One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to bring home little trinkets, souvenirs and interesting found objects. Looking at these little treasures brings back memories of the fun times that were had during many a vacation. Have you been collecting fun shells and trinkets on your beach vacations? Show off your shell and beachy charm collection on this fun DIY wood slat anchor sign.
For this project I wanted a beach wood look, making sure that the wood grain on the wood slat sign was still visible after painting it. So I created a paint wash. Paint washes are super easy to make and only require two ingredients: paint and water. To create the paint wash, I mixed together a 50:50 ratio of water and light aqua acrylic paint. I used a foam brush to paint wash onto the wood slat sign and let it dry. Luckily, with the paint wash, it doesn’t take too long to dry. So you can get back to crafting in no time flat.
I also wanted the wood slat sign to look more like it had been on a beach being distressed by the salty sea water. So I made another paint wash. This time I used gray acrylic paint and water, again with the 50:50 ratio, and used the same foam brush to apply the gray wash as the aqua wash. No need to waste another foam brush! I also like to have a small bowl of water nearby just in case I need a bit more water in my paint wash.
When the wood slat sign is completely dry, use a glue gun to adhere 5mm jute cording around the edge. This will give the sign a more finished look.
Next, use a pencil to lightly draw an anchor shape.
Use a hot glue gun to adhere all your souvenirs, trinkets, charms, shells, and random findings into the anchor shape that was sketched out; filling up as much of the space as possible. I found it helpful to glue the large pieces first and then fill in with all the small beads, charms, etc.
Now it's ready to add to your beach decor!
Want more DIY beach decor ideas? Check out these posts on how to beachify your summer mantle with a DIY shell wreath, starfish decor and add a bit of flair with a trendy DIY beach sign.