Home ยป Project Gallery ยป Holidays ยป Christmas

DIY Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments

Cute and easy to make Christmas project, these DIY Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments are the perfect addition and a fun way to decorate your Christmas tree with an amazing rustic look.

Itโ€™s been so crazy busy lately around the house, especially because we are in a new home that I havenโ€™t been able to create as much as I wanted to for our Christmas decor.

DIY Cute Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments cover image with Title overlay

Simple and Easy Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments

However, Iโ€™ve managed to work on some projects that I LOVE how they turned out. These Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments are some of them.

Ever since I started working with wood a few weeks ago Iโ€™ve been getting more confident and started experimenting more. This project was fun and also really relaxing to make, and they look so pretty on the Christmas tree.

Holiday dรฉcor is the most wonderful time of the year, also my favorite, and I’m all about rustic farmhouse style so thought these wood signs would make the perfect ornament.

I got the inspiration from Holly’s Rustic Wood Christmas Ornament Signs and of course, I gave it my own twist.

For this DIY Christmas project, I didnโ€™t have to buy anything since I only use stuff that I already had. Of course, if you donโ€™t have exactly what I used you can always change things and you will probably still get a pretty awesome result.

I had some leftover wood planks so I cut them in half and got 4 mini strips of wood. Some of them were already painted so I used that to my advantage to weather it.

How to make these cute Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments

As I said itโ€™s a fun and very relaxing project, no perfection or expertise is needed. Believe me! Iโ€™m in no way an expert in woodwork or painting.

These wood sign ornaments changing the words for names can make great gifts for loved ones too.

Supplies:

  • Wood strips {as many as you want and the size is completely up to you, they can be all different if you may.}
  • Wood stain {I used walnut}
  • White Acrylic Paint {or any appropriate kind of white paint}
  • Sandpaper {I used 150 because that was what I had}
  • 2 Brushes {one for stain and another one for acrylic paint}
  • Whipping cloth.
  • Gloves
  • Vinyl cut letter {cut yourself some words or buy those pre-made vinyl letters}
  • Twine
  • Beads and Jingle bells {optional}

Tools:

  • Drill and wood drill bits the size of your twine thickness.
  • Cutting machine โ€“ Silhouette Cameo or Cricut.
  • Weeding tool.
  • Steel brush.

Instructions:

Before we begin, be sure to follow us on PinterestFacebookInstagram, and YouTube, and also sign up for our email list (at the end of this post), so youโ€™ll never miss a post!

Step 1: Prepping the wood

So, the first thing I did was sand the woods to remove as much paint as I could, also to avoid splinters. I had one piece raw but the rest were painted in brown, white, and grey.

If you want that same effect, just get some acrylic paint and paint your strips randomly with those colors let them dry completely, and then sand them off. You can see a full tutorial on this here.

Prepping the wood for Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments

When I liked how each strip of wood looked I brush them with the steel brush roughly. This opens a bit the wood grain so it will look even more rustic and also absorb the stain better.

piece of wood and steel brush

Then it’s important to clean each wood piece very well to remove dust and any dirt.

Step 2: Staining the wooden signs

I stained all the strips with walnut wood stain.

staining the strip with wood stain image

First, stain it all and then remove the excess with your cloth. You can, of course, stain the wood with the cloth directly but I wanted the wood to absorb as much stain as it could so I used a brush and then rub it with the cloth.

view of removing the excess with cloth

Let it dry and I get something like this:

view of stained the strips

Step 3: Drilling the hanging holes

Next step, I drilled holes vertically on each strip.

closer view of drilling strip

Why vertically? Well, because I wanted to hang some beads and jingle bells at the bottom, basically LOL.

showing the holes in the strip edge

Sand a bit everything again.

Step 4: Applying the Stencil

Clean your wood strips very well and start placing your stencil letters on them.

I used the words JOY, SNOW, BELIEVE and NOEL.

You can use any word you like, like Merry Christmas divided into two wood signs, Santa, Let it snow, Holiday, snowman, first Christmas (if you have a newborn), imagination is the limit.

view of peeling the letter of stencil

Since I cut them with my Silhouette cameo, I just peel them from the sheet and place them on one side of the strip. I didn’t use transfer tape because the letters were very easy to handle.

Repeat with the rest.

Stenciling the wood sign ornaments

Step 5: Painting the Christmas sign ornaments

Then dry brush with the white acrylic paint on top of everything. Donโ€™t pay attention to details, just brush it and brush it randomly until you are happy with the whiteness.

