During our sojourn in Crossville last fall, we happened to eat at the local Cracker Barrel.  Their Country Store is one of my favorite places to shop, especially around the holidays.  On this occasion I spotted something I’d never seen before.  It was a long plank with the word welcome painted on it vertically, surrounded by, what else,  sunflowers!  They always catch my eye.  A contemporary version of the traditional welcome mat, I suppose.   

When I checked the price tag, I was taken aback.  For that price, I would have expected the plank to be a solid piece of actual wood and the design to be hand painted, neither of which was the case.  With a disillusioned sigh, the item was left behind as I continued to browse.  

A few weeks later, we met another group of out-of-towners,( who had come to see “Johnny and the Devil’s Box,”) at Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  The ‘welcome plank’ was still there.  I had hoped it might be on sale, but no such luck.  I decided to do a bit of investigating.  

When I searched the internet for the ‘welcome plank,’ I discovered that the correct name for it is a front porch leaner.  There is an experience called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or the frequency illusion, which refers to what happens when you learn about something and then start seeing it all around.  Suddenly, there were front porch leaners everywhere!  They appeared in different sizes, colors, and fonts, plain or decorative, personalized or with generic messages.  Inspired by my observations, I decided to make one myself.

A dear friend, (who also happens to be a real estate agent, the one who helped us sell our house in Kentucky) sent us a Home Depot gift card as a housewarming gift and thank you for employing her services.  I used the card to purchase an 8 foot long,  2”x 12” pine plank.  Since I only needed 6 feet of it, I donated the other 2 feet to my husband.  Using fine grade sandpaper, I smoothed the surface and the cut ends.  With some leftover glossy white indoor/outdoor paint, I covered it with three coats, allowing it to dry completely between applications.  With stencils I found at Walmart, I painted the word WELCOME centered vertically down the middle of the board leaving a couple of inches between each letter and several inches at the top and bottom.  Sunflower decals ordered online were added, followed by a couple of coats of glossy polyurethane.  Once it was completely dry, I placed it outside to the right of the front door, thereby officially installing our front porch leaner.  Honestly, I’m not sure any money was saved, but the satisfaction I derived from making it myself – priceless.