UPDATE
You can now purchase your very own CUSTOM quote art sign here.
I’m so excited to finally share this project with you guys!
I started dreaming-up this DIY and designing these free printables almost two years ago (yes, you read right, two years ago) after I published this post about my little DIY quote art sign.
Don’t ask me why it’s taken me sooooo long to finally get the project and printables done. Seriously, don’t ask me. I honestly have no decent answer :)
Anyhoo, I got there in the end, right? And I’m loving the way everything turned out.
I was inspired by some of the large farmhouse style book page quote signs I had seen on Pinterest…
Fable & Flame | Unknown
Some Googling around revealed that this style of wall art isn’t exactly cheap. Like around $400 not cheap. Yikes! Surely I could do a bit better than that.
All up this project cost me about $40 though you could easily do it for under $10 if you’re feeling extra thrifty. I’ve included some savvy tips and tricks in the info below.
PRINTING THE ARTWORK
There are heaps of places which offer printing services. If you’re not certain where to start looking, check out your local office supplies store or have a Google around for “print and copy services”. I’ve also seen some super affordable printing services being offered through eBay. You can visit a store in person or use an online upload interface. I personally prefer the ease and convenience of uploading my artwork online then having my print delivered directly to my door. This is maybe because my nearest print store isn’t exactly near-by.
For ease, I’ve designed these printables to fit within standard large poster frames (60cm x 90cm/24″ x 36″) however you may reduce or enlarge the size within reason to suit your particular needs (be aware that excessive re-sizing can result in a poor quality print).
You should be able to find a service which will print a full colour, large poster-sized print on decent paper for around $15 – $40. I used the Officeworks Colour Poster printing service. If you’re interested in making this project even more budget friendly, you could opt for a black and white engineering/plan print on bond paper for as little as $2 (you could then add some colour with a tea-stain, or similar). Alternatively, you could have it printed at premium quality onto a specialty material, such as canvas, for anywhere from $50 – $150. The options are almost endless.
For further printing information refer to my Free Printables series.
FRAMING THE ARTWORK
As mentioned above, to make things super easy for you guys, I’ve designed these printables to fit perfectly within standard large (60cm x 90cm/24″ x 36″) poster frames. If you’re unsure where to find large poster frames, check out your local dollar and discount department stores, do a quick Google search or head into Ikea – they have a few to choose from.
Of course, you can always DIY your own farmhouse style custom frame if you’d prefer (refer to my tutorial here – you simply need to up the scale and choose your desired framing wood), or use a thrifted frame as long as the aspect-ratio is compatible. You could also simply top-and-tail the print itself with some dowels and add a cute twine hanger to make a simple wall chart.
For the purpose of this blog post, I framed my printable in a standard large poster frame I found for $15 at a local discount variety store.
The faux wood frame was a little too perfect for my liking so I decided to attempt a farmhouse style makeover. I distressed it to make it look like reclaimed wood (I simply scratched it up with a serrated knife and banged it with some nails before lightly sanding it – similar to what I did here) then I stained it a warm brown.
I wasn’t sure how the laminate would respond to being distressed and stained though it actually worked really, really well!
For an authentic ‘sign’ look, I also removed the glass and affixed my print directly to the backing board using spray adhesive.
I’m offering eight printables in total; four different quotes in both sepia and chalkboard. As mentioned above, these are high resolution, large-scale images.
I chose these quotes because they’re a little bit unusual and something about them just spoke to me. I especially love the ‘Cherokee Legend’ which is the first one I designed.
Have you heard this one before? It’s so evocative.
Anyhoo, grab your free printables below. There are two separate files; one for the sepia images, and one for the chalkboard images.
I know it can be disheartening when budget restraints push the items you love out of reach, so if you’ve been coveting these lovely farmhouse style signs I hope my free offerings give you a little “squeee” moment and help make your walls beautiful.
UPDATE
As a budget-focused decorator and blogger, conjuring and sharing ways to “get the look for less” is something I relish. This project was no exception.
Originally, it was my belief that these artworks were merely part of the prevailing typography sign trend; mass-designed, mass-produced and mass-distributed. I have since learned the concept for these designs originated with a small business.
