DIY Light Up Christmas Art

Instructions

1. 1. Gather Materials

   This project is SUPER easy to customize. I made mine with a tree scene, but the possibilities are endless. And so are the size options. I dug around in my scrap wood pile to find some pieces of ¾” plywood that would work for this and I’ve listed the sizes I used in the cut list. However, you may want a different design and that may use some different sizes of plywood. So this isn’t set in stone. Either way, gather some scrap plywood OR cut the sizes you wish from a ¼ sheet of ¾” plywood if you don’t have any scraps.

2. 2. Paint the Backdrop

   In my project, I used a ¾” piece of plywood about 14” tall and 16 ½” wide for the backdrop of the scene. I went ahead and painted this how I wanted my background to look. I did a navy and white ombre effect so that it would look like the night sky, but you can paint however you wish.

3. 3. Cut Middle Scene Piece

   While the paint dries, grab your two other pieces of plywood and begin drawing the scene you’d like to make for your piece. I’ve provided a template for exactly what I did in the extras tab if you want to do trees like mine. Or, feel free to freehand your own design as desired. Draw the middle scene first and cut out the design with a jig saw (or scroll saw if you’d rather). Sand any rough edges smooth.

4. 4. Cut Front Scene Piece

   • Now, either using the provided template OR your own design, draw out the scene you want for the front onto the remaining piece of plywood. Make sure to make this design slightly smaller than your piece from step 3 so that it doesn’t hide it too much when you put it all together.
   • Cut out with a jig or scroll saw and sand the edges smooth.

5. 5. Cut Frame Pieces

   Cut to fit pieces of 1x4 to fit around the sides of your background piece according to the cut list to create kind of like a shadow bow. Drill ¾” pocket holes into the ends of the 16 ½” pieces.

6. 6. Assemble the Frame

   Attach one bottom and two side pieces like shown using 1 ¼” pocket hole screws. You will attach the top piece later.