DIY Vintage Wood Block Letters

DIY Vintage Wood Block Letters

How to Create wood block letters with a vintage look for the holidays!

Good morning, sweet friends, and Happy Friday!

Today I’m sharing a project that’s a bit sentimental to me.

As many of you know, last week we had the absolute JOY spending some much-needed time with our grandson, Max!

We had so much fun playing with his toys and watching cartoons, and of course, as much snuggling as he would let this nana give him!

But we also did a few Christmas crafts that we could put up on my tree, as well as a few he could bring home to his mommy and daddy!

During our crafting time, I couldn’t help but remember sitting across from his mommy years ago doing similar crafts right before the holiday season.

One such project was two sets of four wooden blocks that we painted red and green and to which we stenciled out the word “NOEL”.

Looking back I remember they weren’t really even blocks and they certainly weren’t square.  I wasn’t into DIY at the time(too busy being a single parent) so I really didn’t know any better though. They were cute and gave us something to do together. That’s really all that mattered.

I kept those blocks for years and put them out every single Christmas, just like all the other craft projects we made together or she made at school.

That’s what Christmas is all about for me. Cherished Memories. Tradition. Handmade gifts. Family.

Unfortunately, over time, some of those cherished treasures didn’t make it through two moves, and a flooded basement.

I’m not sure when or how those NOEL blocks became Christmas casualties, but this year I decided it was time to make a new set. (Or two)

Since Christmas brings me so much joy I decided that would be one of the words I would create. Hope came next because frankly this time of year is always filled with so much hope which is what makes it so magical.

And this time they really are blocks because they really are square!!

So let’s get started!

Here’s what you’ll need!

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Wood (I used a 4×4 untreated post we had leftover from another project)

Measuring tape

Square

Pencil

Circular Saw

Palm Sander

120 grit sandpaper

Paint (I used white and black craft paint)

Paint Brush

Stencils (I used 2 inches)

Stencil sponge

HOW TO CREATE VINTAGE WOODBLOCK LETTERS!

Measure and cut the wood into the size you want

TIP: I used a tape measure and square to measure the correct size I wanted. A perfect square 4″x4″ which ends up being 3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″.

Sand each block using a palm sander and 12o grit sandpaper

TIP: You might want to wear gloves during this step-depending on what type of wood you using. This untreated post was rough on several sides and the cut side splintered a bit too. Thankfully, I didn’t get any splinters in my hand but I would caution it’s possible.

Note: I also didn’t sand down the rough sides much because that’s the look I was going for.

Apply the paint using a dry brush technique to achieve an aged look.

I only needed one coat of white paint to get the look I wanted. The black required two coats to cover and then I used the sander to distress it a bit. I allowed each of the blocks a good hour drying time before I started stenciling.

STENCIL YOUR LETTERS ONTO THE BLOCKS

TIP: The face of the block was such a small area to stencil that I didn’t even need to tape down the stencil, I just held it in place. But you certainly can with some painter’s tape.

When all the letters were stenciled onto the blocks I set them aside and let them dry overnight.

And VIOLA!

I have two new sets of woodblock letters to use to decorate our home for Christmas!

This year I decided to change things up from my usual Christmas reds, greens, and blues, and add in more of the classics like white and black. They really are so perfect together and truly add so much to the other holiday colors!

 

And giving the blocks a bit of a distressed look is a nod to the past and you all know how much I LOVE all things old and vintage!!!

So there you have it! My first DIY for this year’s Christmas season!!!

I hope these DIY Vintage Wood Block Letters stick around for another 25 years like the last ones my daughter and I created.

I also hope this project inspires you to take a walk down memory lane and maybe create some of your own block letters.

A few other words that inspire Christmas for me are BELIEVE-MERRY & BRIGHT-and PEACE!

What are your favorites?

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Here’s more DIY Christmas inspiration you might enjoy!!

Wishing you all a FABULOUS weekend!

Thank you so much for stopping by!