DIY Your Own Vintage Man In The Moon Sign

I have been eyeing the vintage man in the moon signs for my fall decor. I’ve seen them on Etsy, on Amazon and at a few craft stores but they were a bit too expensive for my budget. If these are out of your budget too, I have a simple process to DIY your own vintage man in the moon sign. This project doesn’t take a long time to create and makes such a big impact. I am absolutely giddy with my moon man on my fall mantle. I know you will be too with your moon face sign!

Where Did This Man In The Moon Image Originate?

The “Man in the Moon” illusion, familiar to various cultures around the world was created by a scientific event. Cultures around the world all have their own folklore as to why there is a “man in the moon”. 

Scientifically, this was created by powerful asteroid impacts that rocked the Moon billions of years ago. Shock waves from those early asteroid impacts traveled through the Moon triggering volcanic eruptions on the Moon’s opposite side. Molten magma spewed out from the deep interior and flooded the lunar landscape. These huge flat areas cooled, creating dark patches on the Moon called “lunar maria” or “lunar seas.” During a full Moon, some of these patches combine to form what looks like a grinning human face. This is commonly known as the “Man in the Moon.”

From Around The World

People from around the world have their own folk tales about the “Man In The Moon” and how it got there.

• In one European story, this represents a man who has been banished to the Moon as punishment for collecting sticks on the rest day of the Sabbath.
• German culture accused the man of stealing from a neighbor, while Roman legend said he stole a sheep.
• Another myth, both Christian and Jewish in nature, claims the man in the Moon to be Cain the Wanderer, forever doomed to circle the earth.
• Some coastal Germans believed that a giant on the moon caused high tides when he poured water on Earth and ebb tides when he stood up to rest.
• Inuits in Alaska believe the man in the moon is the keeper of the souls of men and animals, and that shamans can ascend to the moon to meet with him.
• In Norse legend, the moon kidnaps two children and makes them fetch water, resulting in the nursery rhyme about Jack and Jill.
• In Malaysia, the man in the moon is braiding bark into a fishing line to catch everything on Earth, but a rat gnaws the line and a cat chases the rat, keeping the eternal balance so Earth stays safe.
• In China, the figure is seen as a rabbit grinding the elixir of life with a mortar and pestle for the moon goddess Chang’e, but in Japan and Korea the rabbit is grinding ingredients for rice cakes.

Many myths and legends about the moon relate to our view of the moon. We always see the same side of the moon, no matter what phase it is in. The Moon rotates exactly once each time in Earth orbit—about every 27 days—and therefore we always see the same face.

DIY Project – Vintage Man In The Moon Sign

For this sign the face can be added in a number of ways – 

• A vintage face stencil – these are usually made of heavy plastic and are a reusable DIY craft stencil. The downside is that it is one size and cannot be resized for different signs.
• Man in the Moon svg file – this can be used to make a vinyl design from Cricut or something similar
• PDF Image and Transfer – this is what I chose for my Man in the Moon sign. I was able to print the image, resize it and it was free! Since you’re able to resize you can make any size from a man in the moon ornament to a large piece for your wall or porch decor.

Supplies You’ll Need For The DIY Man In The Moon

The links below are Amazon affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the links.

Black Acrylic Paint & White Paint

Transfer Paper

Foam Brushes

Alternatively you can purchase wood from Home Depot or somewhere similar and cut out a circle for your own moon design. 

The Steps To Your Vintage Man In The Moon Sign

Step 1

This was the most confusing part of this project for me!

• Open the file in Adobe and print it at the right size for your wood round. 100% will print at the size of an 8.5 X 11 sheet of paper. Determine how large you need yours to be and increase the percentage.
• I am including a screenshot to show you how I printed the PDF at a larger size.
• First select poster, enter percentage on tile scale, check cut marks, and overlap at .005.

Step 2

• I started by painting the inside of the wood circle white. 
• I painted the frame black. I went wild and didn’t use painter’s tape to mask off the white painted interior. I took extraordinary care to use a small paintbrush to paint the interior of the frame. You can also use a black marker (or paint markers) to paint the frame where the black and white meet. 

Step 3

After letting the paint dry it was time to put my face on. 😉

• Take the pages of your printed face and trim according to the guides printed on them.
• Starting at the top of the head, tape the pages together to create the man in the moon face. 
• Place the transfer paper on your wood round black side down/gray side up. Place your printable man in the moon face on top of the transfer paper. Using the transfer paper tool or the end of a small paintbrush trace around the black parts of the face.

Step 4

• Remove the printable and transfer paper and fill in your outlines with black paint. Use a small paintbrush or black paint marker. 

Use Your DIY Vintage Man In The Moon Sign In Your Home

Use On Your Mantel For Your Halloween Decor, Also Beautiful For Fall Wall Art, Mantel, or Vignette

DIY Vintage Man In The Moon On My Mantel

Our little cottage in the city sits in the shadow of (in my opinion) the best space museum in the United States –  The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The moon landing had come and gone when our home was built. The space program was in high gear to explore the universe. It was built at the end of the Space Race for those in the astronaut program, the people in mission control, and those doing the hard work of code reading and mathematics in order for the rockets to fly.

So it was fitting that I took one small step to make a “man in the moon” in order to take one giant leap toward my fall decorating to be done. I am over the moon in love with my man in the moon on my mantel. 

Too many puns? I’ll stop. 😉

And one last thing that was so cool in my opinion. The mantel was decorated on the day of the solar eclipse. So appropriate to be decorating with a moon while the sun is obscured by the moon. Like the moon was making an extra appearance that day for the occasion.

Before You Fly Away To DIY Your Own Vintage Man In The Moon Sign

Pin any of the images to Pinterest so you can make your own vintage man in the moon sign – hover over any picture to save the pin to your Pinterest account. So easy!

I’m Kristin, CEO aka Creative & Energetic Owner of The Fifth Sparrow No More. I’m so happy that you’re here! I want you to be able to find the beautiful in yourself and in your home. We will do that through learning what God says about us and decorating and DIYing in thrifty and purposeful ways.

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