Easy DIY Chalkboard Signs for Christmas

Are you feeling the holiday spirit yet? We are! In case you’ve missed it, we’ve decorated a Nutcracker Christmas tree, decorated another tree with dollar store ornaments, and built a set of triangle Christmas trees to display ornaments — and that’s on top of the 20 new Christmas tutorials from our blogging buddies we shared here! Today we’re keeping the Christmas train rolling with a super simple easy DIY chalkboard signs for Christmas. These are perfect for seasonal holiday decor or for giving as gifts, too!

I found this easy chalkboard product line at a conference I was attending and I was sold! So I signed up to be a designer and I’m so excited to share this first tutorial with you — many more to come! Introducing…. Chalk Couture! AKA how to make a cute chalkboard sign in about TWO MINUTES! Check it out in the video and there’s more info below — be sure to check out everything in our Chalk Couture shop HERE, too. I’m seriously ready to chalk all the things so I’ll be sharing more soon!

Which one do you like better — the Santa’s reindeer sign or the Christmas JOY sign with the three-dimensional wreath? Be sure to subscribe to our channel to see what we make next!

How to Make an Easy Chalkboard Sign for Christmas

This post contains affiliate links. Learn more and read our full disclosure policy here. 

These silk screen transfers make it sooooo easy, and they’re reusable, so you can make one for yourself, another for your friend, one for the neighbor, the mail carrier, your kids’ teachers… you get the idea. The little JOY sign with the wreath is my favorite, and you could make a bunch for under $5 a piece, I’d estimate. And doesn’t it look fabulous on our “new” and improved wood door! (I also think it looks super cute with our ornament display trees and triangle trees on our wood mantel against the black brick fireplace!)

Christmas chalkboard sign materials

For these two signs, we used:

• Reindeer Silk Screen Transfer (or here’s a similar reindeer one)
• JOY Sign Transfer (or here’s NOEL if you prefer)
• Candy Apple (red) Chalk Paint
• White Chalk Paint
• Chalk Board
• Wood Sign (ours is slightly different but the same idea as that one in the shop)
• Mini Garland like this (to make the wreath)
• Red Gingham Ribbon

We have even more Christmas designs in the shop! Click here to see a cute NOEL transfer, an adorable happy camper sign, and a beautifully classic Merry Christmas design — plus snowflakes and a winter woodland set and more!

Please note that Holiday prints in the shop may only be available for a limited time, and stock may vary significantly from day to day. So if you love it, grab it now!  

As you can see in the video, there are just a few steps — and all of them take less than 5 minutes to make your own chalkboard sign!

1. Prep the chalk paint.
2. Peel the backing from the silk screen transfer. (Save the backing!)
3. Stick the transfer stencil and smooth out any bubbles.
4. Apply the paint quickly. You can use as many colors as you want, just work quickly so it doesn’t dry before you remove the stencil. The little squeegee might be my new favorite tool.
5. Carefully peel up the transfer to show your design. My favorite part!
6. Rinse the stencil in a water bath.

A couple chalkboard sign tips:

I like to “fuzz” the silk screen on a microfiber cloth on the first use so that it still sticks but isn’t SO sticky that it’s hard to remove and distorts the stencil when I remove it.

Do not pull the silk screen at a diagonal, when removing the backing or when removing it from your project — that can distort the shape and ruin the stencil.

Do not let the screen stick to itself — that’s why I like working with the water bath right at my work table, for easy clean-up and extending the life of the silk screen.

And in case you’re wondering what surfaces you can use the silk screen and chalk paint on to make your own signs, I have great news: You can use the stencils and paint on ANY chalkboard surface or ANY waxed wood surface, like I showed in the video. We have some to get you started in our shop, or there are so many options at the craft store or even Walmart! or make your own… we have a few tutorials for that:

DIY Chalkboards

hanging square chalkboard sign

wall-mount chalkboard organizer

chalkboard easel

divided chalkboard calendar