You can check out my dry brush technique tutorial here.

applying the dry brush technique on the strip image
showing the painted strip

Repeat with the rest and let them dry for a couple of hours.

showing Painted wood signs

Step 6: Peel off the stencils

Once the wood signs are completely dry, it’s time to remove the stencils.

Carefully peel each letter off carefully from the wood.

peeling off the stencil from the christmas wood signs

You will get this pretty effect with the aged wood on the back.

showing the peeled strip

When I peeled them all off I got this! I was in love!

view of all Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments almost ready

Step 7: Sand each wood sign

Then itโ€™s time to sand again with your sandpaper. The lowest the grit the better, I only had 150 so thatโ€™s what I used.

Sand it so you kind of damage the white paint but donโ€™t get too carried away because you might sand off the stain too.

sanding the strips image

Focus on the wood edges mostly and some sanding on the letter edges too.

There you go! Signs are done!

view of Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments sanded

Step 8: Installing the wood sign hanger

Cut some twine strings long enough to go from one hole to the next creating a nice triangle and leaving some more for decor.

view of Wood Sign and twine strings
view of Wood Sign and beads and jingle bells

Insert the twine through the holes making sure the ends are on the bottom of each sign.

view of Wood Sign with twine

Insert your beads and jingle bells {if the case}. You can decorate the end of the twine with almost any embellishment like cranberries and springs, wooden snowflakes or trees, even tassels. Or why not, no embellishment at all.

view of Wood Sign with beads in twine

Finish each end with a tight knot.

showing knot with jingle bells at the end

Pull the twine from the top and you are done!

Repeat with the rest of the signs.

view of Joy Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments

The Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments are ready to be hung on your tree!!!

Crafting Tips

If you don’t have stencil material, that’s ok, any vinyl will do, even cheap contact paper.

If you happen to have heavy-duty vinyl, I recommend pressing each piece through a towel to remove the excess adhesive to avoid leaving it behind when you remove the stencil.

When using pre-made letters, I also recommend pressing them to a towel just to be sure they won’t leave adhesive behind.

The more imperfect your boards are, the better. If you find reclaimed wood or scraps from a construction site, an old palette, even better!

Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments on de floor

I LOVE how they turned out! and it seems like someone else loved them too!

my daughter smiling and Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments on the floor

Look how pretty they look on the tree! What do you think???

All 4 DIY Christmas Wood Sign Ornament on the tree
Joy DIY Christmas Wood Sign Ornament
Snow DIY Christmas Wood Sign Ornament

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of paint can be used for these Christmas wood sign ornaments?

I used furniture acrylic satin paint that is all in one and I love that. But you can use chalk paint, latex paint, spray paint, and so on. I used also wood stain as my base to create that weathered look and to give the words a bold wood color. but you can use 2 different paint colors.

Can this project be done without a cutting machine?

It definitely can. You can find stencil letters in craft stores. You just need to find the style you love the most and make sure the size is right.

What can be used instead of twine?

Imagination is the limit. You can use different types of yarn, cotton twine, ribbon, or no hanger at all. You can just tuck it among the branches.

More Christmas Ornaments to Try

If you liked this Mini Wooden Christmas Sign Ornaments tutorial, you might also LOVE these other Christmas project ideas too:

โœ‚๏ธ Tutorial

DIY Cute Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments cover

DIY Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments

Camila Rojas
Cute and easy Christmas project, these DIY Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments are the perfect addition and a fun way to decorate your Christmas tree with an amazing rustic look.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Crafting Time 45 minutes
Drying time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours
Category DIY & Craft, Holidays
Topic Christmas craft
Pieces 4 pieces

Tools

  • Drill and wood drill bits the size of your twine thickness.
  • Cutting Machine โ€“ Silhouette Cameo or Cricut
  • Weeding tool
  • Steel brush.

