How To Paint Lettering On A Mackenzie-Childs Inspired Welcome Door Hanger

I love decorating my home by taking inspiration I see online and in magazines, and creating them for a fraction of the cost. I have so many ideas this fall, my list of DIYs I want to try is long!

Today, I want to share one of my first home decor projects of the season, where I repurposed my spring door hanger by giving it a fall makeover inspired by Mackenzie-Childs. Plus, I have an easy way to paint lettering that you can use for any of your DIY painting projects.

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My spring door hanger is a cute black and white striped welcome sign with colorful flowers. I love the quality and the shape, so I decided to simply flip the wood sign over and repurpose it for fall!

Cory cut mine for me out of 1/4 plywood, but you can grab a door hanger from my friend at Southern Adoornments Decor. Tamara has all sorts of precut shapes for you to paint or templates to cut one yourself! Check them out HERE.

Paint A Base Coat On The Door Hanger

The very first thing to do is cover the surface in a white base coat. My door hanger is a porous wood, so I knew I would need something with great coverage. Since I have been working on a few fall projects (more to come soon!) I found this multi-surface paint to prime and paint with, and I love it! 

As always, use thin layers, letting each dry before applying the next.

Painting Stripes

Once your base coat is dry, it’s time to add a bold stripe. You can freehand these or tape them off. 

When painting a stripe, always start with the first stripe in the middle and work your way out to keep everything centered. I used 2″ painter’s tape and just eyeballed that first line. 

Tear off a small section of the tape to use as a spacing guide between each following stripe to create a uniform look. 

Then, lightly paint the stripes using a thin coat to prevent paint from bleeding under the tape. I went for a dry brush black look and also chose to run a few white streaks over them. You could do a solid color too. Have fun and make it your own. Then remove the tape before the paint dries. 

Next, I used a minimal amount of cream and gold paint to lightly streak through the white stripes to give it that Mackenzie-Childs warm, whimsical look – just another benefit to creating decor yourself is the ability to customize it with your own unique style.

How to Paint Lettering on the Door Hanger

I really liked the lettering on the front of the sign. I used a stencil originally but didn’t want to pull out my Silhouette machine to make a new one. If you are looking for a really simple way to paint lettering on your door hanger, I have a few super easy tips for you to try below.

One way to get custom lettering to use in your artwork is to download a font from a website like dafont.com, load it to any word processor, and print the template you create. Check the directions specific to your printer if you want to enlarge the text to fit large pieces.

Another option is to trace lettering you love from home decor or things you see like I did. When doing this, make sure to outline the thickness of the font so you keep the styling when you paint it.

After you have your template, transfer it to your door hanger with graphite paper. You can see more tips about this process HERE.

I always go over my graphite lines with a paint pen or maker to avoid losing them when painting. Then, fill them in with a white base coat of paint to make the final color show up better over the black and white stripes.

When painting lettering, it’s important to remember that the more pressure you apply, the thicker your line will be. To achieve those super thin lines, make sure to use a soft touch. I also have detail bushes for all the fine curly ends. 

By the time I completed the entire base coat, the first letters are already dry, and I was able to start the next layer with my chosen color, orange. 

First, I use a dark orange, and then I went over it with a light orange for color variance. 

Finishing Details

Of course, I need a little bit of gold and black outlining!

I used a gold paint pen for an accented highlight, then, a black paint pen on the right side of all of the letters. This step really makes the lettering stand out from the road.

Last, but not least, I hot glued a burlap and sunflower bow on for a finishing touch. What do you think?

Watch Christie Paint Lettering on a Mackenzie-Childs Inspired Welcome Door Hanger

This fall door hanger is just the first in a few projects I am working on for my Mackenzie-Childs inspired fall front porch. Make sure you follow me on The Social Easel FB Page to catch the next one.