As such, although this style of quote art is now everywhere, I will not be offering any further bulk free printables in this exact style.
That said, I do plan to design and share further quote art of my very own (you can browse my other free printables here) and will continue to offer one-off custom book page signs as requested.
As always, if you have trouble or are unsure of anything, feel free to ask.
Oh, and I just wanted to let you know that the photos in this post are of my actual finished sign. I was looking at them and the artwork almost appears to be super-imposed. Believe me, it’s truly ruly real!
Free for personal non-commercial use only.
Click the below image to see and download my latest round of dictionary inspired free printable quote art signs!
If you weren’t you, we would all be a bit less we. -Winnie the Pooh
Where do you suggest printing something this large? FedEx or Kinkos? I’m afraid they will say it’s a “color print and it’ll be an arm and a leg $. What’s yalls experience?
Hi Jane
Well, I’m based in Australia though I’ve done lots of research into the price of printing in the US due to my large US reader base. It’s actually reasonably affordable nowadays.
Here in Australia I had mine printed in full colour for $28.
Here are a few options for you…
Staples: $29
Kinkos: $43
Office Depot: $20
Vista Print: $20
These are the prices I found though I would suggest checking out their websites to confirm.
You may be able to find a cheaper service if you have a Google around. Or, you can opt for a black and white engineering print for around $2-$6 and apply the colour topically yourself using a tea stain or antique glaze. Just be aware that this can cause the paper to bubble or wave so you may need to iron it or attempt to flatten it by decoupaging it to a backing board. Sometimes any bubbles or waves simply flatten themselves out once dry though.
Hope this helps.
Kristine
Thank you so much Kristin! That’s very helpful! I’m going on a quest to get one printed for our new farmhouse remodel!!! I can’t wait to see what quote you choose next. I love the font and style of your prints. thank you for sharing
I would also try Walmart! I just ordered one through them and I’m crossing my fingers that it is good quality. I actually ordered a 20X30 board print for $27.86. Poster prints were around $18.00. I did have to change my file from a PDF to a JPEG in order to upload it.
Hope that helps!
Thanks so much Kristen, It’s hard to give the best advice when I’m 10,000 miles away!
If you have time, I’d love to hear about the quality when it arrives.
:)
Walmart did not disappoint! (For once hehe!) The print turned out great and it was a same day print! 👍🏼
Oh fantastic. Thanks so much for letting me know Kristen. I can now recommend them too.
Kristine, when will you be posting the next quote for the printable? I’m curious to see what it’s going to be before I download and have a print made :))))) for
I’m planning on sharing the next round in early April :)
Hi Jane
Just wanted to let you know I have had to renege on the next round of free printables I was hoping to offer. Please see my update at the beginning of this post for more info. So sorry. I am planning to change the style and share some future quote art when I can.
Kristine
Thanks so much for this! I too have longed for those prints but couldn’t at the hundred dollar prices.
‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
I love these! I saw quotes like these in a shop but couldn’t stomach the price. I love the quote from JR Tolkien…”All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost. The old that is strong does not wither. Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken. A light from the shadow shall spring. Renewed shall be the blade that is broken. The crownless again shall be king.”
I LOVE JRR Tolkein. Beautifully poetic.
These download as pdf’s not in jpg format.
How do you print a pdf online or at office store. I’m confused.
Hi Randee
PDF is the most commonly accepted, and preferred, file format for print. I just found this thread which explains a few things: https://www.etsy.com/au/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/9438541/. If you Google around you’ll find heaps of articles if you’d like to learn more.
Any print center should happily accept a PDF file. Hope this helps.
Kristine
These are just perfect & the distressed frame is the perfect compliment! Thank you so much for sharing your talent so freely. It’s difficult to find art like this on a budget! My suggestion is favorite song lyrics from “I Hope You Dance”. Words from the heart for my children…
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the chance to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
And when you get the chance to sit it out or dance
Oops, scratch the last line, lol.
Thank you! These are amazing!
“There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
“Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“After all this time?”
“Always,”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
i could go on and on! Can’t wait to see what you choose for next month.
Hi Tara
Not sure if you saw though I have included one of your suggested J.R.R. Tolkien quotes in my latest round of free printable signs. You can find it here.
