This is a tutorial on how to make family established signs. These last name plaques for the house are great family wood sign ideas. I’ve included free family established printables here as well.

I love the cozy and rustic feel of a family established sign. They make for a super cozy wall decoration. They are also great as a unique wedding or anniversary gift.

There are a ton of Etsy shops that will make a customized one for you.

But what fun is that just to have some stranger make your family plaque?

Here, I show you a super easy way to make a Family Established Sign in print, on wood or on canvas.

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Start with a blank piece of wood or pallet sign.

In case you’re like me, I’m not that into woodwork so I prefer just buying mine pre-made.

Here are a few of my favorite picks for blank pallet signs available through Amazon.

Print the size appropriate for your sign your family name and established year.

I like to cut up the printout so I can customize the spacing appropriate for the board.

Create a fancy monogram of the first letter of the family last name.

This isn’t absolutely necessary but it really makes it look professional.

I’ve made printable monograms of all the letters in this style. It is available in my resource library. There are lots of goodies in there so you will have to provide your email to access the printables.

Use newspaper as copy paper.

I like to sandwich the newspaper between the printout and the wood. Then I trace out the outline of the letters and image.

Seal the edges of the letters

The wood is uneven and paint will bleed. I like to use modge podge or elmers glue in a pinch. I just take a q-tip and smear it along the edge of the letter.

Fill in with paint or marker.

I have used both acrylic paint and sharpies to do this. They make these really easy to use Acrylic Paint Pens now that work really well for this project.

Get creative with the layout on the wood sign!

Depending on the size and shape of your sign, there are many different options you can choose from.

Here are a few example mockups:

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That’s it! Super Duper Easy!

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