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

wood burned ornaments

If you follow my blog you will know how much I LOVE WOOD BURNING! It is such a creative and unique process that transforms a piece of wood into art. Every Christmas I end up making wood burned projects for gifts and this year I wanted to make ornaments that could double as a present topper.

Most craft stores like Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabric have all kinds of balsa wood shapes and forms (typically made for simple craft projects) but I love using these shapes for wood burning- they are thin and the wood is soft which make burning easy. 

I drilled a hole in the top and added a string

The perfect little handmade holiday gift!

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

popsicle stick jewelry

Something that has been on my craft project to do list for a while is bending popsicle sticks into bracelets. Since they are wood and since I am obsessed with wood burning, I thought I would put my own twist on the project. 

You have to start by bending the popsicle sticks and in order to this you have to soak them in water (over night or until they are pliable). 

Next, you have to bend them into the shape of a bracelet- the inside of a glass or jar works great.

Let the popsicle sticks dry out in the the glass- typically takes about 1 day or overnight.

At this point you can used any of your favorite mixed media techniques on the surface but I decided to wood burn designs into them.

I added beads to the back of the bracelet to help them fit better and to add a little color. 

I poked a hole in each side of the bracelet with an awl and then used stretch cord with beads threaded through the holes.

I had so much fun making the bracelets that I was inspired to make earrings!

I simply cut the popsicle sticks into different shapes and then burned designs into them.

Last, I poked a hole in the top and added ear wires.

And there you have it! Jewelry made from popsicle sticks! I just love a project made from simple materials!

altered picture frames

Picture frames are one of my favorite things to transform. They are affordable, available everywhere and really easy to alter! Here are a few of my favorite SIMPLE ways to turn a plain frame into something unique!

You've gotta know by now that I am obsessed with wood burning and using that wood burning tool on a wood frame is a really easy way to make it beautiful!

TIP: Keep in mind that different wood will look and feel different when burning. The softer the wood, the easier it will be to burn.

Paint it THE EASIEST way to transform just about anything! I used a layer of bright green acrylic paint and then using 3-D paint, went over the top with pattern.

TIP: Use your favorite mixed media and/or painting techniques (blend, drip, splatter, stamp, stencil, etc) to transform a frame.

Wrapping a frame with fiber is a quick and easy way to update an old frame! I used a combination of colorful yarn and fabric.

TIP: Use scraps of fabric, an old shirt, canvas, ribbon, string or upcycled materials for wrapping.