Bluesky at Home » DIY Projects » How to Make an Easy Christmas Sign

How to Make an Easy Christmas Sign

Oh, the beauty of signs, especially at Christmas.  Want to know how to make an easy Christmas sign for the holidays? I have the easiest sign that you can make ~ even in July.

Signs are everywhere, for every style, for every reason, and for every season.

It’s Christmas in July. This week I’m sharing some lovely Christmas projects that you can easily make right now in the lazy days of summer. I’m kicking off the week by showing you how to make an easy Christmas sign.

I made this easy Christmas sign a few years ago, but it will be brand new to you. So many people have asked how to make a Christmas sign that I’m sharing it again.

This Christmas sign is still one of my very favorites. We bring it out every year. I’m so happy to share it again.

In the past few years, I have become obsessed with making signs. First I made this fall~faith~family sign for our bookcase. And then I gave our Thanksgiving sign an update. I couldn’t let Christmas go by without its own brand spanking new sign. All it took was some letters, some wood, and some spray paint ~ three of my favorite DIY ingredients.

Making a sign starts with determining the space you have and where you want to put your sign. I knew that my sign would go on our mantel and that it needed to be between 24 and 32 inches square. How to make a Christmas sign ~ or any other sign ~ starts with your word or saying. That meaningful, creative, speaks~to~me word.

My word would be JOYFUL.

How to Make a Christmas Sign

Your word for your sign could also depend on what letters in which sizes and which style are available. Sometimes you’re lucky and just the right letters in just the perfect size and font are there for the asking. If not, you have to be creative and mix up the size and style (which is what I had to do for my Thanksgiving sign).

Step 1 ~ Purchase Your Letters

The first step to making a Christmas sign began with a trip to the craft store. Lucky for me, all the craft stores in my area (Joann, Hobby Lobby and Michael’s) carry letters. I tend to shop Joann the most because it is more convenient, has a great selection, and I know the layout better. You can definitely find letters on Amazon and Etsy.

In the letter section, find the size and style of the letters you want. You may have to make adjustments. Fortunately, for my Christmas sign, the letters I needed were available in the size and style I liked. I didn’t have to change my vision.

TIP: Try to buy your letters as early as possible before the mass raid on the craft stores begins. This is one more reason to make Christmas decorations in the summer or early fall.

Joyful DIY sign supplies

Step 2 ~ Find Your Wood Backing

Just like my fall sign, I wanted a little bit rustic, almost shiplap look, for my Christmas sign. Frankly, it took me quite a while to find the wood backing that was the right size and style and met the measurement requirements I needed. I ended up buying two “picket~fence” style boards. I knew with a coat of paint, they would be just right.

TIP: It took me a good 30 minutes of trying different wood backs to find the right combination. Don’t give up. (I almost did.)

Joyful DIY sign supplies

Step 3 ~ Construct the Wood Backing

The two wood pieces I bought came with hangers attached to hang both vertically and horizontally. How convenient. My boards would hang horizontally (like shiplap), so I removed the vertical hangers. Because the hangers were so close to the edge of the wood, I moved them down about 2 inches.

Joyful DIY sign supplies

TIP: Keep the extra hangers for other projects

I have no idea why the wood on the back looked different when it was the same on the front.

Joyful DIY sign supplies

I needed a way to attach the pieces I bought. Fortunately, I also found these wood “slats” at Hobby Lobby. They were thick enough that I could screw through them, but still, lightweight.

Joyful DIY sign supplies

I took the wood boards and the slats to my “workshop” in the garage (AKA plastic adjustable table). The wood boards had three support pieces on the back. I lined up one of the slats I bought on top of each piece.

Using my drill, I made pilot holes in the wood slats and then screwed the boards together. (Fortunately, we have a good collection of screws on hand.) Now I had one large wooden back that was the exact size I needed ~ 32 inches square.

Have I told you how much I love my electric drill? Every DIYer should have one. I’ve had mine for several years, but this newer version looks really nice.

When I was at Haven Conference last week, I visited the Ryobi booth and saw their amazing line of tools. This electric drill would definitely be high on my list of new tools.

Joyful DIY sign supplies
Joyful DIY sign supplies

Step 4 ~ Paint the Letters

I love this font style ~ I had already used it for some of my “Thankful” letters. They are about 5 inches tall.

Since my workshop was set up, I just added my Spray Paint Shelter on top. I checked my spray paint supply and had almost a full can of Krylon metallic gold spray paint.

Joyful DIY sign supplies

I gave each letter two coats of paint, making sure that the edges were also covered.

Step 5 ~ Paint the Wood Backing

It was actually a little chilly the day I was making the sign, so I decided to paint the wooden backing inside.

I put another drop cloth on my kitchen island. In my paint stash, I had about 1/4 of a can of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White. I’ve used this color many times in the past and knew it would be just right on the wood. Also, I wanted to use up the rest of the paint so I could get rid of the paint can.

Joyful DIY sign supplies

I gave the letters a coat of gold spray paint and came inside to warm up and paint the wooden backing. I repeated this twice. All my components were done and dry in less than one hour. I didn’t do any distressing or waxing on the painted boards.

Joyful DIY sign supplies

Step 6 ~ Assemble the Sign

This was the easy part. I laid out where I wanted my letters.

I tilted the J ~ Y ~F and L a little tilt for fun. Use your favorite glue ~ I used Gorilla Glue which I’ve been loving since getting a sample bottle at Haven. I also “randomly” added several gold glitter stars I already had from a couple of years ago. Just to make sure that the letters were completely sealed, I placed our two toolboxes (his and hers) on top and let them sit overnight.

Christmas mantle decorations

The last step was to attach a wire to the two hangers on the back of the Christmas sign. We pulled it tight so it wouldn’t show when we hung the sign.

I finished the sign in less than 2 hours total (Not counting wait time for the glue to dry.) which was the Monday before Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving we packed away all the turkeys and pilgrims. The Christmas sign was the first Christmas decoration thing we put up. A new, sparkling sign. It was so easy.

If you’ve wondered how to make a Christmas sign, wonder no more. You can shop today and make it tomorrow.

If you make the Christmas sign now, I would cover it with plastic or put it in a large bag. Put it away until you start decorating your home for Christmas. That’s the great thing about making your Christmas decorations in July.

I can’t tell you how much I love my JOYFUL Christmas sign. Yes, I can. I love my JOYFUL sign!! I think it’s a great focal point on our mantle. More importantly, it expresses exactly how I feel at Christmastime: full of joy for the blessings in our lives and grateful to God for his enduring love and grace.

Christmas mantle decorations

I look forward in November putting up our Christmas sign. Here is our mantel holiday display from last year.

I have a ton more brand-new fun Christmas DIY projects to create in the coming weeks. It might be like Santa’s workshop around here. This elf is busy creating holiday decor, so please check back in for inspiration. Feel free to PIN this Christmas sign project.

pin for later graphic in blue
blog signature with red stocking

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

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

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

8 Comments

  1. Love your sign. You are SOOO right about creating Christmas stuff now! My “spray booth” is outdoors and NOW is the best time in Maine; the sunshine helps dry stuff quickly. Not so come November! I Christmas-craft (and shop for thrifted supplies and gifts) all year long as the spirit moves me so I am ready!