Be Thankful Faux Pallet Art

I have a fun new project and material to share with you today! It’s my Be Thankful Faux Pallet Art sign!

Doesn’t this look like real pallet art? It’s not! It’s made with a fun new product called Smooth Finish and FloraCraft® Make It: Fun® Foam! So awesome.

I love how light it is – super easy for hanging anywhere. Though I love it leaning on this little table my Grandpa made that sits in my entryway. It’s a sweet little Autumn display that greets guests as soon as they come in the door!

The process is really easy to do too. Ready for a Tutorial?

This sign is 18″ x 17″. For this size sign you’ll need:

• 1 sheet of 36″ x 12″ x 1″ Styrofoam
• 2″ x 16″ x 1/2″ piece of Styrofoam
• 2 jars of Smooth Finish
• Paint
• Fabric and thin batting, enough to cover a 4″ x 18″ piece of styrofoam
• Sandpaper
• Glue

You can find these  supplies at your local craft store except for the Smooth Finish – that is available at Wal-Mart.

Start with your sheet of 1″ foam. Mark of 4 pieces that are 18″ x 4″.
Using an awesome pink marker is optional but fabulous.

Cut out your pieces. You can use a knife – or this handy heat tool called a StyroCutter® Plus that cuts through Styrofoam like butter.
You will need 4 pieces 4″ x 18″ x 1″ and 2 pieces 1″ x 16″ x 1/2″.

Start by applying the Smooth Finish to the Styrofoam pieces. You can use a pallet knife or a handy spatula. Leave one 4″ x 18″ piece without Smooth Finish.

This stuff takes a little while to dry, fyi. You’ll want to plan on a couple of days to do your project – this will give the Smooth Finish plenty of time to dry fully, you’ll have a better finish if you do.

Here’s a shot of the surface after one coat. You can still see a little of the Styrofoam surface.

Once this first coat is dry, apply a second coat. This will cover all the little bumpy points, and make the foam look more like wood.

Once the finish is completely dry, give the pieces a light sanding with fine sandpaper. Wait. Till. It. Is. Dry. I promise it will be worth it. The sanding really cleans up the surface and makes it smooth and awesome.

Once your pieces are all dry, apply your paint. I started with a base coat of gray because I wanted it to show through the lighter color a bit.

Apply a coat of light yellow next.

Once your yellow paint is dry, dry brush some white paint over the top of the pieces. This will give it a little more of a distressed-wood appearance.

Cover your last 4″ x 18″ piece with a very light piece of batting and a piece of fabric. I used part of a vintage sheet. Shocker right?

Add your lettering the one of the panels. I chose to hand paint mine, I like the look of the more casual style. But you can use a stencil or whatever you’d like.

Lay the 1″ pieces vertically, about 10″ apart. Lay the panels on top and check your spacing. Glue the pieces in place. I used hot glue since the pieces were treated with the Smooth Finish, but you could also use regular glue.

That finishes off your new “Pallet” art!

I love playing with new products and learning new stuff!
Especially when I end up with pretty new Fall décor at the end of it!

You can check out some more fun Pallet Art projects over at Crafts n Coffee and lots more inspiration at MakeItFunCrafts.com!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with FloraCraft: Make It Fun – but all opinions and ideas are my own!

Linking up at Met Monday, Tutorials & Tips Tuesday, Shabby Creek Cottage, 504 Main, The 36th Avenue Party, Block Party, Snap! Creativity and the other fabulous parties on the party page. Make sure you check them out!