Video summary
The video introduces a DIY project designed for craft show vendors looking to capitalize on the upcoming fall season, specifically focusing on creating an attractive porch sign that costs significantly less than its retail price. The creators explain their motivation behind developing this new design: while they already have kits for Halloween and Christmas, there was a strong demand from workshop attendees for a distinct autumn-themed version. To elevate the project beyond simple designs used in previous years, the team decided to incorporate UV-printed accents onto each piece. This technique not only adds visual appeal but also ensures durability against outdoor elements like sun rays and rain, making it suitable for front porches without fading over time.
The tutorial breaks down the construction process into four main steps: cutting, painting, printing, and assembling. For cutting, they utilize an xTool P3 laser cutter to slice shapes from 1/4 inch MDF board that is specifically rated for laser use, noting that a more powerful 100-watt version can cut faster than their standard setup. The painted pieces are then organized by color using modified tube socks and painter's tape before being coated with outdoor-safe "Foxy Hues" paints in an earthy palette featuring burgundy, orange, and dark golds to evoke cozy seasonal vibes. Following the painting phase, they employ a unique printing method called Cut-Print-Print (CPP), where outlines are printed first on green tape to serve as guides for placing the physical pieces before adding detailed UV images like pumpkins or marshmallows directly onto them.
Finally, the video concludes with an analysis of the project's efficiency and profitability based on actual testing times and material costs. The team found that cutting took approximately 28 minutes using a high-power laser, painting required about 30 minutes for two people, and printing the accents took roughly 30 minutes or less depending on the printer used. With total material expenses running around $15—including MDF, paint, ink, and solar lights—the creators suggest selling the finished sign between $20 to $75 at craft shows, offering a substantial profit margin for makers. They also mention that while adding extra decorative elements like raffia could enhance the look, it is optional since customers can customize their own bases if desired, ultimately encouraging viewers to join their membership program or download files from their website to replicate this successful seasonal product.
Read the full video transcript
Fall is here and we're ready to take our
craft shows to the next level.
>> We just made this super cute porch post
and we're going to show you how we made
it, how much it cost, how long it took,
and how much we'd sell it for.
>> With K and G
>> [music and singing]
>> made it.
>> What is up? Welcome back. We know you
love to do it, build it, and make it.
>> And we're here to help you sell it.
>> So, hit that like button and if you're
not yet subscribed, subscribe [music]
and tick that bell to be notified of our
new videos each week. This week fall is
in the air. Well, not really, but it's
getting real close to craft show season.
>> Yeah, you're not too early, you're
almost too late. You know what they say,
sweater weather is seller weather.
>> By the time you see the back to school
stuff, you should already have your
inventory going if not ready for the
fall craft shows. And we've had a lot of
requests during our workshops
>> Yes.
>> for that little uh porch post, that sign
directional sign post for Christmas.
>> Mhm.
>> A lot of people coming in do it for the
workshops and we noticed that they kits
have started to pick up. So, I felt like
we needed a fall version. We have a
Halloween version, we have a a Christmas
version, but we need like something good
for fall. And we didn't want to just
make the same type that we made last
year. We have a lot of different tools.
So, this time I want to go ahead and put
some UV printed accents on each piece to
make it pop. Just take it to a whole
other level.
>> Mhm. Yeah.
>> So, then we're going to test it out
today. We're going to find out how long
it takes to cut, how long it takes to
print, how long it takes to paint and
assemble.
Step one, we're going to make all of our
cuts. I've already created a cut file.
>> And you can access it on our website at
kngmakeit.com under the digital download
section. This comes with the SVG and the
print file where we'll be adding the
accents a little bit later. Now, if
you're not yet part of our membership
tier, you can become part of the Maker
Mafia and access this file as part of
your membership downloads.
>> We'll be cutting all of our pieces out
of 1/4 in MDF.
>> Now, not all 1/4 in MDF is the same. Our
1/4 in MDF that you can also access at
kngmaker.com
is laser rated, so it cuts beautifully
every time.
>> We'll be making all of our cuts using
our xTool P3. This is an 80 W laser. It
has an 18 by 36 in bed. So, I'm going to
need to make two cuts.
>> And lastly, you're also going to need a
36 in 1 by 2 to use as your post.
>> Step two.
