R is for Ratledge - DIY Chevron Front Door Sign

When I was younger I wanted to marry someone
with a simple last name, preferably starting with the letter A

My maiden name is White
I hated always being the last in school because everything goes in alphabetical order!

So I was certain I would marry an "A"

Whoops, I fell head-over-heels, madly in love with an "R"
An "R" that belong to a name I had never heard of before
Ratledge!
Who comes up with these names anyways?

My goodness, I never knew I could be more proud of a name.

It's the Army, people don't know your first name, they know your last name.

First I was "Ratledge's Girlfriend"
then "Ratledge's Fiance"

now I am "Ratledge's Wife"
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
If something can be personalized or monogrammed... It's going to be done.

So here is it, my FIRST DIY "Ratledge Thing" for our future home:

I even impressed myself with this one
and now I will never drive past my house because I forgot which one was mine
(believe me, that's something I would do)

I plan to hang it right outside my door and pray the weather won't destroy it!

To make your own Front Door Sign you will need

• Giant Wood Letter
•  Smaller Wood Letters (FYI if your name is longer than 8 letters you will need teeny letters)
• 2 Colors of Acrylic Paints
• 1 Color light colored spray paint (such as a white, beige, etc)
• Wide Brushes with Flat Ends
• Clear Coat to protect your letter
• Hot Glue Gun
• String or wire to hang it
• A bow or other little embellishment if you wish to use one

 I got all of my supplies from Hobby Lobby!

Let me tell you my first mistake... using spray paint for the stripes.
Don't do it.

Use your spray paint to paint the entire letter, this is your base color, it's basically
so the sides aren't the wood color anymore
(unless you want the wood to show, then don't bother with the spray paint at all.)

Using a wide ruler draw a grid on your letter like the black lines show
and make the chevrons by connected where the red lines are
(use a light pencil so you can paint over this)

 The ruler I used to get straight lines was about 1.5 inches wide, so I used that width to make it easy, no measuring involved and each square was exactly the same!

After you have your grid drawn paint away (using your 2 acrylic paints)!!  

I like to paint the light color first because it's easier to cover up by the darker color.

While you're waiting for your paint to dry on your big letter, start painting your little letters!

Once the Large and Small letters are dry give them a few clear coats, especially if
you are going to hang this outside like I plan to do!

When everything is dry line up your letters, adjust them until they are exactly where
you want and glue them on using a hot glue gun!

I then added the string, hung it outside and gave it about 10 more coats of clear coat!

(I hope nothing can get past my clear coat lol!)

After it dries completely add a little embellishment.

I made the bow out of leftover ribbon from my wedding!
I attached it to a lighter ribbon of the same shade and glued it only on the back of my big "R"
that way I can remove it and change it without damaging the chevron!

Other cute additions would be a pretty flower, a wooden heart glued on, a picture (if you keep it indoors), wooden state shapes, etc!

I hope y'all enjoyed my first DIY post, there will be many more to come!!
This lady is EXCITED for her house, if you couldn't tell ;)