Welcome to day 15 of my 25 Days of Craftmas series! There’s just something about miniature versions of regular items that just make you say “Awww, it’s so cute”! That’s exactly what I said when I finished making these mini framed Christmas canvas signs. They’re just so little and cute!
You can make these signs with wood and paint, but I chose to skip the hassle of painting and used mini canvases and heat transfer vinyl (HTV) instead. Did you know you can use HTV on canvas? Well, you can and I think it’s easier than stenciling. Today I’ll show you how I applied it to these mini canvas signs.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED
- Mini Stretch Canvas (I used 4″ x 4″)
- Heat Transfer Vinyl (I used black)
- Iron
- Furring Strip for Frame
- Paint or Stain and Brush
- Miter Saw or hand saw
- Sandpaper
- Brad Nailer or Hammer & Nails
- Electronic cutter (cricut explore, silhouette or other cutter)
- Cut File (available for free in my resource library)
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO
The first thing you’ll need to do is get the free SVG file you’ll use for this project. I keep all the SVG files I use for the projects I make in my SVG Library. These SVG files work with Cricut and Silhouette machines, as well as many others. This library is open to everyone and is free! You can access the library here. Look for the file called Christmas Sayings. It will either be listed under the Christmas category-25 Days of Craftmas 2018 – Day 15.
Start by cutting down and sanding the wood furring strip. For each frame, you’ll need 2 – 4″ pieces and 2 – 5.5″ pieces. Stain or paint the strips and let dry.
While the stain is drying, open the design in your vinyl cutting software. Each saying should measure 3.5″ x 3.5″. Be sure to mirror the design and then cut and weed away the excess vinyl.
I used a folded towel and placed underneath the canvas to add pressure while I ironed. You want to fill the space between the canvas frame with the towel.
Place the vinyl and carrier sheet and on top of the canvas and center. The tackiness of the carrier sheet will help keep the vinyl in place.
Iron according to the manufacturer’s directions. Push up on the towel while you press down with the iron. This will give the HTV the pressure it needs to adhere to the canvas. Make sure you are just pressing down with the iron, don’t slide it back and forth like you are ironing clothing. Make sure you have several layers of the towel between the iron and your hand. We don’t want any burned fingers.
Remove the carrier sheet according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Now it’s time to attach the frame. Start by nailing on the top and bottom pieces. I used this brad nailer, which I totally love, but you could also use a hammer and nails. 
Once the top and bottom pieces are secure, attach each of the sides.
And that’s all there is to it. These signs make such cute decorations for your home or office but they also make great gifts for friends, neighbors, and teachers.
Did you enjoy this post? I’d love for you to pin it to your favorite pinterest board.
Love this project! So cute and easy, just my style in this busy season, and your right, they would make absolutely great gifts! Would you mind sharing the color and brand of stain you used? The color is perfect!
I used Dark Walnut by Minwax.