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How To Stencil Your Own Christmas Porch Sitter Sign

July 21, 2022

This post may contain affiliate links.

One of the great joys of Christmas is filling your home with festive decorations. But what about your porch?

Don't let your doorstep be left out in the cold this holiday season. Add a personal touch with a stenciled porch sitter sign. It's an easy DIY, even if you've never crafted with stencils before.

Large Santa Claus Stencil
This post is sponsored by WallCutz Stencil Shop

I have to be honest, I've always wanted a porch sitter sign, but my front door is surrounded by a narrow stoop.

No room for anything except a mat and one pair of feet.

However, this summer, during our renovations, St. Nick showed up early and brought me a patio, a small wooden porch for our side entryway.

And a brand new outdoor space to decorate. Fabulous.

Of course, while my husband was planning step and railing heights, I was dreaming of decor. And not just any decor...Christmas decor.

I envisioned a space filled with poinsettias, evergreens and a big old wooden sign to welcome guests into our home.

Now, I've made a bunch of signs over the years, but I've never made a porch sitter and I knew that is what would look best.

Something with scale. A real showstopper.

I just wasn't sure exactly what that should be...words, symbols, a character?

So I headed over to WallCutz Stencil Shop to poke around at their Christmas collection and fell hard for Santa Claus. I mean can you blame me?

He's adorable.

And so is Mrs. Claus. I couldn't resist her either.

I placed my order and got started crafting as soon as my stencil arrived. It was a perfect poolside activity for Christmas in July. 

And now I'll be ready to decorate early when the holidays actually roll around. 

Here's how I did it.

How To Stencil A Tall Porch Sign

I gathered my supplies and covered my work area.

For paint, I used chalk paint, mineral paint and acrylic craft paint since they work best for this type of application.

WallCutz Santa Claus Porch Sitter Stencil

WallCutz Santa Claus Porch Stencil - I chose the 48" x 10"
A tall board cut to size to fit the stencil
Red paint
Black paint
White paint
Skin tone paint
Gold paint
Stencil brushes
Small foam rollers - I like these best
Index cards
Painter's tape

1. Cut Your Board To Size


When the stencil arrived, I unrolled it and laid it on my board to size it.

Since I knew the stencil measurements beforehand, I could've had it cut at the hardware store when I purchased it. 

Measuring A Board To Make A Stencil Sign

However, I wanted to be sure it was going to have the scale I craved, so I waited and cut the board myself.

2. Make A Plan

Planning is crucial when it comes to stenciling. 

Santa Claus and his sweet face came in several pieces.

WallCutz Santa Claus Porch Sitter Stencil

That meant that there would be some layering going on and I wanted to get my order of operations straight and know where each piece of the puzzle was going to go before I started painting.

I also wanted to map out the color of each section.

I'm a traditional Christmas decor kind of girl so I used the website photo as a guide and then wrote the colors on a large strip of paper, like a map, to keep me on track.
 
Also, while checking out the WallCutz website, I noticed a tip that said if you paint your board white, you won't have to paint Santa's beard or some of his trim. 

Um hello...quick and easy crafter here, so clearly my board was going to be white. 

There were more helpful hints, instructions and resources packed up with the stencil. A beginner's dream to help you get perfect results.

A small freebie stencil was included, as well. If you're a stencil novice, that would be a super way to experiment before you start your big project. And make a lovely little sign while you're at it.

3. Paint The Board A Base Color

As I said, I used white chalk paint to cover my board and I applied two coats, allowing the first coat to fully dry before adding the second.

Since it was chalk paint there was no need to prime or prep my board in any special way.

Painting A Board White

I also prefer a rustic look, so I wanted to see some of the knots and wood grain through the paint.

4. Tape The Stencil In Place


In the past, you might've heard me say that I'm not the greatest stenciler. And I'm not.

I've stenciled walls, pillows, signs, aprons, placemats and plates - even ceiling fan blades - and I'm always nervous about bleeding paint.