Now we paint.
>> We're going to be painting with our Faux
Oxy Use Paints. Now, you can find these
paints on our website. We're using these
because they are outdoor safe. So,
they're same stuff you paint your house
with, with so it has all of those
outdoor additives. It's UV resistant,
weather resistant, and we're going to be
using most of this new palette. If you
haven't been following us or you haven't
seen on our website, we have a moss and
timber palette. And it this is this
cottage earthy,
um it's almost a little masculine, but I
really love this dark palette and I
think it's going to be perfect for this
fall
>> Yeah, I was going to say
>> cozy little um holiday, you know,
What is the word I'm looking for?
>> Directional, sign taste.
>> Hol- It's not really holiday. Fall
season. Cozy. Yeah, seasonal is the word
I was looking for.
It's going to be great for this fall
seasonal directional sign.
We're going to be using most of these
colors in this palette, plus a few
additional ones that really bring out
those fall colors. You know that we need
the burgundy, this Ambush Auburn, and
you know we need the orange and the dark
golds. All of that just screams fall.
The first thing we're going to do is
separate all of our little pieces into
the colors because it's easiest to paint
if you have them grouped by color. So,
we're going to just put some of this
little tape down face up, sticky side
up. Tape the ends down so it doesn't go
anywhere.
And if you haven't seen this great tape
dispenser, we also offer this on our
website by popular demand. We started
using it on our test cut Tuesdays. We 3D
printed them. You can grab one on our
website, but uh you can also make
yourself one. These things are great to
uh dispense your um painter's tape here
instead of having to peel the roll and
pull it off.
>> Have it so you can grip.
>> Yeah, so it's
>> Not to use your teeth.
>> Not using my teeth. All right, so I'm
just going to put all of my little
letters together that are the same
color.
I guess actually I'm going to put it
over there. All of yours You're starting
with all the
Um we're going to be using modified tube
socks. So, you're going to put all the
modified tube socks together, right?
>> Yep.
>> Now, I notice in workshops people are
always like, "Oh my gosh, you got to
keep all my pieces together. Make sure
my They're trying to keep their words
spelled correctly." And I'm like, "It
doesn't doesn't matter. Just fit the
words the letters together as close as
you can."
>> Yeah, but it doesn't spell bonfire.
>> Yeah, and then uh and then they realize
and they're like, "Oh yeah, I guess I
guess it doesn't really matter."
It's like it doesn't doesn't matter.
>> [music]
[music]
>> Step three. Now, we're going to print
our accents.
What Kim likes to call CPP.
>> Cut print print. Now, we've already cut
our shapes out. That was part of the cut
file.
But, we're going to do two prints. The
first print is going to be the outline
of the shape so you know exactly where
they're going to lay on your desktop
printer bed. Now, this is so that you
can use that zero
>> Yeah, zero point alignment. You don't
have to take a picture. You don't have
to take the whole, however long it takes
to take the picture to get you all
together.
>> Right, yeah.
>> You're just going to print the outline.
We're going to lay these pieces
in the outline of the SVG. We're going
to print our SVG, and then we're going
to lay our pieces inside the outline,
and then we're going to print our
pictures.
I know you're going to ask what's up
with the green tape. Well, the green
tape is a lot cheaper than those UFE
makes sticky mats. So, I lay the green
tape down sticky side up, and then I'll
[music] print on the green tape, and
then I can stick my pieces to that
instead of messing [music] up the mat.
Step four.
Time to assemble. We're going to put all
the little signs together using some
Starbond thick,
and then we're going to tack them and
glue them
to the 1x2
>> That's over here.
>> using like a half-inch brad. The nail,
not the guy.
>> Mhm, that's an oldie, but a goodie.
>> All right, these should all be pretty
easy and quick to assemble because most
of the decorative piece
is part of the is part of the frame.
Like this guy has got the
>> I love that. I noticed.
Yeah.
>> So, they should be pretty easy and a
quick assemble.
>> [music]
[music]
>> Now, we're putting the solar light on
the top of this thing.
So, I built a little frame that it's
going to sit in
right on the top. So, we're going to
attach the frame pieces
with some Starbond and then hit them
with a brad.
The nail, not the guy.
Just be sure.
