Wood Ornaments

About a month ago, after that crazy windstorm, we had a lot of trees and branches that had fallen. Instead of stacking it to sit there and not be used, I decided to pick a few and use them for some different art projects. Below you will find a how-to guide for creating your own beautiful ornaments, which you can then individualize to show your style and creativity.

I choose to create two types of ornaments. One using chalkboard paint as the base and one using the natural wood backdrop.

What you will need:

- Wood

- Table Saw

- Safety equipment necessary to safely hand a saw

- acrylic paint

- paintbrushes

- chalkboard paint

- chalkboard markers

- sealer or stain

sand paper

Step 1:

With my luck, we had a huge windstorm that allowed me to gather fallen branches and trees instead of cutting them down. In your case, you may not have had a windstorm. To acquire the wood necessary for your wood ornaments you can either buy pre-cut pieces of wood for very cheap. I have found some on Facebook Market Place. Or you can cut a dead tree and use that.

TIP: Make sure you chose pieces of wood that are small enough that they won't weigh down a tree. If you are following this guide for other reasons make sure you consider how heavy it will be. For instance, I will be using mine as gift tags, therefore they can't be overly large if I'm attaching them to a wine bottle.

Step 2:

If you choose to slice your own wood. You will need a table saw. Make sure that you use the appropriate safety equipment. I had the help from my amazing boyfriend so we made a morning of it. We also were able to cut logs to make coasters and candle holders.

Step 3:

Using sand paper make sure to sand the surfaces that you will be painting on. It will make your life a lot easier! It will also allow for the stain or sealer to absorb better onto the wood.

Step 4:

If you would like your wood to be a certain colour now would be the time to stain it. Make sure you are in an open space and have good ventilation. Also don't shake the can... or at least don't shake the can after someone has already opened it... I made that mistake and let me tell you, it made an awful mess.

Step 5:

Get creative!

This is your time to make them your own. You can paint on them with acrylic, you can use chalk paint and then draw on them. If you're feeling extra adventurous you can try your hand at wood burning.

I choose to paint a few and chalk paint others. I also decided to keep some for next year or for other spontaneous crafts in the future.

Step 6:

When you have finished with your creations and they have thoroughly dried, you can begin to seal them. There are many different ways you can go about doing this:

Option 1: Don't seal them.

Option 2: Seal them using a spray sealer.

Option 3: Use a paint sealer that you can purchase at a hardware store for furniture.

I decided to use option 3 because that particular sealer is meant for wood DIY's. Make sure to give them lots of time to dry!

Wooden ornaments make great gifts. There aren't necessarily made for trees, depending on what you do with them they can be suitable for any occasion. So make them unique and make them a gift of love.