DIY Christmas Countdown- free cut files!

I’m so excited to share this DIY Christmas countdown idea and video with you. And I’m offering the free cut files too!

I love Christmas! I seriously start counting down once the kids go to school in the Fall, so this Christmas countdown was so fun for me to make! And I’m excited to show you guys how to make it too!

Supplies needed:

Time needed: 1 hour and 30 minutes

How to make a Christmas Countdown

  1. Paint Wood

    Start with a blank piece of wood. Mine was 12 inches by 16 inches. Paint the whole thing with white craft paint.

    DIY christmas countdown

  2. Cut Vinyl

    I used my Silhouette Cameo 4 to cut my vinyl. Use my free cut file (download at the end of this post). You can either use vinyl for your words, or use the vinyl as a stencil, like I did.

    Christmas Countdown vinyl

  3. Place Vinyl & Paint

    Make sure the paint is COMPLETELY DRY before you place your vinyl stencil. Place the vinyl on the top of your board, making sure to stick the edges down really well. Use a Popsicle stick or a vinyl scraper (linked above) to make sure the paint doesn’t seep under the vinyl. Then paint the stencil with craft paint.

    vinyl stencil

  4. Remove Stencil

    Let the paint dry, then remove the stencil. I always use my weeding tool (linked above).

    weed vinyl

  5. Add Hooks

    Measure 3 1/2 inches from each side, and up 7 1/2 inches from the bottom. This will be where your hooks will go. Use a drill or a screwdriver to attach the hooks. Make sure to use the correct size hooks (linked above).

    Drill hooks

  6. Make Countdown Tags

    Use 4×6″ wood pieces (linked above), and drill a 1/2″ hole in the center, 1/2″ from the top- Or cut cardstock with the free cut file provided below.

    wood pieces

  7. Add Countdown Numbers

    Apply vinyl numbers. Make sure to make 2 sets- each double sided. Be careful not to put the same numbers on the same tag- for instance, don’t put a 3 on one side of the tag and put a 3 on the other side. You want 2 sets with a number 3 on one side and a number 4 on the other side.

    vinyl numbers

  8. Add Hanger

    You can prop this up with an easel, or if you want to hang it on the wall, add a picture hanger to the back. I always keep a picture hanger kit on had for things like this (linked above.)

    Christmas Countdown tags

Download Free Cut Files:

Christmas Countdown- PDF

Christmas Countdown SVG



If you used this tutorial in your own home, I would love to see photos and share them here on my blog! Please email completed photos to Nat@thecreativemom.com

I would also love if you would share this project, or save it to your Pinterest board for later! You can hover your mouse over the image above and click the “save” button, or share this on InstagramFacebook, or Twitter.


If you liked this project, you might like some of my other DIY projects:

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Hey there! Leave me some comment love!