Sometimes simple is better:

Michaels has these great pre-sanded unfinished cradled panels:

I gave each panel a quick, light coat of regular white acrylic paint. I left them imperfect and with some of the wood almost showing through:

They dried in just a few minutes:

I took an old school lettering stencil (they come in many sizes) and traced on my letters:

I filled the letters in with acrylic paint and then used an eraser to remove my pencil marks:

A finished painting…very simply stated:

Michaels has all kinds of stencils you can use like this array of arrows which is a favorite of mine:

I painted the arrows different colors and once the painting dried I sanded them all down for a distressed look:

So many things you could say in just a few words:

What would you put on yours?

Michaels has everything you need to craft the perfect handmade gift that will make Mom’s day.