how to set up a wooden sign painting workshop

Hi there!   I have enjoyed sharing the gift of making wooden signs with some of my friends who like doing crafty things but don’t have the time to prepare them.  I do all the work getting everything set up and they can enjoy each other – drinking wine, socializing & treats! It’s such a good excuse for friends to get together and come away with something special.

I have gotten some questions about how to prepare for these workshops from friends who already make and sell many crafts using the silhouette/cricut, and want to broaden out and start workshops on their own.  So…I thought I’d just let you know the 15 main items I include when I bring these parties to various houses:

I bring with me examples of the signs they are going to create that night, fun ones I have done that seem to fit the theme, along with my logo “heartcraft girl” sign

I  ironed on my logo to these aprons.

I bring all the colors I think they might need for the night depending on the theme and like to include gold and silver too – they are all various types of acrylic paints

I include some wax just in case anyone is into sanding and distressing their sign and adding wax to seal it.  I love Annie Sloan!  (note: it is only sold at specialty shops in your local area, not on Amazon)

Twine adds texture to signs so I always bring it along too!

I have found paper plates are the easiest way for everyone to place their dab of paint & is a good place to mix colors as well.

Sometimes you have to rush things a bit to make sure they are dry before adding another layer – so I like to include a hair dryer just in case!

Drips do happen so it’s nice to have a wet cloth to quickly wipe up any unwanted spills

I stain the frames and even have the background color on them ready to go.  I find it saves time and allows everyone to get started with the font color so they don’t have to wait for the background color to dry.  If it is not dry enough – sometimes the paint will stick to the vinyl.  Plus it looks better too!

I bring a drop cloth to put over the table that I am using.  You never want to have to worry that you’re going to spill paint on someone’s nice furniture!  Canvas drop cloths are inexpensive and work great!

I have the vinyl all cut out (quotes and graphics using the silhouette/cricut machine) and ready for each person with their name on the back.  I used to weed it for them (take off the letters so that the stencil is ready to place on the frame) but I have found that most people enjoy doing it, and it lets them be a part of the whole process of knowing what the Cricut/Silhouette machine does – so now I just bring more tools and let them do the “work”!

 

I now have at least 5 weeding tools for everyone to use.  I love these hooks from Silhouette – they are really fun and easy to use.  The scraper also works great to attach the vinyl to the transfer paper.

And last but not least I include a price sheet just to confirm everyone’s order.  I have them email me their order in advance and I send them a paypal invoice beforehand so that part is all taken care of.

At the end of each party, I like to raffle off one of my pieces – so I actually cut up the price sheet with everyone’s name and put them all into a jar!  Everyone likes to win something fun!

  

And…that’s how I set up a wood sign making workshop.  I basically just bring my own workshop to someone’s house.  Everyone has been so appreciative when I do this – it’s very rewarding.  I have done various workshops for holidays and more generic quotes.  It’s awesome to see how creative everyone is experimenting with color in their own signs – even the same quote can look totally different by using another color.

Happy Crafting!