Halloween is the perfect time of year to try new things and DIY new Halloween decorations. A few years ago, I created a witches lair in my living room and always wished it had a designated broom parking area!
This DIY witches broom parking sign will give you a glamorous new Halloween sign for your Halloween decorating, and will also teach you how to iron vinyl onto wood. (It is not as scary as you think)
If you are new to using a Cricut, here are some of the best reasons for you to run out and buy one now! And here are some more Cricket Halloween projects for you to try.
Here is what you will need to make your DIY Halloween sign:
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A blank piece of wood
Acrylic paint in spooky dark colors
Glitter Heat transfer vinyl
A Cricut (Plus weeding tools and a large mat)
Paintbrushes
An iron or easy press
How to make your DIY Halloween sign
You are going to want to start out by prepping your wood board. My board was from Hobby Lobby. It was simply a blank palette sign with a rope hanger.
You can use a similar sign that is pre-made like this, or simply use a piece of scrap wood.
I decided to paint my board with a dark blue and brown gradient to give it a more non traditional Halloween look.
I used acrylic paint and alternated colors while blending them together.
You can use any acrylic paint color scheme that works for you. You could also simply stain the board if you want it to have a more natural look. I found that when you are ironing vinyl onto wood, it will stick to most painted surfaces as well as plain wood.
Prepare your Wording to Print out on your Cutting Machine:
To create the wording for my sign, I first used Illustrator to type out the text and draw out the curvy line. I then saved it as an SVG. Sign up for emails and get the file free here.
You can also type out what you want on your sign directly in Design space. Make it as fun and as spooky as you like.
Print out your design on Cricut Heat Transfer Vinyl
In design space, import your svg. Resize it so that it the right size for your board. My board was 11×22 inches, so I had to use the larger Cricut mat.
When you are ready to print, hit “make it” and be sure to click the “print reverse” button.
Turn your settings dial so that it is on HTV and load your heat transfer vinyl on to your mat.
Make sure the clear liner is face down on the mat. You can check this by peeling up a little corner of your vinyl to make sure. It is also usually the more shiny side.
Press the flashing Cricut light and the printer will start to cut out your design.
Weed out your DIY Halloween sign
Using your Cricut tools, carefully weed the background off the liner so only your image is left. It will look backwards, but this is the side that will be adhered to the sign.
How to Iron Vinyl onto Wood
Ironing HTV vinyl on wood is similar to ironing on material. You do not need to preheat the wood. Simply place the HTV where you would like it to be on the wood.
Make sure the liner is now on top so the image looks the way it should on the Halloween wood sign.
You can use an easy press (easiest option) or a regular iron. Follow the directions for your specific iron on vinyl as far as what temperature to use.
My iron is the cheapest iron you can buy, so I just place it on max temperature and make sure there is no steam.
Place heavy pressure on the area that you want to press and hold it down for a minute. Lift up your iron and check to see if it is adhering to the wood.
If it is, move to another area and repeat, if it isn’t, add more pressure and hold it down for another minute.
Once you have all of the lettering heated and pressed, let the sign cool completely.
Check out your Iron on Wood Halloween Sign
When your sign is cooled, carefully peel the clear liner off of the wording. If any part is not sticking, get the iron out and press it one more time.
Peel off the liner and enjoy your awesome sign!
Finishing your DIY Halloween wood sign
For my witches broom, I used one of those smelly cinnamon brooms. I love the smell of these in the fall!
I added little wrap of gold ribbon around the broom handle to make it look a little more fancy.
Next, I attached the witches broom with a bracket. I simply drilled this into the sign using small wood screws. (Don’t use long screws that are to big as they will drill through the sign- a note from experience)
Add the broom to the brackets and add hangers to your sign if needed.
Take a moment to enjoy your Witches broom parking sign
Because it is awesome!
The Finished Sign:
FAQ on Ironing on HTV onto Wood
Q. Do you have to use a certain type of wood?
A. Not necessarily, but I would recommend using as smooth of wood as possible. My wood was textured, and it did work, but it is much easier to adhere to a smooth surface
Q. Can I use glitter HTV?
A. Yep, it works just fine
Q. Can you iron on a painted surface
A. Yep, I ironed over acrylic with no adverse results. If you are ironing over white paint, however be aware that the paint may yellow a bit.
Q. Can I use a Cricut to stencil a sign?
A. Yes, check out this Nursery Cricut sign
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed creating your own DIY Halloween sign. It is always fun to try new things and ironing on wood was new for me!
If you like Halloween inspiration, be sure to check out these Halloween tipsy pots, heads in jars and this easy Cheesecloth ghost.
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