I’ve always admired the scroll saw signs that I’ve seen on Etsy, wanting to either buy one or make one myself. But alas, I don’t have a scroll saw or any woodworking talent. But now that I have my Silhouette Alta®, I can mimic the look of wooden letters and make faux scroll-saw letters. You wouldn’t even know these letters were made of plastic, not wood. I also was able to customize this sign to my non-traditional Christmas colors, which is a major plus. It’s not often when an idea in my head comes out even better than I had planned, but this project totally did! Now for the how-to.

Supplied Needed:

Step One: Design in Silhouette 3D™

1. Open Silhouette 3D™, and click the text icon. Type the letters H and O in the font of your choice. I made each individual letter about 1.25 inches wide, and a half inch thick. I really wanted them to stand out, so I made them quite tall.

2. Once you’re happy with the sizing, click 3D print, and choose the standard quality. You will need to repeat this step an additional two times, to spell out Santa’s catch phrase, “HO HO HO.”

Step Two: Paint the Letters

1. Once the letters are done printing, it’s time to paint. I used regular ol’ craft paint and a foam brush. Since the plastic is slightly textured, the paint sticks really well into the plastic.

Step Three: Assemble the Sign

1. I bought a precut piece of balsa wood from Joann’s, so no cutting is required. I painted the front and back of the balsa wood white. I did, however, have to make some cuts on the square wood dowels, to build a faux frame, and I also painted them yellow.

2. Next, lay the cut dowels on the outside edges of the rectangular piece of balsa wood, to give your project that frame look without the work or the money.

3. Use small dabs of wood glue to hold the frame in place.

4. When the paint on the letters is dry, using wood glue, glue the letters to the balsa wood.

5. Let your masterpiece dry completely, then display for the world to see.

That’s all there is to it! Let me know in the comments below how your signs turn out.