Aunt Netter's Cafe Outdoor Sign

Those of you that follow along on Instagram get a pretty good, albeit random, view of my life behind this blog. Over the last couple of weeks there have been a lot of baseball game, basketball camp and Aunt Netter's Cafe pictures making regular appearances. 

The first two are pretty self-explanatory, it is summer, and I have two little boys who love sports, the end. That last one many of you may not know about, unless you are a local to the area, but if you ever find yourself in Northeast Kansas you should stop by for breakfast or lunch.

Today, I am going to share details on the sign I painted for my very good friends, and the owners of Aunt Netter's Cafe. Next week, I will take you on a tour of the cafe, share some before/during/after pics and of course show off the amazing cupcakes that started this whole adventure. So be sure to come back by!

Let's get on to the details of the sign. I got out of the whole putting it together task, I got to do the fun parts, staining and painting. This sign is just over 4 feet tall and is 3 feet wide, oh and the logo needed to go on both sides. This first picture is the sign after I stained it.

These next couple of pictures highlight a few pointers anyone can use for creating and painting your own wood signs.  I did not trace or use a projector for this project, instead I hung my Aunt Netter's Cafe t-shirt next to me and drew out the lettering and cupcake image with chalk. 

Then, I just painted right over the chalk. Once the paint was dry, I just took a dry rag to wipe away any chalk lines that were still visible.

This last tip is what makes the sign look more refined. Make a shadow outline on your lettering and image, this not only makes everything standout more, it gives the entire sign a more finished look. Go ahead look at the picture above again, and then take another look at the one below. Notice a difference? Since this was going outside, it also got a good coat of sealer before it was moved to it's new home.

Here is the front of the cafe, just waiting for it's new sign to make it official.

Here is my hubby, in the blue, and one of the cafe owners, in the gray, carefully listening to the other owner and I's opinions direction to get the sign hung in just the right spot.

And, here it is! The cafe opened the next morning and has been busy ever since!

This was such a fun project to do, it totally pushed me out my comfort zone as far as the size of this sign. That, and the fact that this was going to be out for everyone to see, most of the stuff I work on stays in my home and is really only seen by friends and family. It was a great challenge for me, and a great addition to this labor of love for my friends.

Be sure to visit the Aunt Netter's Cafe facebook page here, and if you find yourself in the area, stop in for breakfast or lunch, and be sure to grab a cupcake while you are there!