Board & Brush
Welcome to the Ames
DIY Wood Sign & Wood Project Workshop!
Are you looking for a night out with friends? Is your inner DIY itching for a fun new project without having to buy all your own supplies and make a mess at your house? Then BOOK A WORKSHOP at Board & Brush Creative Studio in Ames.
Ames, IA is located in Central Iowa approximately 30 miles north of Des Moines. It is home to Iowa State University. GO CYCLONES! In addition to the Campustown offerings, Ames also has a quaint Main Street in the downtown area with locally owned shops, farmers’ markets in the summer and fun places to eat. Reiman Gardens is a fun attraction with year-round gardens and seasonal displays as well as a butterfly wing. You can take a short drive west to the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad and ride a train or a rail bike over the historic High Bridge.
Board & Brush Ames is a licensed establishment.
Beer and wine are available for purchase in the studio.
Please note, BYOB is not permitted.
Upcoming Workshops
- Upcoming Workshops -
Click on a workshop
below to register!
Board & Brush
SIP & PAINT AT OUR WOOD SIGN WORKSHOPS
At Board & Brush in Ames, we marry the joy of wine and paint with the classic timelessness of wooden signs. Our instructor-led DIY wood sign workshops allow you to combine your creativity and willingness to learn new skills. We provide you with the instruction, materials and design for you to distress, sand, stain, paint, and customize your personalized piece of art!
HOW IT WORKS

1. REGISTER FOR A WORKSHOP
View our calendar above to find a date and time that works best for you and your friends and family (the more, the merrier!). You can also look for a workshop that features the type of project you’d like to create, like a PYP or specialty project. Then, you’ll browse our gallery of hundreds of designs to choose which one you’d like to create in your upcoming workshop!

2. ARRIVE EARLY!
Our workshops start on time, so you’ll want to arrive early to get settled! You can start thinking about the endless creative possibilities ahead, take photos with friends, and enjoy your favorite beverage (some studios are BYOB, while others sell alcohol, please check with your local studio about their policies).

3. GET YOUR DIY ON!
At your wood sign workshop, you’ll turn raw wood into a finished project fit for your home! You’ll be guided by our expert instructors throughout each step in the workshop - sanding, distressing, staining, painting your stencil, and waxing! You choose all your colors in person at the workshop! Our workshops are typically about 3 hours long.

4. DISPLAY YOUR NEW DÉCOR
When you leave our workshops, you’ll leave with a wood project that you’ll be proud to display in your home! We mean it when we say that no experience is necessary - our instructors are there to help turn you into a DIY expert. Now that your beautiful farmhouse-inspired project is complete, you’ll take it home to find the perfect spot to display it!
HOST A PRIVATE EVENT WITH BOARD & BRUSH
Whether you're looking for a fun way to celebrate your birthday, a distinctive evening out with a group of friends, a bachelorette party, or a unique relationship-building outing for your employees, look to our DIY wood sign workshops in Ames. Our space is uniquely set up to provide a warm, welcoming environment that allows everyone to feel comfortable and excited to create their own custom piece of décor.
Shop Local
FOR PREMADE PROJECTS & DIY @HOME KITS
Love the projects but unable to attend a Board & Brush workshop? Not to worry! Through our online shop, you can purchase a wide variety of premade signs, boxes, trays, porch signs, DIY @HOME KITS, and more.

Meet Board & Brush Ames Owners
Amy Weber & Margaret Liston
Margaret and Amy are a not only co-owners, but also a mother-daughter duo. Amy fell in love with Board & Brush after attending a workshop and making her first sign in 2017 and had dreams of owning her own studio. Fast forward to 2023, with the partnership of her mom, her dream of bringing this experience to Ames is now a reality! Both women are crafters at heart. From sewing clothes to cross stitching; welded yard art to weaving baskets; jewelry making to rock painting and investing and owning a long arm quilt machine together. They both love to tackle a new DIY project!
Margaret is a retired operating room nurse while her husband, Gerald, is a retired rural postal carrier. They are a blended family with two sons and four daughters, similar to the Brady Bunch! She is blessed with 10 grandchildren. In Margaret’s free time she enjoys reading, working with the community garden, mentoring, bicycling, serving on city council and numerous other crafting mediums.
Amy owns a small accounting firm in Ames. Her husband, Troy, works in agriculture and they have 3 kids; a daughter, Hailee, and 2 sons, Deven and Kaden. In her free time, she likes to attend music concerts, watch sporting events the kids compete in, listen to audio books, and cheer for the cyclones as an ISU alumni.
Make Your Own Personalized Sign at Board & Brush Ames
Pick your preferred custom wood sign design, sign up for a DIY wood sign workshop that best works for you and your friends or family, and then show up for a fun, instructor led, hands-on experience.
Board & Brush Ames is located in West Ames on Lincoln Way, just a short walk from campus. The studio is a block from Vibe Nutrition and a couple blocks from HyVee.
Have any questions? Please feel free to contact us via phone or email. We are happy to help and would love to see you in our wood sign workshop very soon!


Have a question?
We'd love to hear from you!
Have a question for us here at the Studio? Drop us a line and we'll get back to you as soon as we can!