DIY Vintage Number Sign

Learn how to make a DIY Vintage Number Sign ... it's easy with this fun tutorial, and it's the perfect way to celebrate an important date!

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I'm having a hard time believing it, but today is my tenth wedding anniversary!

Just saying that makes me feel old! I met my husband Joel in college, and we were together for quite a few years before getting married. We've been through lots of ups and downs together, and he is the most important person in my life.

I don't want to get too sappy, but I thought I'd share a few pictures from our wedding day.

We wanted to have a destination wedding. After doing a little research and planning, we decided to get married in New Orleans, one of our favorite cities. Our immediate family was there, and the day was perfect!

Now, I have lots of fun wedding pictures, but before I share them all (scroll to the end for more), I have a fun craft project!

I love old, junky, vintage things. So to commemorate our anniversary, I made a DIY Vintage Number Sign with our wedding date.

Although I wanted to make something to commemorate the date (9/25/04), I didn't want anything overly sentimental or too obvious. Anyone who sees it will probably think it's just a vintage house sign, but I'll know what it means!

This sign is the perfect gift for any special occasion, whether it's a birthday, memorable event, or anniversary. Of course, you can pick your favorite numbers (or words) for the sign, too ... no special date required.

How to Make DIY Vintage Number Sign

Want to make your own vintage number sign? Here's what you'll need:

• 1 wood board (these 12 x 24-inch and 12 x 18-inch boards would be perfect)
• medium grit sandpaper
• hammer, pliers, clamp, and other tools for distressing
• 4 thumbtacks
• white paint
• black paint
• foam paint brush
• flat tip and angle tip paint brushes (this set has everything you need)
• paint palette
• printer
• cardstock
• scissors
• painters tape

Tip: I found a 13 x 7-inch board in the scrap bin at Home Depot. If you're not picky about sizes, that might be a good option!

Start by sanding any rough edges. This will help you avoid slivers.

Different Ways to Distress a DIY Vintage Number Sign

After you've sanded the board, you are going to distress it. Do as much or as little distressing as you want - it's up to you.

This can be done a number of ways. Here's what worked for me:

• Hit the board with the head of the hammer, both straight on and at an angle.
• Turn the hammer over, whack the board with the claw.
• Stab the board with a Phillips head pliers. This will give the appearance of wormwood.
• Use a flat head pliers to gouge the edge of the board.
• Hit the board with a clamp or other heavy object.
• Sand the edges and corners of the board so they look rounded and worn.

I had so much fun with this part! All that whacking and pounding was a great stress reliever.

When you're done, lightly sand the surface of the board.

You don't want to get rid of the marks you just made, you just want to smooth out anything that might give you a sliver.

Then flip the board over and add four thumbtacks to the back of the board (one in each corner). This will elevate the board slightly, making painting easier.

Painting the DIY Vintage Number Sign

Pour some white paint in your palette and use the foam brush to cover the top and sides with paint.

Add as many coats as you'd like, letting the paint dry in between coats. Because I didn't want to cover my distressing, I only added two thin coats.

Let the paint dry completely.

Add Letters and Numbers to a DIY Vintage Sign

While the paint is drying, open a blank Microsoft Word document. Type in your numbers, then choose a font. Increase the size of the numbers until they are as large as you desire.

For my sign, I used the Britannic Bold font in 500 point size. Depending on the size of your board, you may want to go larger or smaller.

Print out the numbers on cardstock and then trim any excess paper close to the numbers.

Place your numbers on the board, and when you are happy with the layout, tape them in place (I used packing tape).

Grab a pen and trace over the letters, pressing hard.

This will create an indented outline on your board.

Remove the letters carefully, making sure they are fully traced, and the outline is visible.

Pour a little black paint into the paint palette. Use the flat and slant tip brushes to fill in the numbers. The flat tip brush works best for larger areas and the slant tip brush works best around curves.

Take your time and don't worry if it's not perfect.

When the board is completely dry, use the sandpaper to distress the paint.

Focus on areas where natural wear and tear would take place, like the corners.

That's it! Your DIY Vintage Number Sign is complete.

I'm so happy with how mine turned out. It's such a fun memento of an important day.

Okay, are you ready for more New Orleans wedding photos?

Our wedding was super casual. The only things we arranged before heading to New Orleans were the reverend, a general wedding location, and brunch and rehearsal dinner reservations. Everything else we figured out when we got there, which was a little stressful, I'll admit!

Since it was only immediate family attending the wedding, we had lots of fun, too. Our rehearsal dinner was held at the Rock 'n' Bowl.

We got married in City Park under a huge old oak tree, which we had scouted out a few days earlier.

Our wedding took place just about a year before Katrina hit. There was a ton of damage to City Park and the surrounding areas, but amazingly, our tree survived. We tracked it down when we visited New Orleans in 2011! 

City Park is a beautiful place for photos.

After the wedding and photos, we had a jazz brunch at the Palace Cafe. Like the wedding, it was relaxed and casual.

When the brunch was over, Joel and I spent the day alone together exploring New Orleans and enjoying a decadent meal at Bayona.

Everyone met back at our room after dinner for cake. Joel and I surprised them with our crazy Mardi Gras masks!

We had a reception later for friends and extended family, but I'm so happy we had a small wedding. It was definitely a day I'll never forget!

Here's to another 10 years!