14 Easy Ways To Make Beautiful DIY Christmas Signs

Decorating with signs is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to add charm and personality to your home.

Especially during the holidays.

Best of all, you don't need any fancy machines or skills, well, not the way I do it, and you don't need to spend weeks to create one.

With a few simple supplies you can whip up custom decor and look like a total pro in about an hour.

Or less.

And yes, yes, I know Christmas is over, but with all the sales going on right now, this is the best time to grab those holiday stencils, gift bags and wall decals so you're ready for next year.

After all, there are only 363 more days left to prepare.

Easy Wooden Christmas Signs

Here are 14 ideas to get you started. Enjoy!

1. STENCILED MRS. CLAUS WOODEN SIGN

Let's start with my most recent (and arguably most adorable) project, Mrs. Claus. When people hear the word sign, they usually picture something small.

A wall hanging or shelf sitter. But for this one, I used a very large stencil to create an almost life size figure.


You know what they say, go big or go home.

At almost four feet tall, she's an impressive piece of decor. So next time you grab a piece of wood, I say the bigger the better.

Snowmen, nutcrackers, gnomes, shepards or elves, whatever your theme...size it up and turn your house into a wonderland.

2. STENCILED SANTA CLAUS PORCH SITTER

Of course, it's hard to top dear old Santa Claus. He was my first {stenciled} Christmas love.


Painted in July, I was excited to try my hand at stenciling again and I was even more excited to make something with scale for my new patio.

I'd seen porch sitters in the stores, but the prices were outrageous. I knew I could make one for much less and I wasn't wrong.

Even with the stencil (buy them on sale...always) and the rollers (my preferred stenciling tool) Santa turned out to be a bargain.

And a very fun DIY.

3. MERRY CHRISTMAS STICKER SIGN

This is the sign that started it all. The one that made me realize you don't need to be an artist to make professional looking holiday decor.


It's a simple wall decal that I picked up at the craft store. I quite literally peeled it off its backing and pressed it down on the board.

Well, ok, there may have been a little more involved, but not much. Scouts honor. 

For the full tutorial you can pop over and peek, but let's just say, if you want a no fuss way to create a sign, this is it.

4. CHRISTMAS CANVAS PRINT

This one is a different take on the whole sign concept. There's no wood involved.


Instead, I used a stretched canvas and some leftover t-shirt transfer paper.

I was able to design my own graphic online for free, print it out and iron it on to make a unique wall hanging.

It lends a bit of a soft touch to my room and that alone makes me smile.

5. GIFT BAG WOODEN SIGN

Have you ever noticed how truly beautiful some gift bags are? Even at the dollar store?

I mean look at this one.


It was made to be displayed.

And all I had to do was cut it out and mount it to a painted board with a few upholstery tacks for a little pizazz.

A high end look for under five dollars.

Merry Christmas indeed.

6. FRAMED GIFT BAG ART

Of course, there are even simpler ways to display gift bags. Like framing them.


As I said, some of them are truly works of art and can be placed under glass for a quick vignette.

I grab frames, of all sizes, at the thrift store during the year and then once December rolls around, I fill them up with gift bags and place them around the house.

On tables, over the mantel, even on the bathroom walls.

7. BUTTON TREE ARTWORK

I've also made signs that aren't flat, like this one with buttons.


I used a combination of seasonally colored craft buttons and sentimental favorites from my mom's collection.

However, you can make one with whatever buttons you have on hand. Or treasures you may pick up in your travels. Rhinestones, silver or gold buttons would make a very glamorous tree.

And an extremely beautiful sign. Hmmm...maybe my sale shopping should include a few of those.

8. PAINTED CHRISTMAS FAN BLADES

This Christmas sign is a trash to treasure upcycle. It took a little bit of thinking outside the box, but that's my favorite kind of crafting.


I found an old ceiling fan at the curb and used the blades as my canvas. I painted a very basic tree on the faux wood finish and voila.

I didn't have to prep the wood or create a background, it was all done for me and the interesting shape stood out among all the squares and rectangles added a little bit of rustic charm to my Christmas cottage.

9. DECOUPAGED WOODEN TREES

Speaking of sign shapes, let's talk about my decoupaged trees.


Yes, this project was a little more involved, since I needed a saw (and a guy who knew how to use one) but I think it was worth it.

There are so many basic shaped holiday characters and items you can create with a piece of plywood. Snowment, large bulb ornaments, stars, wreaths...then you can either paint them or apply rice paper to add the details.

Want to get really festive? Use a drill to add some holes and pop a few lights inside. Brilliant! 

10. LET IT SNOW CUTTING BOARD

Cutting boards are plentiful at thrift stores and they make wonderful sign boards. 


I added stickers to mine and transformed it into a winter accent to dress up my kitchen.

Best of all, I was able to flip it over and make a summer version on the back. How fabulous.

11. WINDOW DECAL WOODEN SIGN

Like I said earlier, wall decals make great signs. 



Whether you find a saying that makes you smile or a seasonal pattern, like this tree, in a fun shape, the process is the same.

Just paint, peel and stick.

You could add a coat of decoupage over the top to seal all that holiday goodness in forever, but most of the time, I haven't found the need.

12. SCROLLED WOODEN GIFT BAG SIGN

This sweet and simple gift bag sign was created simply because I didn't want a bump on the head.


I wanted to decorate my bedroom with a festive piece of wall decor, but everything I found in the stores was very heavy.

And that wouldn't do. So I used an dollar store gift back to make one of my own.

13. HANGING GIFT BAG SIGN

The last two signs on my list are ones that make use of the "B" side of my gift bags. I'm a waste not want not kind of girl. 



So after I cut one side of the bag away for the original sign, I kept the rest of the bag for a rainy, or more probably snowy, day.

This leftover bag was clipped to an old hanger and hung up on a drawer pull for a bit of flair. 

Two signs for the price of one.

14. UPCYCLED GIFT BAG SIGN

This last one was a little more complicated, since I cut the gift bag into pieces to make it fit on a board I could tuck above my kitchen window.


I could've made another square sign with it and given it as a gift or scattered it elsewhere in the house.

But I just loved its delicate, glitter pattern so much, I wanted it in a place I would see it all day.

Every day.

Which by the way, is when you can use all these sign ideas.

They're not just for Christmas.

Like I said, grab those sale supplies now for next year.

But you can make creative signs with any one of these techniques for any season, holiday or event throughout the coming months.

The possibilities are endless.

And I can't wait to see what you come up with!! 

Which one is your favorite?