Noel gift tag vertical Christmas sign with Argyle ornament

By now you already know I’m addicted to making rustic reclaimed wood signs. Especially Christmas signs for Christmas decorating!

However, this round, I desired something a little different. Square boards are great! But I’ve always visioned making a sign designed like a giant gift tag…

The concept is pretty simple. I visioned a tall, vertical sign with two edges cut on an angle along the top, with a hole punched out to resemble a hole-punched gift tag.

What a fun front porch sign that would be!

But what would this particular sign say this round?

And that’s when I pulled out Joyeux Noel. Seemed fitting! It’s a traditional Christmas saying that seemed to fit an enhanced background to call home.

About the stencil

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View Joyeux Noel stencil HERE

Joyeux Noel is a 3 foot tall vertical sign stencil with bold letters that pop, along with a scripted Joyeux caption surrounded by twinkling stars.

But this stencil also has a few hidden talents you’ll want to know about!

View Joy-Small Full Accessory Kit stencil HERE

Joyeux Noel is designed to mix & match perfectly with Joy-Small’s Full Accessories so you can replace the O in Noel with an ornament or snowflake! Or more!

So after playing around figuring out what I was going to do, I must say, this rustic Noel gift tag vertical Christmas sign sure turned out cool!

The gift tag board shape is SO easy to make, just as easy as a square sign, but with a totally different vibe!

And the ornament went even further with an added Argyle pattern to it… 

This whole sign is rustic and festive, with lots of unique turns!

So here’s what I ended up doing…

Rustic Noel gift tag Christmas sign

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Supplies I used:

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Joyeux Noel stencil

Joy-Small Full Accessories Kit stencil

Argyle-small stencil

3 5.5″ x 36″ reclaimed wood fence planks

3 cedar strips for back supports

Paint of choice: I used Fusion Mineral Paint’s Ash, Raw Silk, Algonquin and Enchanted Echinacea

(find a Fusion Mineral Paint retailer near you from HERE) 

Evergreen branches

Stencil brushes (I prefer dome-tipped like THESE)

Miter saw

Palm sander

Cordless drill and screws

1.5″ forstner bit

How-to:

 

Building a gift tag board

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1. Cut reclaimed wood planks to desired length, then sand.

My planks measured 47″ long.

2. Cut parts of the two outer boards at an angle to suit.

3. Cut 3 support boards to fit across the back.

I used cedar strips that were cut just under the full width of the sign, so their edges wouldn’t show.

4. Attach the cedar strips across the entire back width of the sign using screws.

5. Using a 1.5″ forstner bit, drill a hole in the middle of the sign close to the top, to resemble a hole-punched gift card tag. 

Cool, right?! It worked so good!

I had this bit from a previous project from when I made THESE RECLAIMED WOOD CANDLES. I may not use it often, but it sure is nice to have when I need it!

Stenciling the lettering

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At this point, it’s all about artistic license! You can of course stencil Noel just the way it is, or do as I did and get fancy with an ornament. And even add a pattern to the ornament! Which is what I ended up doing…

All the stencil steps are shown in the video at the bottom of this post.

So here are the steps I took:

6. Position Joyeux Noel in the middle of the sign.

7. Stencil N E L in Fusion’s Ash.

Adding an ornament

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8. Stencil Joyeux and the stars in Raw Silk. Once dry, re-position the Joyeux stencil on top of where you already stenciled it, but move it a little down and to the left, then stencil in Ash.

This creates a 2-toned shadow effect, making the letters pop!

9. Position the ornament into place, and stencil the round part in Raw Silk, and the hook part in Ash.

View Argyle – Small stencil HERE

Adding Argyle to the ornament

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10. Once dry, position Argyle – small over top of the ornament shape.

Stencil in the diamonds rotating colours of Ash and Algonquin.

Find Argyle – Small stencil from HERE

11. Once dry, position the thin lines of Argyle where they cross as an x in the middle of the triangles. Stencil in Enchanted Echinacea.

Isn’t that Argyle ornament the cutest?! 

All the stencil steps are shown in the video at the bottom of this post.

Adding 3D sign details

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12. Dress up the Argyle ornament as desired!

I added a few freshly cut evergreen branches (here’s some faux branches) tied together with a twine rope, then attached with screws. Shuffle the rope and branches to hide the screws.

A heavy wire (a wire coat hanger could also work!) was bent into the shape of an ornament hook, then screwed into place.

Then a soft thick white rope was tied through the hole along the top, positioned just so, knotted, then held into place with a screw under the knot.

Tell me that isn’t the cutest thing ever!!!

And here’s the finished sign!

The finished Noel gift tag Christmas sign!

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What a cutie huh?

This rustic Noel gift tag vertical Christmas sign is just the perfect size for the front porch!

Notice how the letters aren’t tight against the edges of the sign boards? You can make any sign feel larger by just adding more boards around the letters!

I like a rustic wood neutral take for my own Christmas decorating, however this Rustic Noel gift tag Christmas sign can be any color or size you desire! It’s so versatile!

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Video how-to

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Watch video above to learn how to add Argyle to the ornament!

Yep… looks like the front porch is finally ready for Christmas, thanks to this rustic Noel gift tag Christmas sign… and that most certainly works for me!

Now onto a new door mat design! Hmm… I’ve always wanted an Argyle door mat. Maybe this is the year to finally make it happen… stay tuned!

Have you been making any Christmas signs? Think you’ll give a giant gift tag shape a go?

Find stencils used:

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Joyeux Noel

Small Full Accessories (ornament kit)

Argyle – Small

 

Other vertical Christmas signs you may enjoy:

Joy with Buffalo Checked Ornament

Rustic Joy sign on chippy shiplap

Rustic Christmas tree sign in 3D tree crate

View all my other rustic Christmas sign projects HERE