Over the years, I've gotten better and learned a few tricks to mitigate that issue, number one being make sure your stencil is secure. 

For that, I use painter's tape.

Taping Santa Claus Stencil In Place

After I measured and centered my stencil on the board, I taped it down, all the way around, ensuring it wouldn't move. I didn't want it to wiggle or budge at all.

5. Add Paint With A Roller To Large Areas


My next no smudge trick involved a small foam roller.

I find I get a more even coat of paint, especially on the larger areas, without any bleeding, when I use a roller, rather than a brush.

I simply added paint to the roller, moved it back and forth in my pan several times to make sure the paint was evenly dispersed.

Then I gave it a quick roll on a sheet of paper towel to absorb any blobs, before I rolled over the stencil in long strokes being careful not roll off the stencil...

Like I did here, but that's ok, a little white paint fixed that spot right up. And no one will ever be the wiser. 

Well, except you. 

Using A Roller To Stencil

Of course, you can use a stencil brush, just make sure you offload your paint well before you apply it to the board in small circular motions.

Once I'd finished the hat, I moved onto the area around Santa's beard.

That was a little more complicated, since the beard wanted to pop up and there were cutouts, but still not hard to do.

Using Index Cards When Stenciling

I used a ruler to keep his whiskers weighted and flat. 

Then I used an index card to hold down his belt and cover the open area, that was not supposed to be red, around his buckle. Super simple.

With the red areas complete, I grabbed a fresh foam roller to tackle his black boots and belt.

Santa Claus Porch Sitter Stencil Craft

The last time I used a roller was on Santa's face.

However, this time, I used a much smaller roller to fit the area, using a skin tone paint.

Using A Small Roller On Stencil Craft

6. Remove The Stencil

At this point, I was done filling in all the large areas. I let the paint dry before I peeled back the stencil.

It was the moment of truth.

Christmas Stencil Porch Sitter Santa

And a largely uneventful one at that. Thank goodness.

My lines were super sharp, Santa looked fantastic and I looked like a master crafter.

Which we all know, I am not.

While, I'm sure my technique was helpful here, I give most of the credit to the quality of the stencil material.

It was thick...very thick and very sturdy. So it was easy to get such clean lines up against a hard edge.

7. Layer The Smaller Stencils On Top And Paint


With my confidence bolstered, it was time to move on to the details.

I started with the face, lined up the new stencils with the painted areas and taped them down.

Santa Claus Face Stencil

This time, I did use a brush. A roller would be too big for these tiny areas.

Using A Round Stencil Brush For Small Areas

When I finished the hat pom pom, I did freehand a shadow around it to make it pop, with a little gray paint.

Then I added a glittery gold paint to the buckle with the tiniest stencil brush and I was done, since the boot trim was already white.

If there were any spots that needed a bit of clean up, I used a fine tip paintbrush to fix them.

Using A Small Stencil Brush For Details

8. Seal It


The final step in this process was to seal my porch stencil since it's going to spend most of its time outside.

Clear Coat A Stenciled Sign

I used a brush on clear satin, but you can use a spray polyurethane, as well.

I just like the brush on, since I know it holds up well and it won't yellow my snow white Santa Claus.

Who by the way looks quite jolly on my porch.

WallCutz Stencils Santa Porch Sitter  copy

I told you he was adorable.

Surrounded by a flocked wreath and burlap bow.

Oh yes, and flowers.

After all, it's not Christmas yet.

It's July.

Santa Claus Stencil Christmas Sign

Which means there's still time for me to make a summer porch sitter.

And one for fall.

Halloween and...well, you get it. 😉

What's on your porch?

DIY Santa Claus Stenciled Porch Sitter.jpg



This post was sponsored by WallCutz, all opinions are my very own. You can read my full disclosure here
Kim Signature


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  1. Look at you with your creative self. This Santa is adorable. I love to see him with the pool behind him made me chuckle! Very clever and cute. Happy Thursday Kim.

