My eldest nephew's birthday was earlier in April, and he loves trains. Obsessed is probably a better way to put it. Between him and my other nephew, I have learned more about trains than I ever knew existed. So when I asked for gift recommendations, my sister suggested making railroad signs to hang on his bedroom wall.
They live many states away, so I knew that whatever I made I would need to be able to ship it easily (and hopefully not too expensively). I used foam pieces for the red lights, tracing bowls to get the circular patterns.
For the crossing wood planks, I used craft wood, which is thin and light (so easy to hang and snail-mail) and can be finished like you would regular wood pieces. For shipping purposes, I cut them in half, but they easily glued back together once at their final destination. I painted each sheet white and penciled in the letters to make sure I had the spacing correct before finally painting them in black.
Lastly, I wanted to affix wire to the back of each piece so that they could be hung up easily. After measuring some scrap foam pieces I had around to fit the back of each sign, I stuck floral wire through the foam to create a loop that could easily go on a nail in the wall. I then glued the foam to the back of the signs, making an easy, yet sturdy (and still lightweight) hanging option.
The feedback was that my nephew loved it, so I'm happy with it. I hope the wall signs help foster his imagination and add to his bedroom atmosphere as a great place to be and play.
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