Use a Tree to Decorate Your Tree

Project 4: Ornaments

As mention in the Project 3 post, there were several branches that were around. And as much as I love candle holders I wanted to come up with another fun project.  This time I opted for some ornaments out of the branch slices.  They actually came out better then I had excepted. :)

Materials:

• Branch disks (again this requires some power tools)
• Wood burning tool
• Polyurethane
• Wire
• Decorations

Steps:

• Once you have your desired disks it is really a quick process.  Sand each side to give yourself a nice smooth working surface.
• I drew an outline of what I was going to do on each disk while I waited for the tool to heat up.
• The tool gets seriously hot so use caution.  You don't want to burn your table, skin or start a fire, all of which are possible.  So follow your pattern lines and burn the design on.  Your tool will determine how you do this.
• Drill a small hole through the top for the wire which will become the hook.  You want to make sure the hole is just big enough for the wire and not too close to the top. 
• As usual I coated everything in poly again.  This time it brought out the colors and grain in the wood and the design.  It also protects and preserves. :)
• I then wired them all up and added some decoration.  This time it happened to be some glittery bows.  You know just a little pop of color.

What I learned:

• Wood burning tools can leave a marks on the table.  I used a stone tile to lean the tool on.
• The longer you leave the tool the hotter it will get and the easier it will be to use.
• Letters and curved lines are hard to do.  Practice. Practice. Practice.  Once you burn in you can't erase.
• It was easier to dip these in poly then it was to spray them.  Let them hang to drip dry.
• Spacing with the tool will be wider then spacing with a pencil so plan ahead. 

I really liked how these came out.  Again, I created more then I am showing here.  These just happen to be the ones that I like the most.  I did burn my fingers a little but I was careful.  So you should be too when you are working with a wood burning tool. :)

Craft on my Friends...