Everyone loves a sale! (especially a craft supply sale!)
We’ve all seen them… the enticing SALE signs at Hobby Lobby at the end of every season. 90% off “The Spring Shop”- count me in! Then you get there, and look at the 20 awesomely-framed painted metal signs that say “I love my dog”… and you don’t have any dogs. What’s a girl to do but buy 5 of those signs (or 10, but who’s counting?) and do a super easy Hobby Lobby DIY upcycle?! I got my signs at Hobby Lobby, but painted metal signs from any other craft store or the thrift store should work just as well! (Note: make sure it’s painted and not sealed for this method; if it’s not you could still upcycle it but would need to use a different method.)
Once you figure out you can actually turn these pre-made, ready to hang signs into whatever piece you want, the sky is truly the limit. I admit, I love the framed Farmhouse sign trend. I’ve just been too lazy to make the framed signs myself (I’m just not a wood cutter!), so these are extra handy for me. This tutorial applies to unframed metal signs too though! I have given these beauties as teacher gifts, added them to my spring display, given them as Christmas presents… nothing is more versatile then a pre-made sign!
Metal sign DIY upcycle materials:
- A Hobby Lobby (or other craft store) metal painted sign
- 100% acetone nail polish remover
- A paper towel
Now you’re ready to get started on your Hobby Lobby DIY upcycle! Put the nail polish remover on the paper towel (not soaking it, just enough to wet it because the texture of the paper towel will help remove the paint too), and rub the towel in circles. That’s it!! You should see the painted design start to disappear. Keep rubbing the sign in circles and moving to a different spot on the paper towel as it gets too saturated with the dried paint. When you’re done you should have a blank metal sign, just waiting for your own design!
Sign upcycle helpful tips:
- The nail polish remover dries fast but make sure it’s totally dry before you add your design!
- You might be able to see a faint outline where the previous design was on some signs, but once you add your design you shouldn’t even see it.
- You can put a stencil on the sign and paint it or use removable or permanent vinyl.
- Don’t like the color of the sign frame? No problem! Just re-stain it, using painter’s tape to protect where the frame meets the sign if desired.
My Hobby Lobby DIY Sign Upcycle
I snapped some pictures of my latest upcycle, which happened to be for my main spring display this year. I will definitely do an in-depth demonstration of how I stencil a sign using my Silhouette Cameo, so I won’t go into detail on that in this post! I used Photoshop to design my hoppy Easter bunny (using the script and capitals version of one of my favorite fonts, Amastery!) then opened my design in my Silhouette software and traced the design. I cut my stencil, weeded it, and transferred it to my now-blank metal sign.
I hope you enjoyed this easy (and addicting!) Hobby Lobby DIY upcycle. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog to get notified when Part 2 (non-metal Hobby Lobby DIY sign upcycle) is published!