St. Joseph ~ Picture of the Carpenter on Wood ~ Craft

This is a fun and easy craft project for all ages! It makes a nice addition to any altar, room, shelf, or wall.

In this simple activity, you’ll create a decoration of St. Joseph on a block of wood. I felt that wood seemed like a perfect spot to put a picture of St. Joseph since he was/is a carpenter! It is easy enough for kids in 1st grade but still nice enough for teens and adults.

Since our house is under construction we have A LOT of old boards lying around, but if you can’t find an old board you could buy a new board from your local lumber store, most lumber stores will also cut it for you, too. ~OR~ Many craft stores sell wood plaques that you could use.

You will need:

a piece of wood
picture of St. Joseph
Mod Podge**
paintbrush
sandpaper (fine grit)
rag
gray and brown craft paint and water (if you want to “age” a new piece of wood) OR stain

Download the Instructions and Image here:

**Mod Podge is a white glue sealer and it’s sold in all craft stores.

Print your St. Joseph picture so it’s a little smaller than your block of wood.

I used these pictures of St Joseph and I sized it down to the size I thought would fit on my board before I printed it off:

Picture Source

Sand the block of wood so there are no sharp, splintered, edges. My son had a grand time do this part! If you have never sanded before be sure to sand “with the grain”…or, as I told my son, always sand in the same direction that the lines on the wood are going.

After the wood is nice and smooth, take a rag over it to get all the dust off. Aging/preparing a new piece of wood: If you are using a piece of wood that is new and want it to look older here’s how…After the wood has been sanded, mix a little bit of gray and some brown acrylic-craft paint together until you get a nice color. Add some water and mix it until it’s very thin. Now cover the wood and let it dry. Sanding it lightly again may help, too.

Take your image of St Joseph and cut it into the shape and size that you like. I made mine an irregular shape and I cut freely around Jesus, Joseph, the lily, and the work table. I thought it helped to bring the wood and the picture together.

Add a bit of Mod Podge to the block of wood and use that to glue down the picture. Smooth it out so it’s flat and there are no air bubbles.

Now cover the picture and the wood around the picture with a heavy coat of Mod Podge. You may need to press the picture edges down so it doesn’t bubble. Allow that to dry, it only takes about an hour or two.