Billiards Sign

So this last Christmas I was trying to come up with a present for my Dad who is very hard to buy for. He is happy with just getting to spend time with family and always says he doesn't need a gift but I always want to get him something extra special. This year after some long debating, I decided to make him something. He always enjoys seeing the craft projects I come up with so I thought this would be perfect.

Ultimately, I decided I wanted to make him some decorations for his new billiards room. He has always wanted a pool table and last year he finally got his wish. My parents turned our old family room off of the kitchen into a space for his pool table. The room is still a work in progress but all of the important things are there. They have the pool table with a good ceiling light, some comfy chairs, and some new curtains. I knew that a custom billiards sign would be perfect for the room.

Supplies:

• Plywood
• Acrylic paint in various colors: red, yellow, green, orange, white
• Black latex paint
• Wooden letters
• Spray adhesive
• Hot glue gun with glue sticks
• Wood glue
• Wooden balls
• Red felt
• Stain
• Painters tape
• Sandpaper

Directions:

1. First, stain the plywood and let dry overnight.
2. While you are letting the plywood dry work on painting your letters and wooden balls. Start by painting the edges of the letters in various colors (red, yellow, orange, green). Set aside and let dry. When they are finished drying paint them black, covering the colored edges. Let dry. Then take sandpaper and sand the edges of the letters so that the color will show through.
3. When your plywood has finished drying it is time to assemble everything. Take the felt and cut to fit the plywood the way you want. I bought a pre-cut piece from Michaels that ended up fitting the plywood perfectly. Use spray adhesive to attach it to the plywood. 
4. Next, glue the letters onto the sign using your hot glue gun. Attach the wooden balls around the edges using wood glue. 
5. Hang your new sign on the wall!
6. Tape off the wooden balls with painters tape. The un-taped space should be where the color will go. Half the balls will be "solids" and half will be "stripes". Paint them to match the colors of real pool balls. Once that part is dry, take off the tape and paint the empty space white. Let dry. To finish them paint the numbers in black on the balls. I made sure to match the pool balls colors and numbers to what the real balls look like.

I was really happy with how it turned out. I thought about putting some trim around the edges to make it look more finished but could not find any that I liked. I may add that later but for now I think it looks great how it is. My dad was really excited about his present and hung it on the wall the same day. Let me know what you think!

Linking Up To
Link Party Palooza