"Vintage" Train Signage

I needed to make a gift for my FIL and my Hubby's uncle. They both are really into trains. I had already framed a neat vintage train photo for each of them, but wanted to do something else. I got the idea to make a sign, this is the end result. I absolutely love how they turned out!

I started with a wooden slat, from IKEA to be exact. I had bought a slatted bed base that we didn't end up needing, so I cut it up and used one of the wooden slats as my base. Totally free wood, precut and sanded. Score!

I took black wrapping paper and Mod Podged it to the wood. After it dried, I took sand paper and distressed it really well.

I had a stencil for the letters. I took white and grey acrylic paint, mixed it and dry brushed it on. I wanted it to be spotty and faded looking and it turned out just the way I thought it would.

The railroad logos I found on the internet and printed them off on cardstock. I picked ones that would be meaningful to the recipients, there are so many to choose from that it's easy to do. I Mod Podged them to the sign, and then distressed them with a pencil eraser and went over them lightly with black ink from a stamp pad to "age" them.

The whole thing was then coated with some matte acrylic spray varnish and I was done. If I could do anything differently, I would have covered the sides with paper and distressed as well.

My hubby actually said, "Wow honey" when I showed him my finished product. That was a first for me, so I'm hoping that the recipients will like them too!

Please click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing. Happy Handmade Christmas!