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DIY Rustic Garden Sign With Rope Lettering

Published on December 10, 2013Last updated October 9, 2021 ♛ By Melissa J. Will

This post contains affiliate links.
Read full disclosure statement here.

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Grab an old board—the more rustic, the better—and make yourself a thrifty, one-of-a-kind sign for your garden. This one has rope lettering for extra charm.

For more, also see favorite garden signs with a dash of humor.

Supplies for creating a rustic garden sign.

Make a Rustic Garden Art Sign

Rustic garden art sign with cardinal design.

This DIY garden sign was made entirely from items found around the house. I’ve listed complete instructions below.

I had nick-named our garden The Cardinal Cafe after watching masses of birds appear each time I put out fresh food, so I thought it was time to put a sign up and make it official!

Cardinal Cafe sign on garden fence.
Cardinal Cafe rustic garden sign

The secret ingredient for the lettering is a roll of pre-twisted rush (used for making old-style rush seats). I cut it to form the letters and attached it with upholstery tacks.

You could also use any jute rope or twine that is pliable enough to form letters.

Supplies for making rustic garden sign.
Supplies for making rustic garden sign

Materials

  • Wood board (I used an old piece of pine barn board)
  • Jute rope or pre-twisted rush
  • (50) Upholstery tacks (black upholstery tacks on Amazon) – you may need more or less depending on which words you choose
  • Cardinal decoration
  • Twigs for the bird nest
  • (8) Cup hooks
  • Garden décor – little watering can, doll-size garden bench, bird house, snowflakes, suet feeder. You may want eye hooks for hanging them on the cup hooks.
  • (2) 1/2-inch wood screws (attached to back of sign for hanging) and picture wire
  • (3) 1 inch wood screws (for hanging on fence)
  • (4) nails (for holding the bird nest twigs in place)

Love crafting with natural materials?
You might enjoy Naturally Crafty—see it here.

Tools

  • Scissors (for cutting rush)
  • Hammer
  • Screwdriver
  • Pencil, measuring tape
  • Level
Hand forming letter on rustic garden sign.
Forming letters on rustic garden sign

Steps

After gathering your materials, the hardest part is deciding what you want the sign to say!

1Plan Your Design

Pencil your saying on the wood. I used uppercase letters so there were minimal curves.

Leave room for any decorations you want to attach (like the cardinal).

If you make a mistake, just erase the pencil and start over.

Close up of lettering on rustic garden sign.
Close up of letters and decorative cardinal bird on rustic garden sign

Related: DIY garden art hose guards

2Cut Material for Lettering

Cut out the rush using your penciled letters as a measuring template.

3Attach Lettering

Attach the rush using upholstery tacks.

Close up of cardinal bird decoration on garden sign.
Cardinal decor with DIY nest

4Add Decorations

Attach the decorations. I used an upholstery tack to attach the cardinal. And tacks and nails to form a little twig nest.

Rustic garden sign with rope lettering spelling the words cardinal cafe.
Rustic Cardinal Cafe sign with garden art decorations

5Add Hangers

There’s lots of ways to hang the sign. I used picture wire and two screws on the back.

TIP: I used 3 screws (each 6″ apart) on the fence to keep the sign from shifting around. Use a level to mark where you want them.

6Add Cup Hooks

Attach cup hooks to the bottom of the sign. I put a bunch so I can hang a variety of garden trinkets throughout the seasons.

Closeup of garden art including decorative birdhouse hanging on garden fence.
Decorative birdhouse

7Add Trinkets

Add garden trinkets. Right now, I have a little watering can, a doll-size twig bench, a bird house, snowflakes, and a fresh batch of peanut butter suet.

Peanut butter suet closeup.
Peanut butter suet

I make this bird treat from peanut butter, shelled peanuts, and birdseed (see how to make it here – it’s fast and easy and the birds LOVE it). Truthfully, it’s the peanut butter that attracts the birds from miles around. It’s amazing how that scent travels!

Cardinal Cafe sign hanging on red wall.
Rustic Cardinal Cafe sign hanging in house

I’ll be changing my sign decorations as the seasons go. I’m thinking about adding another little sign from the cup hooks saying, “All you can tweet.” We’ll see.

Resources

Ebook

Garden Art Projects & Ideas book cover

25 Garden Art Projects & Ideas

by Melissa J. Will

Grab the top garden art DIY projects and tips from Empress of Dirt

About This Ebook | Visit Ebook Shop

This ebook is a digital file (PDF format) you save to your device. It is not a physical product.

Buy Now
$6 US

PayPal, Credit Card, Apple Pay

Ebook

Naturally Crafty ebook cover.

Naturally Crafty
Creative Garden Ideas

by Melissa J. Will

Make cool stuff with natural materials from and for your garden.

About This Ebook | Visit Ebook Shop

This ebook is a digital file (PDF format) you save to your device. It is not a physical product.

Buy Now
$6 US

PayPal, Credit Card, Apple Pay

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛

Rustic garden art sign with cardinal design.
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Melissa J. Will - Empress of DirtWelcome!
I’m Melissa J. Will a.k.a. the Empress of Dirt (Ontario, Canada).
Join me as I share creative + frugal home & garden ideas with a dash of humor.
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