I’m pretty much in love with using signs as décor.  I have a few in my own home, but let’s not add up how many because it might sound excessive.  OK?  Let’s just call it another non-collection.

That being said, genuine vintage signs are pretty pricey.  And these days even buying a newly made sign in a shop can be a bit expensive.  Especially if you want something with a bit of size to it.

So I recommend a DIY approach.

There are lots of different methods out there for achieving this including; using stencils (which aren’t cost effective if you want to make just one item with the stencil, their value lies in repetitive use), hand lettering (which never really looks good for me), transferring a graphic using a gel (which involves printing a graphic the size of your sign, so unless you use a printing service then size is limited) or using a cutting machine like a Cricut or Silhouette to cut vinyl and apply it like a sign (the machines are expensive, there is a bit of a learning curve for using them, and again size is an issue).

All of these methods have their place, but they all have their limitations too.

That brings me to the fab new transfers available from Prima Marketing’s re.design line.  There are several that are perfect for making your own large sign.  I tried it out myself using their Market transfer (transfer provided by Prima Marketing).

This is a large transfer.  I want to point out here that the dimensions listed on the packaging are off.  They say 27.5″ x 24″.  I have no idea what those dimensions are meant to represent, but the actual size of the word ‘MARKET’ is 10″ tall by 47″ wide.  It does come in two separate pieces, one with ‘MAR’ and one with ‘KET’.  Still, those dimensions on the packaging make little sense.  The tube itself is only 13″ tall.

Nonetheless, I had the perfect piece to turn into a sign with this large transfer.  It’s an old closet door!  You might recognize it because I posted about it once before.  Who remembers the door to nowhere?

I thought it turned out pretty fab and would look great just leaning on the wall in someone’s home.  But apparently no one agreed with me on that because it sat unsold at Reclaiming Beautiful.  So a while back I decided to go back to the drawing board on this one.  I brought it home from the shop and realized it would be the perfect size to turn into a jumbo sign using the Market transfer.

But first, the door had suffered a bit of damage over time and I wanted to eliminate the stenciled “1918” because that wouldn’t work for my sign.  So I sanded the door down and added two coats of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, a lovely warm white.

This next step could not have been any easier, and it was definitely faster than most of the other options for making your own sign.

I simply placed the transfer sheet onto my door where I wanted it, taped it in place and then rubbed over the design using the little black wooden stick they supply with the transfer.

Carefully peel the shiny plastic off and ta da!

One large Market sign.

As you can see it just barely fit in my photo cottage (and yes, those are roses from Arlene’s garden).  The sign (ie. door) itself is 77″ wide and 16″ tall.

Of course I realize that not everyone happens to have a vintage door that is exactly the right size for a Market sign, but as I reminded you on Monday these transfers can also be applied directly to the wall.

Try to think of a creative way that you could use one of these in your home.  I can see it applied vertically directly to a pantry door.  It would also look cool applied across the front of a sideboard or buffet.

For those of you wondering where you can purchase the Prima Marketing re.design products, check out their “Where To Buy” page.

But now it’s your chance to win one of three Prima Marketing re.design transfers that would make great signs; Farmers Market, Market and Farm Fresh.

To be eligible to win one of these transfers all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post by Friday, June 29, 2018 at midnight (U.S. central).  I’ll draw three names at random and each winner will get one transfer.

The fine print: no purchase necessary, you must be 18 years of age or older to win, void where prohibited by law, the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning, approximate retail value of prize is $25, if the prize is not claimed by Friday, July 6, 2018 another name will be drawn at random to win, blah, blah, blah.

And by the way, my Market sign is also for sale locally.  If you live near the Twin Cities and happen to need a large sign to hang in your house, be sure to check out my ‘available for local sale’ page.