Easy Christmas Crafts: IOD Decor Stamps on Wood
Is it ever too early to get started on your Christmas crafts? The answer is No – because they’re so much fun to make!
This draft project is perfect for Christmas tree decorating, overall Christmas decor, and Christmas gifts. One project that’s perfect for all three categories is a win-win. And that’s what you’ll say once you see how I use cedar shingles and IOD Decor Stamps and Ink to deck the halls.
No time to read now? Just pin this for later!
Watch as I alternate between stamping on chalk paint and plain wood on the video. I think you’ll be amazed at how fast you can make these Christmas decorations. Then, when they’re dry, go back and add more ink to color in the stamp. You’ll see what I mean.
READY TO ROCK YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE WITH SOME EASY CRAFTS? HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO DIY CHRISTMAS DECOR STAMPING ON WOOD.
IOD Holly Jolly Decor Stamp (limited edition, supply going fast)
IOD Decor Ink – Black, Tomotto, Stone Gray, Grass, and China Blue
Chippy Brush – email me directly for a link to purchase (gardenhousestudio@gmail.com)
Picture hanging wire
Cording or Twine
1 Box of Cedar Shingles
I used cedar shingles for this project that were leftover from a home repair project. They’re lightweight and a box of cedar shingles is inexpensive. Any chain hardware store will carry them. You can cut the individual shingles down into various sizes to create ornament sizes or keep them big for wall decor.
STEP 1: PREP YOUR SHINGLES
You’ll need two holes drilled into each shingle. We used a standard hand drill and a drill bit small enough to create the size hole we wanted. It’s easy to do – just choose the size drill bit that will allow you to thread picture hanging wire or twine/cording.
Before drilling your holes at the top of each shingle, decide on the sizes you’d like and cut your shingles down. Remember to leave some larger for Christmas wall decor. Some of the stamp images are large – perfect for a whole shingle.
STEP 2: ADDING CHALK PAINT TO WOOD
I applied the chalk paint with an almost dry brushing technique. If you feel like you have too much paint on your brush, offload some with a few strokes on newsprint or scrap paper before painting.
I’m using a Chippy brush that’s perfect for this step. (email me at gardenhousestudio@gmail.com for ordering this brush) As I apply the paint, I keep my brush strokes in the center of the shingle. I love the look of plain wood in Christmas decorations!
I didn’t paint every shingle – I wanted some to have the stamped image on the raw wood. And I loved the results this produced – a rustic look. Once all the shingles you want to be painted are done, set them aside to dry.
Note: the paint will dry duller than when it’s first applied to the wood. This is exactly what you want to see and will allow your stamped image to pop.
STEP 3: STAMPING ON WOOD
Choose the image you’re going to start working with, based on the size of the shingle – or find a shingle with the size to accommodate the stamp you choose. I’m starting with a smaller piece, and the Bells fit perfectly.
Before inking the stamp, I place it on an IOD Thin Mount sheet. Then I cut out the Thin Mount to be a bit larger than the stamp size, after sticking the stamp onto it. This is what I’ll use to hold the stamp and place it on the shingle after it’s been inked.
Now I take an ink pad and make sure it’s fully saturated with the ink color I’ll start with – gray, followed by black. You can go straight to using the black ink but I like the depth of my piece starting with the gray, followed by stamping over it with black. Turn the ink pad upside down and ink your stamp.
Now hover your inked stamp above the shingle until you know where you want to place the image. I’m stamping the image starting close to the top to leave room for adding words like JOY across the bottom of the image.
If you decide how you want your decor/ornament to look ahead of time – adding words or not – it will help guide you on placing the stamp onto the shingle.
With the stamp on the wood, hold it down with one hand and thoroughly press the stamp down with the other hand. I go over the stamp several times to make sure I get a good, clean impression on the wood. Then just lift the stamp straight up from the wood.
STEP 4: FINISHING TOUCHES
To create a finished look around the shingle, I used the stamp pad with the black ink and applied it to the edges. Once that’s dry, I tie on the twine/cording, knotting it at the holes and leaving enough slack to create a hanger. For some shingles, I used the picture hanging wire, looping it through the holes and then twisting it around itself to anchor it.
For the shingles with room left for words, I chose the IOD Farmhand Typography Stamp because I love the rustic look. It fit perfectly with my Christmas decor. I laid out the letters to form the word on the wood and then placed a piece of Thin Mount on their sticky side.
Again, I cut the Thin Mount around the word, using it to hold the stamps easily. Then I used the ink pad to apply the ink to the typography stamps and then placed the word in the spot I’d chosen. Use the same technique of holding the Thin Mount down with one hand, and press down on the stamps with your other hand.
Pro Tip: Holding the stamp with one hand prevents the stamp from sliding and producing a blurred image.
The last step in my project was going back with a small paint brush and adding in some color with IOD Decor Ink in Tomotto (red) and Grass (green) to finish my rustic Christmas decor.
Once you’ve mastered the process, you can adapt different stamps and typography stamps combined with different ink colors to create beautiful Christmas decor for your tree and walls. And they make the most perfect gifts!
Share your Christmas Craft projects with me, please! And check back for ideas and inspiration as we create more easy, simple Christmas crafts right here at Gardenhouse Studio.