Tree Branch Candle Holder Centerpiece

DIY success! I'm so excited about how this modern rustic tree branch candelabra turned out!
See it at Etsy here:  www.etsy.com/listing/122445117/rustic-modern-candelabra-centerpiece

I made the base from reclaimed and upcycled wood planks (sanded, stained, glued and screwed all the pieces together. This thing is sturdy!).

For the actual candle holding pieces, I cut the branches to different lengths. Drilling the hole in the middle for tapered candles proved a challenge since I was doing all this by myself. I solved the problem by first securing each branch with screws to my "work table" (aka kitchen stool).

Once each branch was drilled, I sanded the tops, polyurethaned them, then screws each branch to the base.

There are 9 candle holders comprising this one centerpiece. Votive or taper candles fit. I think the textures and colors of each piece of wood are stunning!

Easy modern rustic wood wall decoration

Take a tree branch, introduce it to a bandsaw (or  coping saw) and some wood glue and what do you get? A one-of-a-kind modern rustic wall decoration!

If you're not into DIY, you can purchase this piece here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/117498191/modern-rustic-wood-slices-wall

DIY modern rustic pencil holder

A bit of modern rustic for the office-- and it was easy to make!

Supplies:

--a small branch or two

--popsicle sticks

--acrylic paint

--wood glue

--wood stain

--polyurethane

I started by making a simple box from 1/8" hardboard, but any square or rectangular box from wood or hardboard would work fine. 

I used a bandsaw to cut the branch and popsicle sticks, but a coping saw (an inexpensive hand saw) would work just fine.

Next came the stain for the popsicle sticks, followed by a quick, light sand to the branch slices. While sticks were drying, I painted the dividers and the box a slightly grayish blue. Then I just started gluing! 

I cut the dividers from the hardboard, but they can easily be constructed with popsicle sticks and glue. Because I wanted the dividers angled, I added small strips of wood for strength to keep them in place. 

Once I was happy with the look and the glue was dry, I gave the entire box inside and out a coat of polyurethane. I finished by giving the inside a couple more coats for added durability.

My inspiration: 
Modern landscaping design and interior use of wood slices:

Modern Landscape design by San Diego Landscape Architect Argia Designs Landscape Design & Consultation

Traditional Media Room design by New York Interior Designer Laura Kirar Design

I love how it turned out!

Pallet chair for your cell phone!

I love shipping-pallets-turned-furniture. So, I thought, why not create the look of modern pallet chairs but for a different purpose...for a cell phone.

So, a bunch of popsicle sticks and some wood glue later, here they are!

 (For sale here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/116295294/mini-pallet-chair-cell-phone-holder)

I used a bandsaw to cut the sticks, but a coping saw (an inexpensive hand saw) would work also.
Then I just starting assembling. I finished off each chair by drilling tiny holes and inserting cut up toothpicks to work as "nails" with wood glue. These are sturdy little chairs!

For one of the chairs, I added dark stain, and both were coated with polyurethane. To keep the chair from sliding, I added tiny pieces of self-stick rubber no-slip pads.

My inspiration:
Actual pallet chairs like this one:

And, it worked!

Unfinished Wood Craft Supplies to Stylish Accessory

Rustic modern accessory - totally easy to make!

Unfinished square craft frames
+ 1/4" thick round, unfinished wood discs
+ 1/4" wood dowels
+ 3" square wood blocks
+ two different colors of wood stain
= one of my favorite DIY decorative accessories!

I got the inexpensive wood craft supplies at Michael's. But I've also seen them at JoAnn's.

My favorite part of the finished products are the shadows
that the squares and circles cast against the wall.

Experimenting with textured painting: Part 2

Seriously, LOVE this product:

Several different colors of acrylic paints + two or three types of Liquitex (matte, gloss, opaque, transparent), + paint brushes or paint scrapers or whatever tool you can find = nearly instant art.
Anyone can do it.
Here are a couple more of my "masterpieces":

I painted inexpensive frames, then used the several shades of blue acrylic paints and Liquitex on posterboard. Nothing fancy, but I LOVE how they turned out. 

This is a 2 feet by 3 feet canvas.  I painted countless layers and shades of pink and red until I thought it was just right. I mainly used two sizes of paint scrapers to get the textured effect.

Poster board + yogurt cup-turned-stamp + texture + paint. I painted four 3x3 inch frames I got from Michaels, then dipped the rim of a yogurt cup in the texture/paint mixture. 

Experimenting with textured painting

I love textures. I discovered this handy little product line that makes adding texture to projects very fun and so easy!

Liquitex gel mediums, available at many craft stores. I got mine at Michael's.

Here's just two of Liquitex's products that I have on hand, but, they have many variations matte to glossy and light to heavy texture. Just add these to any acrylic craft paint and go at it. You don't have to know how to paint (as you can see, my "paintings" are quite simple).

For the red painting, I used variations of matte & glossy. I kept applying layers until I was satisfied for the time. I'll probably add a different color to it at some point. 

I use whatever tools I have on hand to create different textures. For the paintings, I used paint scrapers and I believe that's a cake knife? 

The turquoise and green mini-painting above is just a test piece I did to show how the super glossy heavy gel that is transparent allows you to layer colors as well as textures.

For this frame, I simply used small paint brushes to create this texture. The frame is a cheap wood frame from Michael's.