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DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree & Free Silhouette Cut File

I give you: our DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree!

DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | A do-able step-by-step tutorial for creating your own Rustic Christmas Tree out of pallet wood and embellished using your Silhouette machine. FREE cut file included!

Last week, I came to Mark with a glint in my eye, and an idea for a collaborative project.  As soon I showed him my sketch and told him it would be made out of pallet wood, he jumped on board to help me make this vision a reality.  And I cannot wait to share it with you.

Today, I’m going to give you the run-down for how Mark built the pallet Christmas tree and how I embellished it using my handy dandy *Silhouette machine.  Then at the end of this post, you’ll see a collage of 37 Holiday Projects created by the talented ladies of The Silhouette Challenge, so you can continue to glean even more ideas for your home and gifts this holiday season.

First things first, let’s tackle this tutorial, shall we?

Pallet Christmas Tree Tutorial

PART I.  Pallet Prep

Step 1.  Harvest your pallet wood.  We keep a collection of pallets on the side of our house at all times for projects such as these.  So, Mark grabbed his power tools and got to work at disassembling one of them and handed me a stack of pine boards to get to work with.  {If you’d like to read our tips for working with pallet wood, click HERE.}

Mark using his RIGID power tools to disassemble a pallet of wood.

Step 2.  Measure twice….  I first decided on the height for the stem, which would be 46 inches.

Measuring out the pallet wood for our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree

Then, I laid out the 6 branch boards across the stem, evenly separated by 3 1/2″, which I marked in pencil on the stem.  I also made a small mark at top center of the branches, which would come in handy later.

After that, I decided on the width of the bottom-most branch (36″) and the top-most branch (4″), marking them, too.

Measuring out the pallet wood for our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree

Then, I simply laid down a board between the two marks and drew a diagonal line in pencil across all 6 boards, repeating it on the opposite side.

Measuring out the pallet wood for our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree

Measuring out the pallet wood for our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree

Step 3.  …cut once!  After handing my marked boards back to Mark, he cut the stem and branches accordingly using his chop saw.

Step 4.  Sand the boards.  Then, he did some gentle sanding of the pallet wood using a belt sander to smooth any rough edges or nail heads…however, he didn’t go too crazy since I wanted to maintain the rustic quality of the wood.

Sanding up the wood for our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree!

Here are my six branch boards, all in a neat stack!

Boards all prepped for our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree

Step 5.  Pre-drill your holes.  Then, he used his drill press to create three 3/16ths holes into the base boards and stem of the tree at each level (big enough for the drywall screw to easily pass through).

Pre-drilling holes for our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree!

Step 6.  Assemble the base, and attach it to the stem.  For the sake of sturdiness, we used thicker pallet wood for these sections (approximately 1 1/4″ x 3 1/4″).  The base was a simple criss-cross with two screws from the top base piece into the stem and then smaller screws from the bottom base piece into the stem.

Building the base of our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

A picture is worth a thousand words:

Building the base of our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

PART II.  Silhouette Time!

Step 7.  Create your design in Silhouette Studio.  I knew I wanted to include one of my favorite Bible verses proclaiming Jesus’ birth on the different branches.  So, I opened my Silhouette Studio Designer Edition software and created 6 rectangles to match the width and length (of the shorter side) of the different branches.  That way, I could better picture how my lettering would look.

Then, came the toughest part: font selection!  I used one of my favorite free online tools to help me choose fonts and ended up with a combination of Book Anitqua and Alex Brush.

If you’re creating your own design, I recommend using the align window to help with text centering as well as the external offset tool (works wonders for add some thickness to thin, scripty fonts, which will in turn make it easier to cut).

Free Cut File

However, if you’d simply like to use my design, I’m happy to share it with you fo’ FREE. Just click HERE to access the download… and feel free to pin or share this post as a way of saying thanks! {Fine print: this design is for personal use only and is not to be used for commercial purposes. Thanks!}

FREE Cut File for Luke 2:11 Text | DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | Tutorial by thinkingcloset.com

Step 8.  Cut your vinyl.  I always recommend doing a test cut first because you’ll often need to adjust the recommended cut settings based upon the sharpness of your blade.  Whenever cutting vinyl, I slow down my speed to minimize the possibility of the edges of my design peeling up during the cutting process.