:)
Hi there,
Love your work! Do you know what font is used here and if it is possible to download the font so I can make my own?
Thanks
Bronwyn
Hi Bronwyn
Sure thing. In the post under the “Designing the Artwork” section there is a link to the font I used along with a link to some free alternatives.
Cheers
Kristine
Hi Kristine! I love this project and your generosity in making it available to us! What a gift. I have a couple suggestions. A Martin Luther King and then a couple from the sports world:
The Ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The great accomplishment is not in never failing, but in rising again after you fail. Vince Lombardi
Winning is a habit. Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character.
Thank you again for your generosity!
Ok, one more:) The power of words!
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
I keep trying to download the file and it keeps saying this file type is unsupported. Any help would be greatly appreciated! These are absolutely amazing and most have them in my home asap! Thanks
Hi Megan
Are you trying to use your phone? If so, chances are you either don’t have the right application to view the file type or you simply don’t have enough space available (they are big files).
If you’re using a laptop or computer, you shouldn’t have any issues so let me know if you continue to have trouble and I’ll try my best to help.
Kristine
:)
“She made broken look beautiful
and strong look invincible.
She walked with the Universe
on her shoulders and made it
look like a pair of wings.”
― Ariana Dancu
For those that need a reminder to stand tall each day and choose happiness…
These are very nice. My first visit to your blog, but I’ll be back.
Oh fantastic. Thanks Dorothy :)
Thanks so much for your generosity in sharing these. I love them!
Just a correction, Dr. Suess real last name is spelled Geisel, (ei, not ie). I share the same last name.
Oh thanks so much. Darn you Wikipedia – LOL!
These are just lovely! Thank you for sharing the downloads and the instructions for doing them, too.
Here are a few more ideas of good quotes.
“It there is harmony in the home there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation there will be peace in the world.” Chinese Proverb
“The ordinary acts we practice every day at home do more for the soul than their simplicity might suggest.” Thomas Moore
Still looking for the quote from the Hobbit about home.
I remember seeing this pin two years ago, and I thought, “I love this idea!!!” Thank you, thank you for making it so easy to replicate. I love it!!
Sarah
http://www.sarahgeorge.com
I’m still looking for the Hobbit quote about home, but here is another beautiful quote I love.
“The ordinary acts we practice every day at home do more for the soul than their simplicity might suggest.” Thomas Moore
Oops, didn’t mean to post twice. It took a while to show up so I wasn’t sure if it actually sent the first time.
LOL, no worries :)
I love, love, love these! I’ve been looking for a way to display some quotes, and I adore this style you’ve done. Here’s my two favorites. If you don’t end up making them to post on your blog I’d sooo happily pay you to make me my own and email them to me. :)
“The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.” ~ Margaret D. Nadauld
“If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently. You shield it and protect it. You never abuse it. You don’t expose it to the elements. You don’t make it common or ordinary. If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new. It becomes special because you have made it so, and it grows more beautiful and precious as time goes by.
Eternal marriage is just like that. We need to treat it just that way.” ~F. Burton Howard
These are so lovely! I saw this quotation on an elementary school tour today, and it would make such a great print.
“…if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” — Roald Dahl
Love this quote and would love it if you recreate it– J.K. Rowling — ‘I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book’.
Love these, how awesome! Thank you!
Robert Fulghum: He said, “We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone who’s weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness – and call it love – true love.” (Page 92)
I just attempted to make this sign this weekend but I’m too nervous that I wont get the lettering right. A print would be fantastic!! Either way, this is a completely lovely thing for you to do for fellow crafters! People definitely sell these signs for an INSANE amount of money!
I bought a large “unfinished wood” chalkboard from Hobby Lobby when they were 50% off. ($8!)
I second the Laura Ingells Wilder quote! That’s one of my favorites. These signs are great!! Thank you!
I just wanna say that I admire you and I wish plenty of blessing to your life. It’s wonderful to see that we can still find people who like to share just because!
Sincerely,
Berenice Canales, Mexico Puebla.
By the way, I think it would love to see some promises from the Bible in such a great art work.
I’d love to fill my walls with your art!
Thanks again!
