wood burned holiday gift ideas

I love wood burning and over the years I have discovered that it's a really unique way to create affordable personalized gifts. All you need is a wood burning tool, a wood surface and a little creativity!

I use a Wood Hollow Creative Woodburner Pen. I have been using this tool for years now and I love it. While there are more expensive brands and tools out there, the Creative Woodburner is a really good quality all purpose burner that comes with 4 tips. You simply plug it in, let it heat up and start burning!

As far as wood goes, I will use anything from sticks to driftwood to blank wooden shapes, utensils and objects. We always have lots of wood scraps around here and I like playing around with different types of wood, shapes and size. Keep in mind that all wood will not burn in the same way though. Harder wood is more challenging and typically requires more time and precision while softer wood will burn fast and smooth. 

In my experience, there is no secret or short cut to burning designs into wood except for lots of practice and patience. It takes a lot of time to get used to the way it feels to draw with a wood burning tool but once you get the hang of it, there are endless ways to be creative!

wood burn from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

TIPS:

1. LINES AND LOTS OF THEM- I like to use the tip of the burner to make all kinds of small lines- from chevron pattern to herringbone to shading and detail work, there are all kinds of ways to use repetitive lines.  FYI- Straight lines are easy- curved lines and circles are challenging.

2. DOTS- I love using dots in all of my artwork and they are super easy to to create with a wood burner. I like to use them to fill up space or add a decorative element to my lines.

3. CURVED LINES- Curvy lines and circles can be challenging, especially depending on the type of wood you are using and the grain of wood. It takes lots of practice (I'm still practicing my curved lines) to get good clean curvy lines and shapes but once you have it mastered the sky is the limit with burning patterns and images.

4. SHADING- I like to use the side of my tool to add shading. Shading is a little more subtle than a big dark line and can be used to fill areas with contrast.

There are so many fun ways you can put wood burning to use to create holiday gifts! Below are some on my favorite wood burned projects that I have created over the years!

1.wood burned ornaments 2. wood burned table top 3. wood burned blocks 4. wood burned bangles 5. wood burned buttons 6. wood burned earrings 7. wood burned spoons 8. wood rings 9. popsicle stick bracelets 10. wood burned frame 11. wood burned boxes

wood burned tabletop

I love wood burning projects and when I recently found a round piece of wood in our shed I thought it would be the perfect surface to burn and transform into a side tabletop. 

Since it was round, I thought a mandala design on top would be perfect! 

To begin, I used a compass and a ruler to map out my design. 

Using my Wood Hollow Creative Woodburner Pen I got to work burning my design.

This kind of work can be tricky. To begin, it takes a lot of time to burn into a piece of wood this big and your hands will get really sore. I like to work on something this large in stages over the course of a couple of days. 

It's also tricky because hard and cheap wood (like the piece that I used) can have a lot of grain and knots in it. The process can be challenging because the grain and the knots won't burn the evenly- there will be a lot of "interruptions" in the design. I personally don't mind. I actually love the character of wood grain and the imperfections but you could use a softer wood with less visible grain for a smooth burn.

After a lot of hours and a sore hand I finished the mandala. 

The last step was to use brackets to attach the tabletop to metal legs

Check out all of my wood burning projects below.

1. wood burned blocks 2. wood burned bangles 3. wood burned buttons 4. wood burned earrings 5. wood burned spoons 6. wood rings 7. popsicle stick bracelets 8. wood burned frame 9. wood burned boxes

wood burned eggs

I love decorating eggs and I love wood burning so I finally got around to making a little batch of wood burned eggs. I love the idea of decorated eggs as a creative gift for Easter gatherings. And while these eggs were time consuming- they are so pretty!

Supplies:

Wooden Eggs- You can find these at most craft stores.

Wood Burning Tool- I always use a Wood Hollow Creative Woodburner Pen. I have been using this tool for years now and I love it. While there are more expensive brands and tools out there, the Creative Woodburner is a really good quality all purpose burner that comes with 4 tips. You simple plug it in, let it heat up and start burning!

Watercolor Paint- While you can leave the wood natural, I like to add a little bit of color with watercolors. When applied to wood they create a really pretty stain that works well with the dark burned lines.

Burn your favorite designs into the surface! While I tend to work off the top of my head- you can also spend time drawing out your design in pencil and then burning over the top.

Wood burning projects make wonderful handmade gifts! Check out all of my wood burning projects below.

1. wood burned blocks 2. wood burned bangles 3. wood burned buttons 4. wood burned earrings 5. wood burned spoons 6. wood rings 7. popsicle stick bracelets 8. wood burned frame 9. wood burned boxes