So I’m currently in the process of designing the craft room of my dreams. Yes, it’s finally happening! Part of the fun of that (besides getting organized and having my own creative space) is decorating the room ANY WAY I WANT.

Yep, while the rest of our house has a more formal, neutral, farmhouse vibe, my craft room is going to be the opposite. Think modern. Playful. Colorful. FUN!

As such, I’m going to need sources of inspiration, especially on a soon-to-be-completed gallery wall I have in the works….if only my husband would finally paint the damn walls! #slacker

Here’s a tutorial on a colorful inspirational sign I just finished up that has a saying that really speaks to me. Creativity DOES take courage, folks. And you can snag the FREE cut file too if you’d like to use these words of inspiration in your own life!

[Many thanks to the folks at The Hungry JPEG for sponsoring today’s fun!]

Colorful ‘Creativity Takes Courage’ Sign + FREE Cut File!

Supplies

Sanded wood board (mine is roughly 11.25″ x 12.75″)
Spray paints (black & white)
Craft paints (mint, yellow, orange, hot pink, & light pink)
Paint daubers (I used a glue stick, pencil eraser, & paint brush handle)
Silhouette Cameo
‘Creativity Takes Courage’ stencil in Oramask 813 stencil film
- Grab the FREE cut file below!
Craft tweezers & scissors
Transfer tape
Painters tape
Clear gloss spray sealant
Command Strips (for hanging later)

Creating My Mockup

I first created my mockup in Photoshop Elements. I find it’s much more user-friendly than Silhouette Studio, especially when making all. those. dots.

When I showed my husband what I was planning on creating, he sarcastically said “Creativity DOES take courage, and all those soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy were very creative.” -_-

Once I finished rolling my eyes at his mocking tone, I shot back with “There are different kinds of courage, dumbass!”

And there are. It takes a lot to put yourself out there creatively (especially to complete strangers via a blog! Ha!). There’s lots of internal doubt and second-guessing before, during, and after the life of a project, at least with me. I need a little reminder to not be afraid and let my creative juices flow!

Ok, now that that little motivational speech is over, on with the tutorial!

The font I’m using here is called Unicorn Letters. Isn’t it so fun?! I love the carefree, playful vibe, and it would be perfect for this sign and the feel of my craft room.

Unicorn Letters is actually one of the amazing fonts that are included in the May Bundle from The Hungry JPEG! You all know how I love me some fonts, and I also have a sweet spot in my heart for The Hungry JPEG too. Their bundles are always such great deals!

This May Bundle is one of their biggest yet and includes over 70 fonts and seven graphic packs for only $29….that’s 96% off retail!

Just look at all the included awesomeness:

And you fellow font junkies are in luck because you can save 20% off the May Bundle (as well as any other bundle too) just by using the code SMILES20. You gotta hurry though because the May Bundle is almost over and gone for good!

Cutting Out My Stencil

I’d be using my Silhouette Cameo (love it) to cut out a stencil in some Oramask 813 stencil film (love it too). I’m not exactly known for my stellar handwriting, so I need a stencil and gorgeous font to give me the cool script look I’m after.

Once my mockup was complete in Photoshop, I fired up Silhouette Studio and recreated the text. After welding the words, there were a few places that needed to have the points edited and smoothed, which was no biggie.

Once that was done, it was time to get cutting! Here are the cut settings I used for Oramask 813:

Blade: 3
Speed: 5
Thickness: 10

If you’d like lots more information on Oramask 813 stencil film and why I absolutely love using it for making signs, check out this post! I share lots of tips and tricks.

Next, I loaded up my trimmed piece of stencil film and sent my Silhouette Cameo to work.

My craft tweezers made weeding (or removing) the words a breeze.

Here’s how the stencil looked after I got my weed on:

Craft FAIL!

Oh, and I should also note that I actually attempted this project twice. My first attempt ended in a big fat CRAFT FAIL.

I unintentionally discovered that wood filler does not get along with stencil film. It pulled right up and ruined my should-be perfect paint job. Nuts!

So I flipped the board over and gave the whole thing a go again, this time sans wood filler.

Painting the Sign

Thanks to my aforementioned craft fail, the edges of the board were already painted for Round 2. I just needed to paint the other large side in some flat black spray paint.

Next came Stencil Application 2.0. I used the never fail hinge method (which you can read more about here) to get a centered and even application….

….and it worked like a charm again. Woot!

Once the stencil was applied, I covered all the edges up with some painters tape, then gave it a shot of some white spray paint.

After letting it dry for about ten minutes, I started removing the stencil film….and crossed my fingers that this second signage attempt wasn’t another waste of time.

Luckily the crafting gods were on my side, and this paint job was a success! Thanks, guys and gals.

Adding the Colorful Polka Dots

It was now time to add some color. I chose five colors from my paint stash that made a happy combination and would brighten this sign up perfectly.

{Lighting change alert!}

To make the three different sizes of dots, I used a glue stick, the eraser on a mechanical pencil, and the handle of a medium-sized paint brush. No fancy formal daubers required!

All the large dots were added first….

….followed by the medium dots….

….and last came the small ones.

I felt like I could go on polka dotting this thing till the cows came home, so I finally had to say “Enough, Christine!” It’s not perfect, but I’m digging it.

All that remained was covering the sign with a coating of some clear gloss spray sealant to add some protection and a nice shine. With that, my ‘Creativity Takes Courage’ sign was complete!

The Completed ‘Creativity Takes Courage’ Sign!

And here she is in all her glory! Looks pretty cute, no? I just love how happy and cheerful it is, from the Unicorn Letters font to the colorful polka dots. It brings a smile to my face whenever I look at it, and the meaning gives me motivation to be brave and get my craft on, despite those ever-persistent internal doubts.

This sign will fit in perfectly on my craft room’s gallery wall, so stay tuned for the big reveal! Just waiting on my husband to get his handyman on….like usual…. ;)

Download the FREE ‘Creativity Takes Courage’ Cut File!

>>> Click here to download this FREE ‘Creativity Takes Courage’ .studio3 cut file! <<<

{THE FINE PRINT: This file is for PERSONAL USE ONLY. So don’t sell it or anything you create with it, and also don’t sell or redistribute the file itself or share the download link directly. Thanks!}