Don’t throw out your scrap wood after a construction project! These little pieces can sometimes be the perfect size and shape for a fun craft project. We recently had a pole barn built on our property and I was surprised at all of the scrap wood that was left behind. As my husband and I started picking up the wood, I noticed that some of the pieces reminded me of little pine trees. Once that idea was in my head, I began looking for all of the triangle pieces I could find! Now I can pretty much make a whole forest of wooden trees.
I realize that technically I could have cut any desired shape from a large square. However, I love the ease of using scrap pieces as is. This works especially well if you don’t need your shapes to be perfect. Since I like things a little on the whimsical side, my scrap finds were perfect for making trees. All I had to do is decorate them a bit by adding some embellishments and paint.
Decide On A Tree Trunk
The first thing to do is figure out something to use as a tree trunk. It should be stable to support the tree shape and add some whimsy to the design. I’ve used small sections of thick branches, cabinet knobs, and thread spools. Whatever you have that makes a good base for the tree is good. It’s fun to play around with different objects to get the look that you want.
Add Paint To The Tree Design
There are also plenty of options for painting the wooden tree. You can paint it a solid color, paint on shapes like circles, or give the tree a two tone look. Simply divide the tree in half or at any point where you want a separation of colors. Wrap the tree with painters tape where you want the separation. Whether you paint with two separate colors or paint one part and stain the other, you get a fun look.
Since I wanted to show some of the woodgrain, I left the top of the tree without paint. I just put a clear coat of polyurethane on it to deepen the wood color a bit.
Wood Burn Instead Of Paint
Besides painting the trees, I also like to use by wood burning tool on them. It’s easy toburn some patterns onto the wooden trees. I just did some quick and simple patterns by hand. You could get more fancy with stencils or tracing a design onto the wood.