Now, this tab is the same width as this
guy. So, we're going to use this as our
spacer. Okay.
Line it up at the top.
Make sure I have some room on the side.
And I'm going to tack it real quick.
And I'll flip it over and [music] do the
same thing.
>> [music]
[music]
>> All of our little accents are done being
printed.
They look great. This one looks
delicious.
And this tiny marshmallow is looking
pretty delicious, too.
>> These are what's really going to take
this to the next level. And if you're
asking yourself, "Are these going to be
okay to sit outside?" They are. Because
they're UV printed, they also have that
protection against the UV sun rays. It's
not going to fade them, and they're
going to be fine to get wet outdoors on
your front porch.
>> We're just going to glue these in the
spaces that I left with a little bit of
the Starbond thick.
>> [music]
>> All right, we're going to line them up
on our 1 by 2, space them out, put a
little bit of glue on there, and uh
give them a quick inconspicuous
>> Okay, well, that's why I was putting the
base together because I feel like you
got to know Yeah, where that earring is
set.
>> All right, now we'll put the little foot
together.
Little base.
This is lost the year.
>> I already checked it's going to be
tight.
>> She said it's going to be tight. This
thing ain't going nowhere.
That ain't going nowhere. That ain't
going nowhere.
Like a glove.
>> Oh my gosh, look at that.
>> Here you put the light on top.
>> Put your hand over it.
But,
I don't know if you could see the light.
>> So awesome. There you go.
You see the light?
>> Yeah.
I like him.
>> So we know what your questions are going
to be. How long did it take? How much
did it cost? And what can I sell it for?
>> Yes.
>> All right, so how much did it cost? I
think we're all in on the MDF like $6,
a couple of dollars in paint. It was
just a couple of ounces. I'm going to
say $2 in paint. And I it was 2.4 ml of
ink. So,
I'm not sure what that comes out to be.
Like a dollar in ink.
>> If that much, yeah.
>> Maybe a dollar in ink.
>> Mhm.
>> So, and then the light cost uh $5. So,
about $15 all in. How long did it take?
The cut took the longest. It took 52
minutes on the P3.
So, but I did I did uh go ahead and run
it on the 100 W to see what it would do
and I was able to get that in 28
minutes, everything cut. So,
>> on the bigger bed, bigger laser.
>> with bigger laser
>> more powerful
>> ran it a little bit faster.
So,
>> Uh cut paint time. Paint time was about
30 minutes for the two of us to paint it
together.
Uh I think we could have done it even
faster, but we were dillydallying. And
then the prints, your cute little
accents, which are totally worth it
because the perceived value goes way up
with these guys. Uh they take about 30
minutes to print, right?
>> It took about 30 minutes to print. I did
run it on the Logo Jet where it took 8
minutes for all all five pieces.
>> So, yeah, we ran it on the make for 30
minutes.
>> U P make took 30 minutes, Logo Jet took
eight. So, again, this is a great
prototyping.
It let us see if it's feasible. Yes,
it's feasible. Yes, we can batch them
out.
And then how much would we sell them
for?
>> So, I think I think all in with
everything where we like more like $20?
>> With time and everything, probably 20
$25.
>> And then I know easily I can sell this
for $75.
>> Oh, easy.
>> And then I would love to put a little um
raffia at the bottom to make it look
like a little hay down here. I could do
that, but that's just an added expense
and time. You don't really need it, but
it does add that little something extra.
>> Let them do it. Let the customer add
something to the base if they need to.
>> Almost everything we use for this
project can be found at kngmaker.com.
You we have our Foxy Hues paints and you
can access all of these beautiful colors
and our Foxy Hues paints. The this
entire set comes in a kit. You can get
it in an unfinished kit where we send
you the MDF and you paint it yourself or
you can download the digital file which
it with all of the elements that you see
here on
>> It comes with the CCP. It comes with the
cut print print.
>> It even comes with the print files that
you see accents that we've added here.
And if you're not yet part of the Make
It Mafia, you can join our membership
tier where you can access this file as
part of your credits.
>> Well, I'm about out of time. I got to go
make a bunch more of these. Craft show
season is right around the corner. It's
knocking at my back door.
Big thanks to the Make It Mafia. We love
you guys.
>> [gasps]
>> You did not say knocking at my back
door.