Scrap Wood Christmas Tree Art

In this post, I’m sharing a simple scrap wood Christmas tree art piece to kick start your holiday decorating!

This adorable Christmas tree sign is quick to make and easily customizable to any size you need.

It was inspired by one of my all time favorite DIY projects ever–this simple pumpkin sign and these wooden sunflowers.

Tools & Materials

A note about material options

For this project, I used some ¾″ birch plywood for the backer and red oak lumber for the cut outs and frame. I also used some scrap ¼″ plywood to add the snow.

But you could use ½″ plywood for the back instead and any wood type you’d like for the rest.

There is no right or wrong material to use for this. However, if you have it, red oak is great for the shape cut outs because the grain patterns really add some nice texture.

Amount of material needed will depend on the size and shape you’re making. You can make this project as big or small as you’d like.

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How to make a scrap wood Christmas Tree Sign

This is such a fun little project you can easily create in just an hour or two. If you prefer to watch, check out this video on my YouTube channel featuring 3 holiday projects (including this one!):

Below you can find the detailed tutorial and step by step to make your own!

Step 1: Find a Template

First, I found a template tree shape I wanted to cut out for this project. You can do a quick Google search, sketch a drawing yourself, or find one from a coloring book.

Any shape will do, but consider the detail when making your selection. The simpler the design, the easier it will be to cut.

Also, I recommend finding a template or drawing that is in sections. For example, the one I choose has the tree drawn in four parts plus a trunk.

I sized and printed this out, then cut apart the pieces.

TIP: If you want it large, print it on multiple pages.

Step 2: Lay Out and Cut Tree Pieces

I cut my tree pieces from some scrap 1×8 red oak. Any 1x material you’d like to use for this would work fine.

I just kind of laid out my cut out pieces however they would fit on my board and traced around them with a pencil. They should be close, but don’t have to be perfect.

TIP: It’s best to turn each piece a little so that the grain will run different directions once they’re all put together.

Then I cut these out with a jig saw. I recommend using a fine finish or scroll blade for best results.

For the trunk, I cut a thin scrap piece, but you could make yours chunky if you wanted.

Before attaching anything, I went ahead and sanded each piece and stained the tree pieces in Minwax Evergreen.

Don’t stain the back side–just the front and the edges.

Step 3: Glue Tree Onto Backer

I found a piece of scrap ¾″ plywood a little larger than my overall tree shape and laid these pieces out on them how I wanted to attach.

Then, I carefully glued each piece in place with some wood glue starting at the trunk and working my way to the top.

If you’re impatient, add a few brad nails to hold them while the glue dries.

Step 4: Add a Frame

Once the tree pieces were dry on the plywood, I cut, glued, and brad nailed some 1×2 pieces around the edges to frame this sign out.

Step 5: Decorate Your Tree

I could have absolutely left the tree sign as is at this point, but I felt like it needed a little something extra.

Some wooden balls or slices of wood dowel stained different colors would be a fun decoration if you wanted. But I thought if I added some snow, it could last all winter long–even after the holidays!

So I used the bottom edge of my templates to kind of sketch some thin strips on ¼″ plywood. I did a little piece that could line the bottom of each section.

Then I cut these out with a jig saw and laid them on my tree to see how I liked it. Some of the pieces were a little too chunky at first, so I recut them a little thinner.

Once I was happy with them, I spray painted them white and glued them onto my tree.

And after they were dry, this little sign was ready to display! I have a little wall shelf in my dining room that I love swapping out wooden signs for the seasons and I plan to set it on that.

But if you wanted to hang it, you could add a little sawtooth hanger on the back and hang it instead.

Looking for more Holiday DIYs?

Needing some more ideas to deck the halls this season? Here are a few of my favorites you might enjoy: