Easy Vertical Happy Halloween Sign DIY
Halloween might be just a couple of weeks away, but I’m just as excited about decorating as I was in September. That’s why, when I found these vertical frames on clearance at Walmart, I knew I had to make a DIY Halloween Sign.
I’ve been seeing a lot of cute vertical holiday signs on Pinterest and fell in love. Since my porch isn’t very big, a huge sign wouldn’t be ideal. The 11.75″x36″ frames, however, are just perfect! I couldn’t believe they were only $4; even without being on clearance, you can get frames this size for around $12 at Michaels.
I had a little bit of black paint left after another project so I used that to paint the brown side of the cardboard backing. That gave me a nice canvas for a creative DIY vertical Halloween sign. It dried within 30 minutes so by the time I finished weeding the vinyl and cooking dinner it was ready for the next step.
It didn’t take long to get the vinyl transferred over to the frame. I used Cricut Transfer Tape to make sure everything stayed lined up perfectly. If you don’t have transfer tape you can eyeball things to get them lined up how you want.
>>>Get the design for this project here.<<<
To make the project super easy I just cut out the different sections and cut a piece of transfer tape the size of the biggest. I was able to use that same piece of transfer tape to do all 3 sections of this sign!
I had a few small strands of orange lights that didn’t work for anything else so I decided to use them for this project. The strands have 20 lights each, so I used one on each side of the frame. I used my Cricut weeding tool to punch holes in the back of the cardboard backing for the lights to fit in.
It worked quite perfectly actually, making the ideal size hole for these mini string light bulbs to fit in without coming loose. I made sure that the plug for each strand was at the bottom and had plenty of room to be plugged into an extension cord (or close outlet) without pulling too taut.
The project took less than an hour from start to finish (including paint drying time) and required very little effort. The total cost was around $6.00, a lot cheaper than if you were to buy vertical Halloween signs that are similar in-store or on Etsy! And really, who doesn’t want to save money whenever possible?!
I can’t wait to come up with more DIY seasonal vertical signs. What would you like to see next?
Since the backing is cardboard, I wouldn’t suggest leaving this Halloween sign outside for extended periods. If you know it’s going to rain or there’s excessive moisture in the air, keep the sign inside. Otherwise, display it with pride!
Easy Vertical Happy Halloween Sign DIY
Materials
- 1 large vertical frame (11.75" x 36")
- Flat black paint
- Permanent vinyl (white, orange, and green)
- Orange string lights
- Electrical Tape
Tools
- Cricut Explore Air, Maker, or similar die cutting machine
- Cricut Weeding Tool (or equivalent)
Instructions
- Paint the brown side of the frame's cardboard backing with the black paint. Allow to dry.
- Cut and weed the design found here. Use transfer tape or careful placements to affix vinyl to the frame's now painted cardboard backing.
- Turn the cardboard backing over and lay out the lights to determine where to punch holes.
- Use the weeding tool or similar tool to punch bulb size holes into the cardboard. Press lights through, one at a time. Continue until all lights are attached to the cardboard.
- Connect the lights on the back and use electrical tape to keep them and any loose bulbs in place.