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    1. Thanks so much, Kris! He was super simple to make and he really is super cute. I'm not sure I can bear to put him away until December. So he may be hanging out by the pool all summer long!

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    2. I love your enthusiam for Christmas at the end of July! And I understand why, with a new porch and steps your excitment. Did you use your dining room table? I need to go back and check that out! Your Porch Sitter is adorable!

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    3. Thanks! I am excited, Christine! It's been so stormy here, having time to craft was a nice inside distraction. And now I have a Santa for outside ready for the holidays!

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  2. Very creative.. and so fun to have a photo of Santa by the pool. ;-)

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    1. Thanks Carla! He really does look cute there, doesn’t he? Poor guy needs a swimsuit though. ☺️

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  3. Oh my goodness, he IS adorable. I've always been afraid to paint faces and to try stenciling, but you make it look so easy. Maybe this is the season I give it a try. I'd love a Santa at my front door.

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    1. So glad you found some inspiration here today! You should definitely give it a try. He was super simple to stencil and WallCutz has so many resources to support you. And they have a Facebook group. You could start there for more inspiration! Good luck!

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  4. Kim I've been following your site for years and didn't expect a Christmas craft with all this summer heat! But you really inspired me to think about my holiday crafting which i enjoy always and may soon be on my way to making my own santa. Beth

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    1. Beth, you just made my day with your sweet comment. ❤️ Christmas crafting in the summer is one of my favorites and maybe, just maybe, Santa with work some magic to cool us all down!! If you do make one, I hope you'll share with us!

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  5. Your Santa is adorable, Kim and is perfect for your new porch. I love the pool shot - give that jolly elf a drink with an umbrella in it! ;)

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    1. Thanks Ann, it's so fun to finally have an outdoor entryway to decorate. I'm definitely going to have fun with that space...and I agree, Santa deserves an umbrella drink!!

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  6. I love him!!!! I think we may have matching porch decor this year!

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    1. That sounds fabulous...Santas for everyone!!

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  7. Wow, that's a BIG stencil. I bet you can't wait for Christmas and that little cutie pie could double up as a Leprechaun for the other side if you change the colors.

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    1. It IS a big stencil, Michelle and I didn't even get the largest size. Mine is 4 feet tall so it fits the scale of my home. However, he comes as big at 6 feet tall. Now that's a BIG stencil...and I love your give 'em some green idea. Hmmm...wheels turning for sure!!

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  8. He's adorable, Kim! I share your enthusiasm for decorating porches - when we first moved to this house, I was most excited about the front porch,and the prospect of seasonal decorating. And now, I'm going to check out the stencil site!

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    1. Thanks Amy! I've never had a real porch to decorate before. I'm {obviously} going big!!

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  9. Replies
    1. Hee hee...I figured Santa could use a little summer R&R! 😉

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  10. You did a smashing job here! Which rollers do you like to use?

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    1. Thanks so much...and thanks for asking. I added a link to the rollers above in the supply list. I hope that helps!

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  11. You made the cutest looking Santa Kim. It looks great by the stairs and i hope you enjoy using it at Christmas time.

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  12. Hooray for your new porch and cute new porch sitter. Christmas will be here before we know it. xo Laura

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    1. Thanks Laura!! I love that Santa and crafting for Christmas...but I can definitely wait for December weather!! Hahaha!!

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  13. He's so cute! I love him. I'm not sure I'm ready for Christmas yet though. Lol.

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    1. It's definitely early, Carol...but now I can relax and decorate instead of rushing to craft in November! Silver lining!

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  14. Starting to get in the Christmas mood. Well done post!

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    1. Thanks so much, Maria!! It's still a while away and lots of time to make more!!

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  15. This gets me in the Christmas mood. Well done post!

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  16. I LOVE the way this turned out girl!! Your Santa is adorable!!! Absolutely adorable!!! I can't wait to see all the other porch sitters you make for all the seasons!!

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    1. Thanks so much, Aliya!! It was so easy and very relaxing to make. I can't wait to make another. Maybe I'll put that one at the front door!!

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