My fun little craft is finished. I love something I can finish in less than 24 hours - oh instant gratification. Yesterday, I posted about our tree that fell, and today I'll finish the craft. I chose the thickest fallen branches from the tree. It wasn't very old, so they weren't huge.
Zach taught me how to use the miter saw. I've invaded his workshop. I didn't make exact measurements to the "chips" I cut, I wanted them to be rustically random.
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| Excuse the anatomy images, this was the best/cleanest flat surface down there... |
Next, I picked a few words I wanted to use and sketched out each letter on the chip. You could probably print off letters and write them in, but I was okay with some simple lower-case lettering.
A few weeks ago we picked up a wood burner, about $10 from Walmart. Zach wanted to use it on a different project, but I thought I could play with it here. If you don't have one or don't want to risk burning down your house, you could probably use a permenant marker. I really like the look of the burnt letters, but you can see for yourself.
These are definitely artist quality wood burnings, but if I could give any advice, I'd say to go slowly and retrace the lines until you like the thickness. I practiced with the burner on a scrap piece of wood, but the logs are different because they're still wet/alive. It basically meant that it took longer to burn and made a snap, crackle, pop as it went.
I found another scrap piece of wood, a 1x2. I used some leftover gunstock stain and gave it two coats. I love the red undertone in it.
I laid out my letters along the board to check spacing and alignment. Probably should've done this before staining.
As you can see, I staggered mine, I thought it made it look more interesting and random. The glue says it takes 20-30 minutes to dry, but a 24 hours to cure. I gave it 31 minutes, eagerly unwrapped them, and then found out they were still wet. Fast forward five hours and they were stable.
The final project! This is our wedding verse, so it has a lot of meaning to it. My dad was the officiant for our wedding and he used it throughout. We also have the reference engraved on Zach's ring. It's all about how on our own, Zach and I can be easily overwhelmed, but with God in the middle of our relationship we're unbreakable.
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| Sarah Norton Photography |
"Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
I didn't place them centered, and I love the way it turned out! It's a little hard to choose a spot to put this, because it's really long! Maybe if you do it you can pick a shorter book or phrase! Ha!
For now, it will live on our buffet in the dining room.
