Capture your favorite fall festival activities with this DIY Fall Festival Sign… it makes a great decoration for your fall porch or lawn!
My Fall Festival sign is sponsored by DecoArt. As always, the ideas and opinions are all my own.
I love all of the fun activities that surround fall… football, haunted houses, hay rides, warm apple cider… it all just feels so comforting, don’t you think? I miss the anticipation of being a kid and going to the big fall festival that is held every year with so many of those favorite activities. (If you ever get the opportunity to go to the Circleville Pumpkin Show in Ohio, jump on it!)
Fall Festival Sign: Fall Porch Decor
Supplies
- 4 Unfished wood arrows
- 1″ x 2″ wood board
- Finish nails and hammer
- Saw, if needed
- Wood glue or Gorilla Glue
- Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints in Timeless (light putty color), Cameo (dark rust/orange color), Estate (dark brick color), Heirloom (camel color), Inheritance (deep mustard color), Everlasting (white), Heritage (pumpkin color), Rustic (brown) and Carbon (black)
- Americana Decor Angle Brush
- Small detail paint brush
- Americana Decor Ultra-Matte Varnish (for outdoor use)
Directions
Depending on the size of your 1″ x 2″, you may want to cut it down shorter. Mine was 8′ so I cut it down to about 5′.
Paint arrows and 1″ x 2″ with Timeless Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint. The coverage is great so you should only need 1 or coat or possibly 2 if you want to cover any heavy grain in the wood.
Now for the fun part! Decide what activities/treats you’d like on your fall festival sign. I certainly don’t have a large repertoire of fonts in my own handwriting (unless you count my different styles of chicken scratch) so for some of the signs I traced stencils in pencil and filled in with paint.
Here is how I painted my signs:
Boos Cruise/Haunted Hay Ride Fall Festival Sign
They didn’t call it a “Boos Cruise” when I was a kid ;), but I always have loved haunted houses/forests and hay rides!
I used Carbon Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the “BOOS CRUISE” lettering and ghost eyes, Everlasting Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the ghosts and Estate Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the “Haunted Hay Ride” lettering.
S’mores Bar Fall Festival Sign
S’mores always have been and always will be one of my favorite things about fall!
I used Rustic Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the lettering, fire logs and marshmallow roasting sticks, Everlasting Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the marshmallows, Estate Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the inner fire and Heritage Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the outer fire.
Jack-o-Lantern Carving Fall Festival Sign
I used Heritage Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the “Jack-o-lantern” lettering and jack-o-lantern, Carbon Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the “carving” lettering and Rustic Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the jack-o-lantern stem.
Cider Stand Fall Festival Sign
I used Cameo Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the lettering, Heirloom Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the apple basket, Estate Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the apples, Inheritance Americana Decor Chalky Finish mixed with Rustic Americana Decor Chalky Finish for the top and middle bands on the apple basket, Heirloom Americana Decor Chalky Finish mixed with Rustic Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the pin stripes on the apple basket, Carbon Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the metal part of the handle and apple stems and Rustic Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint for the wood part of the handle.
Once the signs have dried, attach them onto the 1″ x 2″ in differing directions with Gorilla Glue followed by finish nails. Add a touch of Timeless Americana Decor Chalky Finish over the nails to camouflage them.
If you plan to use your Fall Festival sign outdoors, apply a coat of Americana Decor Ultra-Matte Varnish to seal and protect the sign from the elements. Once completely dry, repeat 2 – 3 more times for maximum protection.
Decorate your porch or yard for fall with your Fall Festival Sign, or better yet, throw an actual party with these activities! Maybe I’ll get around to that someday… not sure how I could manage the haunted hay ride though. Any ideas? 😉
You can find even more fun ideas for your fall porch here!
Lindsey says
Approx how big are your arrows? I’m having a hard time finding similar ones that don’t cost a ton! Super cute!! Thanks
Lydia says
Thanks so much! They’re 6 x 16.
mikal shone says
these hand painted signs are so adorable that taking my soul out of my body… loved them
Lydia says
Thanks so much Mikal! 🙂
Lubna says
That’s so cool. I love your signs. These will look great for an outdoor party.
Lydia says
Thanks so much Lubna! Happy Monday! 🙂
Trish says
I love hand painted signs and yours is so clever. Thanks for the great idea!
Lydia says
Thanks so much Trish, I appreciate that so much! 🙂 Have a great week!
Joyce says
Love the catchy sayings.
Lydia says
Thanks Joyce!
Susie says
Boos cruise..luv it! And the signage creation! Will be adding this to my yard collage of decor.
Lydia says
Thanks Susie! I’d love to see it when you’re done! 🙂