Signs, plaques, garlands, and wreaths are generally sprinkled throughout our homes during the holidays. Combining 2 files from Creative Fabrica provides additional creativity in creating this unique sign for this year’s holiday season. Files used to create this sign were:
O Holy Night Circular Ornament (designed by BeckMcCormick)
Nativity Christmas Ornament Collection (designed by oldmarketdesigns)
You’ll also need:
- 8 “round wood plaque (Wood Hollow) if a different size is used, just resize the SVG images as needed
- Mod Podge (Matte finish); spray and brush on
- Blue, white acrylic paint (in tubes)
- Foam Brush
- Water
- Paper towels
- Ikonart Stencil kit (UV light, stencil film, stencil fabric)
- Printer
- SCAL5 Pro
- Sandpaper (220 grit)
Let’s get started!
Prep the wood. Sand if needed to prep the surface. Using the foam brush and watered-down paint, brush the paint on and wipe excess off leaving a washed or weathered look on the wood. The grain of the wood should show through on the top of the wood. Then, add some additional paint on the sides of the wood. Let dry. Sand again to smooth any roughness. Wipe clean. Add another light coat of Mod Podge to seal the wood. Let dry. If the surface is rough, sand again lightly. You can apply another light coat of the sealer if desired.
Open SCAL5 Pro. Place a circle on the mat and size to 7.370 inches. Place another circle on the mat and size about ¼ inch smaller. Highlight both circles. Center vertically and horizontally. Use the command on the Path tab > Back minus Front. You should have a ring with the center being empty. Open the O Holy Night file. Choose the SVG version and place it on the mat (File > Import or drag and drop to the mat). Resize to fit inside the circle with some of the edges touching the ring you just created.
Highlight both the ring and the sentiment and select the Weld command. You may need to make some additional adjustments, so the weld command is a good one for the time being.
Open the Nativity Ornament file and bring to the mat (using Import or drag and drop the file to the mat). Hide or delete all the pieces except for the manger, Mary and Joseph. You can ungroup this file before deleting. Resize the manger and place in the letter “O”. Center it in the lower portion of the letter. It does not have to touch the letter but can for personal design preferences. Repeat the process for Mary and Joseph. Arrange and weld. Check the preview to make sure that any overlapping areas are greyed out. Make sure that all elements are set to BLACK. You’ve now taken two separate SVG files and created a brand-new file that is perfect for the holiday.
Let’s create the stencil *
The benefits of creating a silkscreen stencil allows you to make multiples of the design for holiday gifting or more. There’s also NO time-consuming weeding to do either! TIP: Cut the stencil fabric to the size needed before exposing it under UV light. You don’t need to use a whole sheet for this design.
Follow the instruction shared in this article (Create One of a Kind backgrounds layering stencils) for the basic steps in creating a silkscreen stencil.
1. Print
2. Expose
3. Rinse & Dry
4. Post-expose
After you have post-exposed the stencil, you are ready for your first print. Center the stencil on the wood. Rub to make sure the stencil won’t slip on the prepped wood surface. The stencil should be a little tacky on the back – if it’s not, using a damp paper towel, you can revive the tack by dabbing with the towel on the back of the stencil after you have removed the protective sheet.
Apply a coat of paint using a foam brush and some acrylic paint. A weathered look was desired, so the paint wasn’t applied evenly across the surface. When you have applied the paint, carefully remove the stencil and place it in some warm water to prevent the paint from drying in the mesh of the stencil. Move your wood to a safe place to dry and then go wash out the stencil. Once that’s been done, allow the stencil to dry. If you’re making multiples at the same time, you can use the stencil more than once, but you must work quickly to prevent the paint from drying between stenciling applications.
The stencil only takes about 30 minutes to dry after rinsing off and it is ready to use again. There may be some staining on the stencil fabric, but that is normal. Allow your painted wood piece about an hour to thoroughly dry. For a more rustic look, lightly sand the surface with some fine-grit sandpaper. Be sure to wipe away any dust before the next step.
To finish, apply another coat of sealer (you can use a spray sealer or brush on another coat of the Mod Podge. You can add additional embellishments if desired, such as a bow, berries, stars, a spritz of mica (mixed with alcohol for a quick drying time). And don’t forget to date and sign your work of art!
*If you prefer to use vinyl, vinyl can be cut using your electronic cutting machine. After weeding the excess vinyl away, it can be applied to the surface of the prepped wood. TIP: Adding a sealer after the initial painting will give the surface some additional tooth to hold the vinyl in place. A permanent vinyl is generally the vinyl of choice in this instance.
Add a hanger to the back of the board, or in this case, the round will sit on an easel for display.
We hope that you have found this a quick project for your home décor this coming holiday season or as a gift for a special friend or family member.
For additional ideas and inspiration, be sure to visit Jan’s author page found here or her blog.
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