These are great. 4.5 years ago my husband chased a wild dream and opened a small craft brewery in our town. I had a lot of doubt…we had 2 small children…I was pregnant with our 3rd…and I knew it was going to take him away from home a little more often than what I was comfortable with. Well….the dream paid off and our little brewery will turn 5 in September. We moved to a new facility in 2016 that will allow us to grow. So, my quote would be: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Wonderful story and quote. Thanks so much for sharing :)
Oh my goodness! These are amazing and the price point is so much better then what I have seen them go for. Awesome and thank you for sharing your creative genius with us :) Ia m grateful!
Would you consider telling us how we could design our own posters? What program(s) can be used to design our own? I think I would like some 8×10 sized images. How many pixels are required to make a sharp images such as this?
Hi Susie
I did originally have a little section in this post about how I made this poster though I have since removed it after discovering this design concept originated with a small business. I had seen these posters everywhere so simply assumed they were part of the prevailing farmhouse sign trend. I don’t have a problem with re-creating products made by mass-manufacturers, though I don’t want to borrow ideas from small businesses.
That said, if you’d like to have a go at making your own original quote art sign, there are lots of programs you can use. I used Photoshop. GIMP is a good free alternative. Although I haven’t used it, I also believe PicMonkey is great. To create a poster the same size as mine, you want at least 3500 x 5300 pixels to give you a decent quality print. 7000 x 10000 would be ideal.
Hope this helps.
Kristine
I LOVE these! I have been searching for someone to do the first verse of My Old Kentucky Home. Is this something you would be interested in? I would pay you your price.
Hi Peggy
I’ll send you a direct email.
Kristine
I LOVE that I get to put one (or two :) of these on my wall because of your generosity in sharing quotes in such a beautiful way!!
here are a couple of ideas to add to the pot:
There will be miracles.
-Unknown
or
Whatever our souls are made of, yours and mine are the same.
-Emily Bronte
Found your project through Thistlewood Farms link this past Saturday. Thank you times 10! Redoing my hallway and have a long somewhat narrow wall going down the stairs the Dr. Seuss quote is perfect!! Love it, will be placing it with a large clock above it! Can’t wait. Just subscribed to your site. How kind of you to share such an awesome project. Look forward to reading your blog more often.
Thanks so much Kim :)
Thank you so much, this was very generous of you. I’m going to do the project this week!
Hi Kristine,
LOVE the sepia versions!!! However, I am not able to download them – do you have any suggestions?
Hi Gerri
I just tried and it worked fine for me. What type of error are you getting? Also, what type of device are you on?
Kristine
I’m using laptop – not getting any error, just nothing happening.
Are you clicking the image of the posters, or the download button beneath the image? A Google Drive page should open and you can then download the images from there. I just tried again and it’s working fine for me.
I was clicking the download button (tried about 5 times). Just did the same thing now, got a “whoops, something wrong with preview” message for the first time so tried one more time and VOILA! I will be framing some beautiful pictures tonight. Thank you so much for taking the time to share these and for trying to help me.
These are so lovely. Do you have any “She said…” quotes? I’m a mother to boys, constantly fighting to keep a female presence in my household!
LOL! I was going to offer four “She said…” quotes in my next round of free printables however can no longer share this style of art (see my update at the beginning of this post for more info). So sorry. I am hoping to simplify the design and share some further ones in the near future.
So you’ll maybe be selling some in the future? I will keep an eye out. Thank you for replying!
They will still be available for free download though the format will be a bit different. If you’re after something custom, feel free to email me: thepaintedhive@gmail.com.
Kristine
x
Hi! These are so beautiful; thank you for sharing your efforts. The De Saint Exupery quote is one of my favorites! I used it at my wedding even. I was actually curious about the stain you used on your frame. Could you share the brand and color? Thank you!
Hi Rozey
It was just a standard oil-based wood stain. Any warm brown should create a similar look. I think it was Old Baltic by Feast Watson.
Cheers
Just joined the family! LOVE this printable. Just ordered mine. Thank you for sharing!
Oh yay! Thanks Kristen :)
Where is this cute chair from in the photo?
Hi Karla
I found a set of these chairs on eBay, complete with a matching table, for just $50. Later discovered it’s an original mid-century Ercol dining set – score! You might be able to find the same chairs if you search eBay or Craigslist.
