Valentine's Day Door Sign

Do you love the Target $1-$3 bins as much as I do?!  I couldn't believe it when I saw these wood hearts there for only $3!  I grabbed as many as I could and ran, ha. :)

You might recall last year's door sign.  This year, however, I wanted something a little heavier and this wood heart was the perfect starting point.  I started by painting it white.  After two coats of white, I layered one coat of pink on top.  I then took sandpaper and ran it across the entire piece.  I love the amount of white that pops through.  Doesn't it remind you of a pink sweetheart candy?  Yum!

I had my ribbon picked out, but I was undecided on if I wanted black writing or red.  I decided on black since it'd probably be more readable from the street.  Then I got to work on my stencil.

I'm loving all the crafting possibilities I have with my Silhouette cutting machine.  They have so much to offer, including adhesive stencil material.  The best part about it?  It's washable, so you can use it again and again!

I chose a design from the Silhouette store - that was the easy part.  The hard part?  Turning "islands" into "bridges".  I spent a handful of hours researching Google and watching YouTube videos before finally getting the hang of it.  After a few test cuts, my stencil was ready.

I used a pouncer brush to fill in the stencil with black paint.  I let the whole thing dry before removing the stencil.  Then I simply washed it off, attached it to it's backing and stashed it away for another day.

I'm loving my new door sign and fully expect to see it's return next year and the year after! :)
-Ashley