation for that matter. Between drying pool towels and beach towels, (tough life I know!) during my last vacation getaway to Maui, every chair back in the condo was used. I was always wishing there were a few more hanging options by the front door.

But I will admit… I dreamed this project up before heading to Maui. What if…. I could create a stencil collection that would chime in well with vacations, and make something with them while on vacay?

So… I did!

My condo owner was so very gracious in giving me free reign to make old beach sign towel hangers to leave behind. And during the first week of being here, I knew that this project would not only be pretty, but oh so VERY productive!

And they sure were!

Here’s what I did:

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Old beach sign towel hooks

Find the Getaway Collection stencils HERE

About the stencils

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The Getaway Collection is a set of stencils with vacation sayings. They are also built to mix and match so you can create the exact wording you wish!

Preparing the boards

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1. Cut boards to length, and alternate lengths / types of points for a random look. Sand.

The first stop was Home Depot for new, treated boards to use as old beach sign towel hangers since I didn’t wish to risk a termite issue.

However you can see how I used reclaimed wood in THIS POST once home!

Picket top

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A jig saw was used to add a picket to the top of one plank. At home, I used a miter saw at a 45 degree angle.

Positioning the stencils

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2. Position stencils randomly for a gathered over time look.

The stencils were designed to fit onto basic planks. Bonus, right?! Gotta make it easy.

They were then placed in a staggered way so no two signs were exactly alike.

Stencil tips:

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3. Paint and / or stain the boards as desired. Then reposition stencils as desired.

As luck would have it, some boards were a little darker than others. I didn’t bring stain along and was ready to water down some paint, but ultimately, didn’t need to. A couple boards were painted with acrylic craft paint, and the other two left as is.

The concept… each board had a different look.

I also decided to only use 4 boards instead of 5.

Easy paint tray tip!

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Tip: want a quick paint tray? Slip a plate inside a plastic bag! 🙂 Worked fabulous! What we invent while on vacay… 🙂

Various stencil brushes were used for the stenciling. I like to collect large and small.

And a chip brush was used to add a coat of paint to the planks.

Acrylic paint in beach and neutral tones

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The local Walmart in Maui stocked plenty of pretty acrylic craft paint colours of the sea, so here they are.

I used Apple Barrel acrylic craft paint in tones of:

Tuscan Teal, Cloudless, Laguna, Melted Chocolate, and more.

4. With a very dry brush, (tap onto paper towel or rag to offload) stencil each design, then lift stencil, allowing the image to dry. Lightly sand once cured if desired.

Tips on how to stencil are HERE.

Gotta say, if your images are SHARP, you’ve done a good job on unloading that brush paint. Sharpness is key, that is why you want to achieve a very dry brush.

And don’t be afraid to experiment with different colours and techniques! 

BEACH and HOUSE were both created by starting with one colour, and lightly going over it with others for an oxidized effect.

How to further distress:

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It’s very easy to make these signs look more distressed, but I chose to leave them looking newish this round. But to further distress, beat them with a hammer, and go over lightly with stains or tinted waxes.

5. Hang stencils to dry, or soak them right away / then clean.

Tip: To clean or not to clean?

I no longer clean the stencils after using. I just leave them be. Just make sure they have a chance to dry, and there isn’t any crusty paint along the edges of the letters, and you’re good to go.

Cleaning them is better of course, but it isn’t easy. So if you do clean, soak the stencils RIGHT AWAY until you can get to them.

6. Be AMAZED that your workshop is on beautiful Maui garden grounds. Over kona coffee of course.

I understand… this workshop space isn’t typical. But let’s celebrate this one for a moment anyway, shall we? Because the stencil line I created FOR Maui is happening IN Maui! 

So let’s flip these into old beach sign towel hooks next!

Adding hooks

 

7. Random coat hooks and screws were used to hang up the beach towels.

Hooks are expensive so the odd screw saved a few dollars and looked more random too!

8. Attach boards to the wall by screwing them in, directly into the wall. No fancy hangers needed.


The hallway before. Isn’t it calling for something super cool?

Beach signs on a condo wall!

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These old beach sign towel hooks have become my very fav drop off area for everything beach and pool. Which I truly hope future renters will equally enjoy.

(I wasn’t able to successfully get a picture of the entire thing at once.)

And here’s how I created these beach and getaway signs once home using old fence planks!

And now I can staycation right at home too… even though I’d rather be back in Maui.

Think you’ll whip up a set of vacation signs for home too? Where would you hang them?

Find The Getaway Collection stencils HERE

Find more Old Sign Stencil Projects HERE

Wanna see Maui? Visit all my Maui posts to date HERE