I checked the National Calendar and discovered today is National Shamu Whale Day! Woohoo!  If you aren’t excited about that, maybe you will be happy to get an easy to make  gift idea for the beach lovers in your life….a cute little Welcome sign.

I admit orca whales are out of my bandwidth (thanks Dianna for my new favorite word) however beach themed crafts sell fast here at the North Coast of Oregon.

The internet is full of images that you don’t have to pay for.  I printed out this image of an orca that was on a wooden sign.  Since I was going to paint the black parts, it didn’t matter that it looked like a wood sign.

I got the chalkboard plaque at Goodwill for $1.99, but someone obviously paid $7.99.  They should have gone to Goodwill.  LOL.

Paint pens or felt pens make quick work of making the printout look crisp.  I like Ranger Brand “Stickles” glitter glue to make a border around the Scrabble tiles.

HINT: when you glue letters, start in the exact middle of the picture and work out in each direction then the word will come out evenly.

I made a half circle of pale turquoise so the whale would have contrast with the black chalkboard background.

I have never been to SeaWorld to see the orcas, but sometimes the orcas come to us here at the North Coast of Oregon!  We have spotted them in Astoria and along the coastline in Seaside.

The movie “Free Willy” was filmed in our area and when I was dating my husband, he drove the boat right next to the jetty where Willy “jumped” over the berm of rocks in Hammond, Oregon which is about 15 miles from home.

“Free Willy” was the story of Keiko, but Shamu was the most famous orca, which sounds much nicer than “killer whale”.  I learned that Sea World still refers to their starring orca as “Shamu” and have trademarked the name.

As for me, I love all things puns and whimsical twists on words so the “Whalecome” sign is right up my alley.  This sign would be a really easy Christmas gift for the beach lover in your family.