If you’re looking for easy DIY Christmas decoration ideas then I’ve got the perfect one for you in this tutorial!
This fun and festive ‘Meet Me Under The Mistletoe’ sign is so cheap and easy to make. You don’t even need a Cricut machine!
Just as long as you’ve got some cheap canvases and access to a printer, you’re pretty much good to go.
Here’s how to do it…
Christmas Reverse Canvas Tutorial
This pretty DIY Meet Me Under The Mistletoe sign uses a technique called DIY reverse canvas.
If you’ve never heard of it before, then this is basically just a fancy name for the process where you expose the wooden frame that’s underneath any old stretch canvas you’d usually use for painting on.
It’s so easy to do. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll start using this technique any time you have something homemade to frame and you don’t feel the need to splash out on a ready-made frame from a store.
Fancy giving it a go? Let’s get to it!
RELATED: Gift Bag Wall Art | Christmas Reverse Canvas Tutorial
DIY Meet Me Under The Mistletoe Sign
Supplies
- Cheap art canvas (ours was about the size of a piece of printer paper)
- Your chosen ‘Meet Me Under The Mistletoe’ image (ours is this one from Etsy)
- Strong ribbon or chain (for hanging the frame up)
- Glue (a glue stick or craft glue will be fine)
- Staple gun
- Craft knife
- Sandpaper (optional)
- Wood primer (optional)
- Wood stain or spray paint (optional)
Instructions
Step 1:
Print your chosen image onto thick art paper.
We bought ours from Etsy, but you could also create your own using a tool like Canva.
Step 2:
If needed, colour or paint your picture.
I used colouring pencils for our picture to keep it quick and simple. I also included a bit of shading in particular areas to help make it pop and look a little bit more artistic.
Step 3:
Now that your artwork’s ready, it’s time to turn your attention to your canvas.
Start by removing the canvas material with a craft knife – like I’m doing in this video.
Slide your craft knife along the back of the canvas material so that it doesn’t matter if you slip.
And don’t worry if your cutting line is a little wonky as the wooden frame underneath is going to tidy everything up anyway.
Step 4:
It’s now time to prep your frame. You have a few different options for what you could do, but you’ll always need to start with a light sanding first.
Then, you can:
- Stain your frame. Perfect for when you want to go for a darker colour like walnut, mahogany or black. This is one of the most popular methods for reverse canvas DIYs.
- Oil and wax it. This will result in a rustic look like what we did with our ‘Adventure Awaits’ reverse canvas earlier in the year.
- Spray paint it. This is great if you want to go for a metallic colour like silver or gold (perfect for a Christmas reverse canvas!) Note that you’ll always need to prime your frame if you’re going to go down this route.
If you’re making multiple reverse canvas pictures, you could prep the frames together to save time – like when I spray painted three different frames all at the same time!
Step 5:
Once your frame is finished (and dry), trim your artwork to size if needed and glue it onto the canvas material.
Step 6:
Position your artwork inside the frame, flip it over and staple the canvas material to the back of your frame using a staple gun.
Step 7:
Staple some ribbon or chain to the back of your frame to help you hang it.
Small reverse canvas DIYs like this one are usually fairly light, so you can probably get away with just using some strong fabric ribbon.
But if you’ve got a much larger or heavier frame then you might want to use some chain from your local hardware store instead.
And voila – you’re done! Don’t you just love your new ‘Meet Me Under The Mistletoe’ Christmas decoration? It would also make such a sweet DIY gift.
RELATED: Easy DIY Christmas Card Holder | Christmas Reverse Canvas
More Christmas Crafts You Might Like
If you enjoyed making this Christmas reverse canvas, why not take a look at our other Christmas crafts?
How To Make Christmas Luminaries With Mason Jars
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Easy DIY Mason Jar Christmas Ornament
Here's another sweet Christmas ornament idea, this time made from mason jars. They're so simple to make, you could easily have a whole batch made up in a matter of minutes!
Easy DIY Christmas Card Holder
If you want to hang your Christmas cards on something a little bit different, then take a look at this easy DIY Christmas card holder tutorial. It will look so lovely hanging on your wall!
Gift Bag Wall Art | Christmas Reverse Canvas Tutorial
How sweet is this gift bag wall art? This is such an easy craft if you're not sure what to do with your old gift bags - and is something you can admire for many more Christmases to come.
You might also like our other reverse canvas tutorials like this gift bag wall art or this travel-themed picture.
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We hope you enjoy making your Meet Me Under The Mistletoe sign!
If you make anything inspired by this tutorial then we’d love to see it, so tag us on Instagram @houseofmahalo!
If you like this DIY Meet Me Under The Mistletoe sign, don’t forget to pin or bookmark this tutorial now, so that you can make your own picture later!
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