Tiny Harry Potter Signposts
I absolutely love signposts with fictive book-locations painted on them! They are so nerdy, every time I see one on Pinterest or Insta, I squeal with pleasure 😍🤓.
The Harry Potter book series holds a special place in my heart because I grew up with the books, read them in both German and English, had the audiobooks in both languages and listened to them A LOT. So much, actually, that my sister and I (we shared a room and would listen to HP together) made up a game where we had to complete a Harry Potter quote the other person started. For instance, she would say “Oh, look, a Blibbering..” and I would complete: “Humdinger!” together with “Book 7, Luna Lovegood” 😂
Anyways, making a Harry Potter-themed signpost has been on my list for a while now, I’m glad I finally got around to do it! I spent hours coming up with doodles for each location, then checking for fonts or writing the letters myself on my iPad. After I finished, Chibi convinced me to create a free template out of it, in case anyone else wants do create a Harry Potter signpost! 🥰🧙🏼♀️🧙🏾🧙🏻♂️
Instead of the large signs that are easily 1.5m tall, I decided to create miniature signposts that you can stick in a flower pot at home! 🥳
Check out our video tutorial:
Material and Tools
- Wooden trim (2.5cm or 4cm wide)
- waterproof pen (Sharpie for instance) or acrylic paint
- varnish (makes sure the sharpies don’t spread while drawing)
- nails and a wooden stick/small pole
- our free template
You’ll need scissors, a clean paint brush to apply the varnish, and a hammer.
Instructions
- Print out the template. Make sure you set it to 100%. Check the measurements of the control box on the template.
- Cut out names and decide whether you want them pointing to the right or the left. For simplicity the template only includes right-pointing arrows.
- Cut you wooden trim into signpost shapes (feel free to come up with your own design).
- Use varnish to seal the wood. Apply a thin coat of varnish on top of the signs. This is an important step, because Sharpies will “bleed” on the wood if you don’t seal it first! (See photos below).
- Transfer the letters and drawings to the wood signs. You can use carbon paper for that if you have any (transfer it by rubbing a pencil on the back of the templates).
- Draw on the letters and drawings using a waterproof pen.
- Nail the signs onto a post, finishing your signpost!
Helpful tip: Transferring designs
You can transfer designs using carbon paper. If you don't have any, you can ``make`` it yourself: Simply scribble on the back of the template with a pencil -- then place the template on the sign and follow the outlines with a (sharp) pencil: the pencil marks on the back of the template will transfer to the wood.
Helpful tip: Pens bleeding on wood signs
Some waterproof pens can bleed on wood. In the photos below, you can see that the edges of ``PLATFORM`` are not sharp, but that color bled into the wood. To prevent this, you have to treat your wood with a coat of varnish. Once the varnish is applied, you can draw on the signs!
Let me know in the comments if you like the template!
Have fun crafting,
Love ❤️
Lenzi