Whimsically Rustic Fenceboard Sign

So I recently threw a bridal shower for a friend of mine, and I wanted to share a project that I made for the shower. I was going for the Rustic Chic look, and I was trying to find something on pinterest that fit the vision for what I wanted, and I couldn't find it. So I made it myself and figured I'd share it with ya'all so that if you like it you can make one too! ;)

My friend is a photographer and it was important to me to incorporate photography into this project, and she also loves the somewhat rustic look so I took a chance and went pretty rustic. I am so happy with how it turned out and (bonus!) so is she!
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The How:
Pretty simple design concept, really. I started with a piece of fenceboard that I happened upon, and I shortened it up a bit. (I chose to do 5 boards across, at 5' tall). Then I whitewashed the fence by watering down some flat white paint (about 1/2 paint, 1/2 water). I brushed that on and took a rag to some of it to lessen the paint just a bit more. After it dried, I made a stencil of what I wanted on the fence. In this case it happened to be an outline of the state of Idaho, along with a phrase that I felt represented the couple. I used a permanent marker to outline the stencil of Idaho where I wanted it on the wood, then painted over the marker with a small paintbrush and some acrylic paint. Then I placed the word stencils where I wanted them, and painted them with a small brush and the black acrylic paint while I kept them as taut to the board as I could. There was a little bit of bleed, but since I was going for the rustic look I actually kind of liked that. After it was dry I tacked jute rope on the backside of the fence and strung it back and forth over the front in a pattern I liked. I hung pictures of the bride-to-be and her future husband with burlap-fronted clothespins I found at Target. I think if I made a piece like this for my own house or yard, I would probably forgo the jute rope and just stick with the sign, or I would make it smaller so it could hang on a wall and then maybe add pictures to that, but I do LOVE the dimension the photos added for the bridal shower, and if you love to change out pictures it is a nice way to do that! Hope you enjoy! ;)  

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May Your Day Be Beautiful! :)