This weekend is Memorial Day, and I always celebrate the holiday by decorating my mantel with red, white, and blue. I keep the same mantel decorations up all summer (Memorial Day through Labor Day). This year I decided to add a DIY America sign into the mix when I saw a white-washed cutout of the United States at a craft store. Keep reading to see how easy it was to make.

Supplies Needed:

• Silhouette CAMEO®, Silhouette Portrait®, or Silhouette Curio™
• Silhouette Cutting Mat (12×24)
• Silhouette Blade
• Silhouette Studio®
• Adhesive Vinyl
• Transfer Tape
• Scraper Tool
• United States cutout or blank sign
• Design ID#2041

Step One: Creating Your Design

1. Open up Silhouette Studio®.
2. Select the Page Setup panel and adjust your cutting mat size to 12 x 24 (or the size of mat you are using).
3. Download and open your word art (Design ID#2041).
4. Resize the design to fit your sign. I made my design 17 inches long and 3.5 inches tall.
   America-Design
5. Attach your adhesive vinyl to the cutting mat, color side up, and load it into your machine.
6. Follow the prompts in the Silhouette Studio® to adjust your blade (if using a ratchet blade) for vinyl and double-check to make sure your design has been selected to cut.
7. Select “Send” to start cutting.
8. Select “Unload” when your machine has finished cutting your design to remove the cutting mat from the machine.

Step Two: Preparing Your Design

1. Remove your sheet of vinyl from the cutting mat
2. Use your fingers or a weeding tool to remove the excess vinyl. Be sure to leave your design on the backing sheet.
3. Carefully remove the centers of the letters and graphics. The letters on this design can be delicate, so take your time.

Step Three: Creating Your Sign

1. Place a piece of transfer tape over your design.
2. Use the scraper tool to make sure the vinyl adheres to the transfer tape.
3. Gently pull transfer tape and make sure the entire design lifts with it.
   
4. Place your design on top of the blank sign.
5. Use the scraping tool to smooth the design onto the sign.
   
6. Slowly and carefully remove the transfer tape leaving your design on the sign.
   

This DIY America sign is the perfect way to dress up a mantel or an entryway for Memorial Day. Tell me what color of vinyl you will use for your sign in the comments below.

This blog post was originally posted on the Polka Dotted Blue Jay blog. It has been edited and republished with permission from the author.