Kristine
Can you share the name of the font that you used for the author, quote and page number. Love yours….but would like to try my hand at using a quote near and dear to my heart! Thanks!
Hi Trish
I used 1820 Modern, which is a premium font, however there are some similar free ones here.
Kristine
x
Hi Kristine Love these. I went on Officeworks colour poster as you suggested. The posters are measured in MM would it be 594mmx841mm which would roughly come out to 60cmx90cm?? Thanks Nicole Love all your posts!!
Hi Nicole
You’ll need the B1 (1000 x 707) option to properly fill a 90cm x 60cm frame. If you plan on making your own frame, you could go with the A1 option. In either case, I would suggest contacting Officeworks first if you plan to use their online upload service, or going in store. They recommend sizing images exactly for print (so making a canvas of 1000mm x 707mm for the B1 option). As my images aren’t sized to fit their specs, I’m not entirely sure if they crop/enlarge automatically. I always use an image editing program to create a canvas sized to meet their dimensions then I place my artwork on top. Does this all make sense? Basically, if you want to use their upload service, first ask them if they maintain the dimensions of the original image.
Hope this helps.
Kristine
Bless you. I’ve been literally trying to make my own one of these…but I am not good at it! I almost cried tears of joy when I saw this!
Ha, ha. Makes me smile to know I almost brought someone to happy tears! Glad to have helped you Ashley :)
Could you tell me how I can make these with my own quotes? I LOVE the chalkboard background — where do I find it? And what is the font? I don’t want to sell them, just make them for my kitchen!
Hi Julie
I did originally have a little section in this post about how I made this poster though I have since removed it after discovering this design concept originated with a small business. I had seen these posters everywhere so simply assumed they were part of the prevailing farmhouse sign trend. I don’t have a problem with re-creating products made by mass-manufacturers, though I don’t want to borrow ideas from small businesses.
That said, if you’d like to have a go at making your own original quote art sign, you will need to use an image editing program capable of creating large-scale graphics (I used Photoshop though you could try GIMP or PicMonkey). Free high res chalkboard backgrounds can be found online (sorry, I don’t recall where I found mine though if you have a Google around you should find heaps). My font is 1820 Modern however these free Fell Types fonts are similar.
Hope this helps.
Kristine
These are amazing! What program did you use to keep the high resolution of the backgrounds when enlarged? Thank you so much for sharing!
jo
Hi Jo
I used Photoshop. They were high res images to begin with though I still had to enlarge them. They have lost some sharpness though still look fine.
Kristine
Hi, I’m trying to download the sepia version on both lap top and iPhone bout I won’t go to my photo album? Would you know why?? By the way thank you so much for sharing :-)
Lisa,
Thank you
Hi Liza
Hmmm, it should work on your laptop. I just tried on my PC and it downloaded fine. I doubt it will work on your phone as the file is pretty big and there probably isn’t enough storage space for it. Do you have plenty of space left on your laptop?
Perhaps try downloading it to your laptop desktop. Let me know if you still have trouble and I’ll try and help.
Kristine
Yep, I’ve tried everything back and forth on my laptop it’s not downloading at at all to my iPhoto …:-( I’ve tried :-)
Hi I was wondering if it’s not to much to ask can you download and email to me, maybe I hat would work???
Hi Liza
I would love to but the files are too large for my email service. If I tried to send I would simply be requested to share them via Google Drive – which is exactly where they’re currently hosted. Can you tell me exactly what is happening when you hit the download button? Are you being directed to the Google Drive page?
Kristine
Have you had any luck getting them to download Liza?
No, not at all…. when it does download on my ma but when I try to save the file to iPhoto it does not show and when i go to open files it’s there but I can’t open it :-( I’ve tried but no luck…
Okay, the files are PDF’s, not JPG’s. Based on some research I just did, apparently iPhoto doesn’t support PDF’s. Do you have Adobe installed? Or another PDF viewer?
These are so beautiful! What is the font you use?
Thanks Kate. It’s 1820 Modern however you can find similar free Fell Types fonts if you Google around.
Kristine
Hi. Would it be possible to order one that reads “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch but In her own wings” ?
Hi Angie
I’ll send you a direct email.
Kristine