Here were the cut settings I ended up with:

Cut settings in Silhouette Studio| DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | Tutorial by thinkingcloset.com

Since I did a very long cut, this was also the perfect opportunity to use my new Silhouette Roll-Feeder with my 12″ white vinyl.  To see how it works and read my review of this accessory, check out THIS post.

Using my Silhouette Roll-Feeder to cut vinyl stencils for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

Step 9.  Weed away your unwanted vinyl.  I then used my hook tool to weed away the unwanted vinyl in my stencil (the lettering).  This is always so therapeutic for me!  Especially when you get that perfect kiss-cut and the vinyl just peels away with ease.

Weeding vinyl for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

Step 10.  Transfer your vinyl stencil onto transfer paper.  I cut out my transfer paper to cover each of the strips of vinyl and then used my scraper tool to ensure a solid stick between the vinyl and the transfer paper.

Transferring the vinyl stencil to the transfer paper for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

Next, I peeled away the vinyl backing, ensuring that the text was stuck to the transfer paper.

Transferring the vinyl stencil to the transfer paper for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

Step 11.  Apply the vinyl stencil to the pallet boards.  This part ended up way easier than I anticipated, and it was because I had taken the time to create those rectangles in Silhouette Studio to match the width and length of my boards.

I actually used a different method than ever before to apply the vinyl stencil to the board.  First, I laid the vinyl sticky-side up on the floor like so:

Transferring the vinyl stencil to the pallet board for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

Then I lined up the top edge of my board with the top edge of the vinyl stencil, and once I had it perfectly centered, I slowly lowered down the rest of the board.

Then, I flipped over the board and used my scraper tool to really work that stencil down into the grooves of the wood.  This is really the KEY to minimize your paint bleeding under the boards…so spend a good amount of time on this step.

Transferring the vinyl stencil to the pallet board for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

Run your hand over the stencil even after you peel away the transfer paper and work down any sections that appear to be raised up.  You can’t scrape TOO much!

Transferring the vinyl stencil to the pallet board for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

Step 12.  Paint your text.  I opted to paint with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White because it’s thicker than acrylic or latex paint, so it has less chance of seeping under the stencil edges.

Painting the stenciled text for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

I also made sure to use the same technique I use when Freezer Paper Stenciling and that is to dab the foam brush up and down rather than stroking side to side.

Painting the stenciled text for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

I did a thin first coat, followed by a thicker second coat about a half hour later.

Painting the stenciled text for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

Step 13.  Seal your paint.  Since this is an outdoor decor piece, I knew I wanted to seal my paint with a protective layer.  So, I grabbed a bottle of some Matte Varnish I had on hand (non-yellowing) and painted a thin layer of the sealant on the dry paint.  Be sure to let the sealant fully dry before proceeding to the next step.

Sealing the paint for my Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree.

Step 14.  Peel away your vinyl stencil to reveal the finished text!  This was the most exciting (and scary part).  I was so relieved to find crisp white lines of text under my stencil when I peeled the vinyl away.  There were only a few minor leaks that can’t be detected unless you’re scrutinizing the boards up close.  I was extremely pleased with how everything turned out!

Peel away the vinyl stencil to reveal the finished Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree

You will need to use your hook tool to remove the interiors of some letters like “o” and “a.”

Peel away the vinyl stencil to reveal the finished Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree

Doesn’t that paint almost look like vinyl?

PART III.  Final Assembly

Part 15.  Screw the boards into the stem.  For the final step, Mark and I worked together to screw the boards into the stem.  We started at the bottom, and I lined up the center line of the boards with the pencil lines on the stem (all marked in Step 2).  Then, we used a level app. on Mark’s smart phone to ensure the board was straight before screwing the 3 drywall screws into the pre-drilled holes on the back of the stem.

Final assembly of our DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree!

Final assembly of our DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree!

Final assembly of our DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree!

And just like that, we were done!  We were giddy with glee over how well our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree turned out.

Our Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree

DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | A do-able step-by-step tutorial for creating your own Rustic Christmas Tree out of pallet wood and embellished using your Silhouette machine. FREE cut file included!

Our pallet Christmas tree nestles into that pole on our front step quite nicely, don’t you think?

DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | A do-able step-by-step tutorial for creating your own Rustic Christmas Tree out of pallet wood and embellished using your Silhouette machine. FREE cut file included!

DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | A do-able step-by-step tutorial for creating your own Rustic Christmas Tree out of pallet wood and embellished using your Silhouette machine. FREE cut file included!

DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | A do-able step-by-step tutorial for creating your own Rustic Christmas Tree out of pallet wood and embellished using your Silhouette machine. FREE cut file included!

DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | A do-able step-by-step tutorial for creating your own Rustic Christmas Tree out of pallet wood and embellished using your Silhouette machine. FREE cut file included!

DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | A do-able step-by-step tutorial for creating your own Rustic Christmas Tree out of pallet wood and embellished using your Silhouette machine. FREE cut file included!

DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | A do-able step-by-step tutorial for creating your own Rustic Christmas Tree out of pallet wood and embellished using your Silhouette machine. FREE cut file included!

It reminds me of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  Both in structure.  And in words….

DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | A do-able step-by-step tutorial for creating your own Rustic Christmas Tree out of pallet wood and embellished using your Silhouette machine. FREE cut file included!

DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree | A do-able step-by-step tutorial for creating your own Rustic Christmas Tree out of pallet wood and embellished using your Silhouette machine. FREE cut file included!

To close up the tutorial, I’ll let Linus remind us of what Christmas is all about.

This rustic pallet Christmas tree is going to become a staple in Lanker family decor for years to come…I just know it!

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!

Reinvented Elf on a Shelf Book Cat-Shaped Ornament Stamped Christmas Towels M&M Milk Bottle Teacher Gift 3D Holly Berry Ornament Deer Silhouette Mirror Silhouette Christmas Craft with Double-Sided Adhesive Winter Village Display Wood Grain Nativity DIY Rustic Pallet Christmas Tree 2014 Christmas Card + Giveaway Gift Tags Chalkboard Vinyl Christmas Signs Personalized Christmas Ornament DIY Wood Slice Christmas Ornaments DIY Nativity Candle Jar Sleeve Chalkboard Charger Inspiration + Giveaway Christmas Countodwn Festive Advent Christmas Decor AND A Giveaway! All Hearts Go Home Luminarias Deer Silhouette Vinyl Wood Slice Ornaments Some People are Worth Melting For Olaf (Frozen Inspired) Ornament Personalized Pajamas with HTV 3D Reindeer Shield Decoration Trendy Christmas Cards with Silhouette + Free Cut Files Let It Snow Mitten Banner DIY Christmas Coasters Elf on the Shelf Wardrobe Simple Ornaments Stenciled Santa Sack Put on your Yamika! Reindeer Photo Ornament Christmas Card DIY Nativity Shadowboxes Monogrammed Drop Cloth Christmas Tree Skirt Canvas Wall Art for the Holidays

1. Pineapples and Pinecones // 2. Simply Kelly Designs // 3. Architecture of a Mom // 4. Just a Girl and Her Blog // 5. Two Purple Couches // 6. Chicken Scratch NY // 7. Creative Ramblings // 8. One Dog Woof // 9. Ginger Snap Crafts // 10. The Thinking Closet // 11. Please Excuse My Craftermath… // 12. Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body // 13. weekend craft // 14. Dragonfly & Lily Pads // 15. Practically Functional // 16. Living My Given Life // 17. My Paper Craze // 18. The Kim Six Fix // 19. Home At Eight // 20. Queen of Everything // 21. Tried & True // 22. McCall Manor // 23. unOriginal Mom // 24. Create it. Go! // 25. From Wine to Whine // 26. GetSilvered // 27. It’s Always Ruetten // 28. Nearly Handmade // 29. Mama Sonshine // 30. Silhouette School // 31. It Happens in a Blink // 32. Create & Babble // 33. Sowdering About // 34. Where The Smiles Have Been // 35. My Favorite Finds // 36. Lil’ Mrs. Tori // 37. Designed Decor

This is Lauren, signing off.

*Full Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through, The Thinking Closet may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Thanks for helping to support this site!

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23 Comments

  1. You two have done it again!

    It looks just perfect in front of your home and heralds the true reason for the season!

    Those rustic pallets are good for SO many projects.

    The Linus Christmas Monologue just warmed my heart once again!

  2. this is one amazing project, Lauren!!! I really love the rustic looking. Thanks for the tips working with pallet wood and the sealer for the paint 🙂 You have inspired me a lot using my Silhouette!!!!

  3. Love this project; I am all about Christmas decorations that bring attention to Christ. By the way, Allura is another great free script font that works well with Silhouette.

    I am wondering why you used white wall vinyl instead of stencil material to make your stencil. Is there an advantage or did you just go with what you had?

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