Craft a Cute Beehive Sign from Recycled Materials

Gather Your Materials for the Beehive Sign

To make this fun beehive sign, you will need easy-to-find supplies. The main components you'll need include pizza pans, Mod Podge, paint, and embellishments to decorate your sign. You can pick up affordable pizza pans and craft paint at your local dollar store. Choose pans in whatever size and quantity you would like for your sign. Gather a few colors of craft paint as well.

Preparing the Pizza Pans

Start by taking your pizza pans and removing any sticky residue or labels. Give them a light sanding to rough up the surface so the paint will adhere better. An optional step is spraying them with a coat of primer first. Once prepared, it's time for the fun part - painting!

Paint and Seal the Pizza Pans

Paint your pans using acrylic craft paint. Choose whatever fun, bee-inspired colors and designs you want. You can paint stripes, dots, flowers or whatever your creativity dreams up. Allow the paint to fully dry before moving to the next step. Once completely dried, use Mod Podge to seal and protect the painted pans. Apply a thick coat over the entire surface, allow to dry, then add 1-2 additional coats. The Mod Podge will give the pans a glossy sheen.

Assemble the Beehive Sign

Once your custom painted pizza pans are sealed and thoroughly dried, you are ready to assemble your beehive sign. Lay out the pans in the pattern you prefer. A rounded shape works perfectly to emulate a beehive. You can experiment with different sized pans in various configurations.

Glue the Pans Together

Use a strong adhesive like E6000 to permanently glue the pans together. Apply a thick layer between each pan, clamp together with binder clips if needed, and allow to fully cure. The end result will be a 3 dimensional, rounded beehive sign ready for decor!

Embellish and Hang Your Beehive

For the finishing touch, embellish your unique beehive sign with additional decor. You can hot glue or attach bees, flowers, bee skeps or other themed accessories. Small wood letters spelling out “Bee Sweet” or “Welcome” would be very cute. Add a rustic twine hanger to the back to hang and display your handmade sign indoors or outside. You could even display it on an easel.

Tips for Making Your Beehive Sign

Follow these helpful tips when crafting your custom beehive:

• Look for pizza pans at dollar stores, thrift stores or discount retailers for budget savings
• Sand and prime the pans thoroughly before painting for maximum adherence
• Use high quality acrylic craft paints and seal paint with 3+ coats of Mod Podge
• Arrange and experiment with pans before permanently gluing together
• Clamp tightly with binder clips while E6000 adhesive sets
• Display your sign indoors or outdoors by adding a hanger

Get Creative with Your Beehive Sign!

Making this unique beehive sign is simple but makes a real statement piece. Wrap some creativity and your own personal flair around the project to end up with a one-of-a-kind focal point for your home or garden. Experiment with different numbers of pizza pans, alternate materials like wood rounds or tin lids, produce your own pattern ideas, and embellish to your heart's content. The possibilities are endless! No matter what, follow along for more crazy, fun DIY projects!

FAQs

What kind of paint should I use?

We recommend acrylic craft paint since it adheres well to metal and wood. Make sure to prime the surfaces first for best results.

How many pans will I need?

This depends on the size you want your beehive sign to be. For a small sign, 3-5 pans should suffice. For larger signs, you may need 8-10 pans or even more if you'd like a dramatic statement piece.

What can I use instead of pizza pans?

You can substitute other similar materials such as round wood discs, metal tins or lids, or cake pans. Anything you can paint and glue into rounded bee hive shapes will work.

Can this project be made waterproof?

Yes! After painting and sealing the individual pans, spray paint them with an outdoor waterproof spray paint. Use a durable outdoor adhesive instead of E6000 if you plan to hang your sign outside.