Photo Transfer Christmas Sign

I love that this photo transfer Christmas sign has a fun rustic look, perfect for this vintage truck and tree design.

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This cute vintage truck and tree design is super popular and there are a lot of different variations and designs.  I can totally see why it’s so popular.  It is just so cute!  It is really cute on everything!  Signs, prints, tags, pillow and more.

Last month I was helping with a craft night at my church and one of the projects I was in charge of was this cute Christmas Sign.  I decided to try a technique that I hadn’t done before, which is a totally crazy idea when you’re in charge of a craft for 30 people.  In order to keep costs down, I thought photo transfer would work best for this project.  A $.30 print is way more affordable than $5 worth in vinyl and paint.  I actually used 2 different types of transfer medium so I knew which one I wanted to use for our craft night.

The supplies needed to make this photo transfer to wood Christmas sign are:

Wood Board

Foam brush

Matte Gel Medium

Print of your design (mirror image) with laser printer (NOT INK JET) on regular printer paper – See Download Below

First thing to do is make sure your print is cut to size to fit on your wood plaque/board.  Make sure it is a mirror image with the words backward, so they will transfer correctly once down on the board.  Also, the print needs to be made using a laser printer.  Using the foam brush, apply the gel medium over the surface of the board in a nice even (not too thin, not too thick) coat.  Place your print face down onto the board.  So the colored image is making contact with the gel medium.  Use a credit card or something similar to smooth out your paper.  You want to make sure there is good contact with your paper.  Let it dry for 24 hours.

Once 24 hours is up, use a wet sponge to gently remove the paper from the wood.  Use gentle strokes with the sponge or just use your fingers to roll the paper.  Some of the color may come off, so just go slowly.  This is the time consumming part. 🙂  I do one round of paper removal, let it dry again and then try to remove more of the white “film” that will appear.  Once you remove the paper and let the board dry, you can coat the top with Mod Podge to seal if you want.

You can download this vintage truck and tree Merry Christmas print using the link below.  You can right click and save this design to your computer and either print the mirror image at home if you have a laser printer, or send it to a print shop and have them print it for you.  Or just print it out and frame it as is for a quick Christmas decoration for your mantle.  All Liz on Call printables are for personal use only.

Vintage Truck and Tree

And if you have a cutting machine and want to try making a sign like this (or a stencil) using vinyl, you can download the cut file using the link below.  Check my You Tube Channel to see how to upload an svg file to Cricut Design Space if you haven’t done it before.

Vintage Truck and Tree Cut File

There are so many options in creating this cute Christmas sign.  What I loved about the photo transfer to wood method is that it gives it a very rustic worn look, which goes really well with the design.

Happy Crafting!

Liz