Quick Valentine's Day Sign

I'm on a kick with vintage-looking Valentine's Day Signs!

I got this balsa wood from Joann's a few months ago, but the project I needed it for was better with basswood, so this has just kind of been sitting around. After the Schmigadoon swan, however, I figured I'd try to make another sign, this time, for love potions!

I just love anything that has to do with magic. I saw a potions sign from Target (I saw it last Halloween season, but I didn't buy it because I figured at some point I could make it myself - and now I really do feel like I could churn it out quickly!) So I used my Cricut once again to find a font I liked to make stencils. I also found this cute image of a cauldron, so I that out as well. 

I painted the wood pink (and honestly, next time I think I'd go even lighter on the pink), and laid out my letters and cauldrons to see where I wanted everything to go. I ended up painting over it once because I just didn't like how it was turning out, so I started again (hey, you don't know until you try). 

Once I had everything in a good spot, I just turned on a podcast and began painting. What I really liked about this project was I didn't need the sawhorses to hold the wood - I could just hold in in my hands and paint. It's probably risky that way, but it felt way more relaxing. This process was fairly quick too - it was done in about two nights. 

I thought it looked good once I was done painting, but I decided to scuff it a bit with sandpaper to make it look a little weathered (though you can't really see it in the picture). I did note that I should be paying more attention to the paint I buy - a matte red would have worked better for scuffing than gloss, but I just find shades I like at the store and throw them in my basket without thinking about it. I'll be more mindful in the future. 

I do want to drill some holes in this to add a wire for hanging. I think it would look good in my kitchen above my main window. 

This has given me ideas for the other holidays as well, which I'm really excited about. After making some bigger items for outside, these smaller projects will be fun to complete :) I've got a St. Patrick's Day idea and I'm normally not big on that one, so stay tuned for that!

What I Listened To: 

Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend with Guest Moses Storm. I LOVED Moses Storm's HBO special. I'd never heard of him before, but it was SO. GOOD. I listened to him on Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Abuse of Power which was fascinating and I highly recommend. This one was good too - it was more about his relationship with Conan and how working with him launched him more into the standup world. 

Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Abuse of Power with India Oxenberg - NXIVM. I've consumed everything NXIUM and I was a little skeptical at first because, what could this podcast offer that the other documentaries haven't? But the hosts ask a lot of great questions that haven't been posed before, so I would recommend it :)