Supplies
  

  • Wood strips {as many as you want and the size is completely up to you they can be all different if you may.}
  • Wood stain {I used walnut}
  • White Acrylic Paint {or any appropriate kind of white paint}
  • Sandpaper {I used 150 because that was what I had}
  • 2 Brushes {one for stain and another one for acrylic paint}
  • Whipping cloth.
  • Gloves
  • Vinyl cut letter {cut yourself some words or buy those pre-made vinyl letters}
  • Twine
  • Beads and Jingle bells {optional}

Instructions
 

STEP 1: PREPPING THE WOOD

  • So, The first thing I did was sand the woods to remove as much paint as I could, also to avoid splinters. I had one piece raw but the rest were painted in brown, white, and grey.
  • If you want that same effect, just get some acrylic paint and paint your strips randomly with those colors let them dry completely, and then sand them off. You can see a full tutorial on this here.
  • When I liked how each strip of wood looked I brush them with the steel brush roughly. This opens a bit the wood grain so it will look even more rustic and also absorb the stain better.
  • Then itโ€™s important to clean each wood piece very well to remove dust and any dirt.

STEP 2: STAINING THE WOODEN SIGNS

  • I stained all the strips with walnut wood stain.
  • First, stain it all and then remove the excess with your cloth. You can, of course, stain the wood with the cloth directly but I wanted the wood to absorb as much stain as it could so I used a brush and then rub it with the cloth.
  • Let it dry and I get something like this:

STEP 3: DRILLING THE HANGING HOLES

  • Next step, I drilled holes vertically on each strip.
  • Why vertically? Well, because I wanted to hang some beads and jingle bells at the bottom, basically LOL.
  • Sand a bit everything again.

STEP 4: APPLYING THE STENCIL

  • Clean your wood strips very well and start placing your stencil letters on them.
  • I used the words JOY, SNOW, BELIEVE and NOEL.
  • You can use any word you like, like Merry Christmas divided into two wood signs, Santa, Let it snow, Holiday, snowman, first Christmas (if you have a newborn), imagination is the limit.
  • Since I cut them with my Silhouette cameo, I just peel them from the sheet and place them on one side of the strip. I didnโ€™t use transfer tape because the letters were very easy to handle.
  • Repeat with the rest.

STEP 5: PAINTING THE CHRISTMAS SIGN ORNAMENTS

  • Then dry brush with the white acrylic paint on top of everything. Donโ€™t pay attention to details, just brush it and brush it randomly until you are happy with the whiteness.
  • You can check out my dry brush technique tutorial here.
  • Repeat with the rest and let them dry for a couple of hours.

STEP 6: PEEL OFF THE STENCILS

  • Once the wood signs are completely dry, itโ€™s time to remove the stencils.
  • Carefully peel each letter off carefully from the wood.
  • You will get this pretty effect with the aged wood on the back.
  • When I peeled them all off I got this! I was in love!

STEP 7: SAND EACH WOOD SIGN

  • Then itโ€™s time to sand again with your sandpaper. The lowest the grit the better, I only had 150 so thatโ€™s what I used.
  • Sand it so you kind of damage the white paint but donโ€™t get too carried away because you might sand off the stain too.
  • Focus on the wood edges mostly and some sanding on the letter edges too.
  • There you go! Signs are done!

STEP 8: INSTALLING THE WOOD SIGN HANGER

  • Cut some twine strings long enough to go from one hole to the next creating a nice triangle and leaving some more for decor.
  • Insert the twine through the holes making sure the ends are on the bottom of each sign.
  • Insert your beads and jingle bells {if the case}. You can decorate the end of the twine with almost any embellishment like cranberries and springs, wooden snowflakes or trees, even tassels. Or why not, no embellishment at all.
  • Finish each end with a tight knot.
  • Pull the twine from the top and you are done!
  • Repeat with the rest of the signs.
  • The Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments are ready to be hung on your tree!!!
Keyword diy christmas wood sign ornaments, diy Christmas Wood Signs, DIY Wood Signs

Share and PIN ME!

DIY Mini Christmas Wood Sign Ornaments for Pinterest with text overlay

Til’ next time…

FREE WORKBOOK
Keeping your Sweet Home Organized

Learn how to create intentional habits and simple routines to Keep Your Home Organized. Plus freebies, printables, exclusive content, and tips.

Disclaimer: By clicking on the “Yes” button above you are giving me your consent to collect and use your information according to the law and My Policy Privacy. Zero Spam I promise!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I absolutely love these! I have been looking for a Christmas craft to get started with and this is going to be it!! Thank you for the great idea and fantastic instructions.

    1. Hey Kelly!
      Thank you so so much for your sweet words. You have no idea how happy I am! I’m glad to know the instructions were clear and that you will be making these cuties! I’m actually thinking about making a few more this year!
      If you make them, I would love if you share them with me either by mail or tagging me on social media posts! I absolutely love seeing projects inspired by mines out there!!!
      Hugs and best of luck!
      Cami