How to Make Welcome Home Signs

No matter how hard you try to make a foreign place feel like home, you always fall short. That's why finally getting to return home is such a wonderful feeling and a joyous occasion worth celebrating. Make your returning loved one feel very welcome by letting her know how excited you are to have her back with a homemade welcome home sign. You don't need to spend a fortune having a sign-printing company make the sign for you, all you need are a few inexpensive supplies from the craft store.

• 1

  Print out individually the letters within the phrase "WELCOME HOME," with each letter taking up of one sheet of printer paper. You'll have to play around with the size of the font, as it will depend on the font you decide to use. A font that's less curvy and move block-like is easiest to work with. You may also choose to print out the letters for the person's name you're making the sign for.

• 2

  Tape down one printed out letter over a piece of freezer paper on your cutting mat with masking tape. Tape the freezer paper so it's shiny side down. Trace the outline of the letter, through both layers of paper, with a craft knife. Repeat this process for each letter.

• 3

  Iron the freezer paper stencils shiny side down onto the muslin once you have them arranged as desired. Place the "WELCOME" horizontally across the top of the 72-inch-long fabric. Place the "HOME" horizontally across the bottom half, so the words are centered and stacked. Set your iron to a medium setting. Iron over each piece of freezer paper for about 30 seconds, or as long as it takes for the paper to adhere to the fabric.

• 4

  Use your stippling brush and fabric paint to fill in the letter stencils with a quick up-and-down patting motion. Don't brush the paint back and forth, as this may cause the paint to spread under the edges of the stencils.

• 5

  Peel the freezer paper stencils off of the muslin fabric from top to bottom. Use a blow dryer to speed up the paint-drying process, otherwise give the paint at least two hours to dry completely before hanging your sign.