Reclaimed Wood Santa Sign

This sign actually is just one step in a more elaborate plan to solve a bit of a problem I have had the last few Christmases- our lack of a mantle. But I am not just quite done with the master plan, and wanted to show you how this adorable little sign has turned out so far since it would be a wonderful craft on its own.

I found this sign in a pile of wood at my husband's grandparents house. They have an old barn full of wood scraps and cool antiques- I need to start rummaging through some of the treasures that sit there more often!

This wood plank had a cool worn red paint on it and a ton of character. When it came home, it sat in our garage for a while until one day I got an itch to do some Christmas crafting- and the red paint just screamed Santa to me.

And so the sign was born!

I took two pieces of heavy cardstock and cut out "ho" and "ho"- one in Bebas, one in Samantha Script. I sized them in my Sure Cuts a Lot software to almost fill the whole page and cut with my Cricut. If you don't have a die cutter, you could type out some large letters and cut them with an xacto knife to make a stencil.

I took a worn paintbrush and just dipped it in the paint and rubbed it around quickly to keep a worn look to the project- dry brushing is great for giving a vintage look.

My favorite stencil tip: when making a stencil with a cutting machine, I tape the inside bits to the stencil (see the inside of the "o" above?). When you have painted your design and remove the stencil, carefully go back in and paint where the tape had held the stencil together to give yourself perfect letters that don't look like they came from a stencil.

Have you made any fun Christmas crafts yet? How will you be celebrating the holidays this year?