Painted Wood Slice Using a Cricut Stencil

A painted wood slice makes for unique home decor with multiple uses. Wood slices are readily available at craft stores and make unique canvas’ for signs, paintings, trays or trivets. Here I’ll share how easy it is to create a painted wood slice using a Cricut stencil.

I did these painted wood slices with my Book Club because they requested a Craft Night. In the fall, we did faux flower arrangements in DIY paper maché pumpkin vases. This time, I thought maybe we’d paint a sign. However, I didn’t want to do a word sign because signs should speak to you on a personal level. And often we overdo word signs. For example, having multiple word signs on one wall or one shelf is one sign too many. So instead, I thought we could paint a flower or tree branch in honor of spring and summer.

We used wood slices because I love using natural wood elements in my home decor. The natural edge and organic shapes added just the right amount of character too. No two are exactly alike! The thickness of each slice allows the final piece to have multiple uses. For example, you can use your painted wood slice to serve cheese and crackers or place it on a shelf as artwork.

Painted Wood Slice Using a Cricut Stencil

Materials

• Wood slice
• 2 paint colors (I used black and white)
• Free Rose Stencil SVG File
• Cricut Stencil Vinyl
• Cricut Transfer Tape
• Cricut Maker or another vinyl cutting machine
• Masking Tape
• Paint Brush
• Mod Podge Dishwasher-Safe Gloss (optional if wanting to make it easy to wipe clean)

Instructions

1. Cutout stencil. Download the free Rose Stencil SVG file and upload it to your cutting machine’s design program (like Cricut Design Space). You’ll then “customize” the artwork so that the oval and rose are sized to the size of your wood slice. Cut the stencil using Cricut Stencil Vinyl. Follow the instructions on your Cricut.
2. Paint background color. I used black. Follow the shape of your board and leave about 1″ to 1.25″ wood border. Let dry.
3. Apply stencil. First, apply the Cricut Transfer Tape to your stencil following the instructions on the transfer tape. I used the “hinge” method to apply the stencil to the wood slice. Learn more here. Unlike the tutorial, I divided my artwork in half and placed my masking tape along the center of the rose. I then applied the bottom of the stencil first and once it was in place, I applied the top. Once applied, remove the transfer tape.
4. Seal your stencil. To help prevent bleed, you “seal” your stencil by first painting a thin layer of your background color. Let this dry and then paint your rose it’s final color.
5. Paint your rose color. I used white. Apply in thin layers. You’ll need two to three coats. Let dry.
6. Remove stencil. At this point, you can sand the design to make it distressed or keep as is. It’s up to you.
7. Apply Mod Podge (optional). If wanting to use for a tray, I suggest applying Mod Podge Dishwasher-Safe Gloss. This will not make your wood slice dishwasher safe; however, it will allow you to wipe it clean if you want to serve food or happen to spill water on it.

I love how my painted wood slice turned out and will be using it as both artwork and a serving tray. To see how my Book Club’s wood slices turned out, be sure to see my saved Instagram Highlights. We had a few designs and they used different paint colors too.

For more black and white home decor inspiration be sure to see my post for creating these DIY Botanical Prints.