Sesame Street Continued - Street Sign

Here's a Sesame Street sign I made for my nephew's birthday party. Eventually it will go in his play room so they'll need to find a different solution for the christmas tree stand, which will also be covered with matching solid green fabric during the party.

Want to make one of your own? I didn't take any pictures of the process - I was a little pressed for time - but here's what you can do to get your own. Please read all directions before starting!! Tips are in red.

The Sign:

First I recommend making your sign. I made mine in Photoshop by making a rectangle with rounded corners, then making another LARGER rectangle in yellow that I stuck behind the green. If you are making the sign to match my favors, download the favor file first and use the dropper tool to match the green and yellow colors.  I did the same thing with the circle shape and put both circles behind both rectangles. The font I used was Futura and I sized it to fit, just go with whatever looks right to you.  The size of my sign was 10.5 in by 23 inches (The sign height is about twice the measurement of the length). I used the grid under "View" in photoshop and cropped the file section by section so that it would fit on 8.5x11" sheets of paper, which I tiled and taped on the back after cutting out.  I then rolled out clear contact paper I picked up from Hobby Lobby and stuck the sign to the contact paper to reduce the chances of bubbles/wrinkles.  Cut around entire sign.  

After the sign is covered in contact paper I used double sided tape around the very edge of the underside of the sign and stuck it to a foam board.  I used a exacto knife to saw around the edges of the sign (it wasn't as fuzzy doing it this way, rather than sliding the blade along) and then filed (yes, with a nail file) all around the edges to get rid of the remaining fuzzies, making it look much neater.  I then painted the exposed portion of the foam board with the green latex paint I used for the post.

The Post:

I found a 2x2 cedar post at the Home Depot for $3-4 and had them cut it to 6 feet.  I then got a piece of their scrap pieces of wood for 50 cents and had them cut that to 3 feet.  I sanded, then used finishing nails AND GLUE to secure the the small piece of wood (the arm) to the larger piece (the post) about 9 or so inches down from the top, as well as countersinking the nails and filling them with lightweight spackle.  The top piece that the styrofoam ball is resting on is from Hobby Lobby in the wood section, they're two plaques (maybe 4x4"?" that I glued back to back then glued onto the post.  Make sure to let everything dry well (at least 30 minutes, but longer is better).

NOTE: Don't be apprehensive about using glue to join, it's actually a stronger joining method when done properly than nails or screws.  Case and point - the arm on your post will loosen if you only nail it. Trust me.  You need to use glue.

I got a dowel to stick the styrofoam ball onto, then found a drill bit that was the exact same size as the dowel and drilled through the two plaques and post.  I used a 10" styrofoam ball, which was the most expensive part of the project.  USE A COUPON to buy it.  I was going to glue the dowel in, but it's such a tight fit that it's not going anywhere.  Paint your post.  I recommend printing the party favor file and taking it in to Home Depot to have them color match the paint to your printer's green.   You ONLY need a sample size of paint ~$3.  I also tried to match the fabric I bought to cover the stand as close as I could to the paint color. I bought half a yard of fabric (18") and cut it in half lengthwise and sewed it together to create a square-ish shape (18"x 22") In the middle of the square I cut a hole that was 1 3/4" square and slid it up the pole from the bottom so it covered the stand.  If you're making your own stand you can skip this step.  

I used eye hooks that I screwed into the underside of the arm, bought some chain from home depot (you only need about 8 inches TOPS) that I hung using 'S' hooks.  I marked where I wanted my holes, drilled through the sign with the same drill bit that I used for the dowel since it was still in the drill and than stuck a large paperclip through the holes and wound the small curved part of the clip to wind around itself to secure it to the chain.  Stick your styrofoam ball on and your done!

You could also cut the plaques that the styrofoam ball sits on so that they appear centered but the back is flush with the back of the post, then cut your styrofoam ball in half, and you could mount the post onto a stud if you would like to put it in your child's bedroom.

Again, sorry for the lack of pictures, but it's pretty straightforward so I'm sure you could figure it out by looking at it =)

And a shopping list: Includes everything but 

Hardware Store

2x2" post cut to 6 feet

1x3 board cut to 3 feet

green paint

2 small eye hooks

8" chain  - if you don't have wire cutters, get two 3-4" pieces

2 Small 'S' hooks

green paint

Lightweight spackle for filling nails, or wood filler if you've got it already. (if you're countersinking nails, you'll need that tool, ask an associate for details)

Craft Store

2 - 4x4" wooden plaques

1 wooden dowel, 1/4" thick max

10" styrofoam ball

foam board

Double sided tape

Contact paper