Sunday, December 15, 2013

Driftwood Christmas Tree

 
Driftwood trees

This Christmas season I've been busy making lots of decorations with driftwood. It's so easy to make and I just love how it looks. It's rustic and natural and really brings the whole family in the holiday spirit.


I'm so grateful for the times when my little boy naps AND I have the energy and inspiration to make something nice. My daughter is a great person to have around when I'm crafting. She's always watching me and is in awe of everything I make. She will say it's pretty or other nice things to keep me going. I'm very happy she's into crafting too and I hope for her it will last a lifetime since it's a superb gift to have; the ability to craft.

And now the star of this blog post: Making Driftwood Christmas trees.

I'll start this blog post off with a confession: the base was made by my husband. 
Oh the shame... I like to call it teamwork =) Maybe someday I will feel comfortable crafting outside the box.

1. I bought some knitting needles at the thrift store for $0.50. 
2. My husband used a little bit of leftover wood to make the base. Free.
3. Forest wood from South Lake Tahoe. Free.
4. = Priceless Christmas tree.

Whilst the kids were playing on the playground I dragged a big bag around to collect pieces of wood. 
This time around I knew exactly what to make so I looked for enough pieces of different sizes. 
Since it was frosty on the ground when I was collecting I had to let the wood dry for a few days. I put 
it by the heater and after that it was in my garage for another 2 weeks.
This DIY project is done in a few simple steps.
 Letting the wood dry.

1. After my husband made me 2 bases I sorted the wood for similar thickness and color and lengths 
that would add up nicely in a christmas tree shape. I laid it out and measured with my base to see if 
I had enough pieces to fill it all the way up. 
Measuring.
2. After that I started drilling holes. How big the hole should be depends on the size knitting needle 
you're using. Also use a big block of wood on your work surface if you don't want to drill holes in your 
kitchen counter. Yep, the kitchen was my work space for this craft :)
Drilling.
3. After each drill I put the stick on the the base to see if it would work. Even after measuring in the 
beginning on one tree I had to add another stick to make it to the top. This is because sometimes I 
would flip the stick and then everything is slightly off.
All done.
4. Wow, you're done already! 
If you want you can decorate the tree with ribbon or little ornaments.
These trees will be reused again for Valentine's Day. I actually see a lot of use in their 
future.

Letting my girl help me decorate.

 How to make the base.
The base is about a third of the length. Drill a hole in the bottom of both pieces just slightly smaller than the width of the knitting needle. Put a bit of wood glue in the middle and hold the pieces in a 90 degree angle, and glue together. Now one piece of wood is slightly higher than the other so you have to correct this on both ends with a little piece of wood. Glue it underneath so it's not wobbly anymore. You can slide in the knitting needle and since it's slightly smaller it stays put.

2 comments: