It is impossible to list all the ideas that craftsmen have when making various crafts from driftwood. We will focus only on a few fairly simple but effective decorative products. Some of them should be done by men, while others can be handled by women without any problems.
Crafts from driftwood
What do you need for crafts? Just two things.
- Wish. Making various items with your own hands does not attract everyone; some of our compatriots prefer to buy beautiful things in stores. The article is intended for those who get real moral pleasure from things made with their own hands and do not want to have consumer goods in their home.
- Free time. It is required not only for the creative process itself, but also for preparing driftwood - you need to visit the forest yourself in search of suitable material. True connoisseurs of homemade creativity bring home various branches and driftwood from every outdoor recreation. Even if during the collection of blanks there is still no clear idea of their future fate, then every twig and every snag will find its purpose.
Work technology
If you decide to make a tree with your own hands from tree branches, then first you need to prepare corrugated paper, from which several strips are made. Their width will determine the size of the flowers. The article discusses an example that involves the use of strips of different widths. In this case, it varies from 1 to 2 cm. Instead of white corrugated paper, you can use papyrus or ordinary table napkins. First you need to cut blanks for making leaves, which will initially have a square shape. Each element will have sides equal to 4 centimeters. At the next stage, you can start making flowers. It is recommended to add a certain amount of glue after each crease, which will strengthen the flower. This is especially required for the central part.
When you make a tree with your own hands from tree branches, you can bend each strip 90 degrees, but if you wish, you can experiment; different bending angles will determine the shape of the flower. This indicates that the process can produce flowers not only of different shapes, but also of different sizes.
Design options
Depending on the size of the raw materials, large furniture is made from stumps and snags or small objects are decorated.
Furniture for all occasions
You can make rustic furniture for your home or garden with your own hands. Here are some ideas:
- Tables, chairs, bar counters and other furniture made from driftwood look unusual. It is easy to strengthen the tabletop using a cut of large driftwood.
- Small branches are suitable for the back of the chair; larger driftwood will be used for the legs. The seat is made from roots held together with hemp or a continuous, even cut.
- The bed of the bed is made of boards or thick branches; thinner branches are used for the backrest.
- If it is possible to find a fragment that has powerful branches, it is used as the basis for a floor lamp. Less solid branches will make an original candlestick or hanger.
- A wide log will make a bar counter or tabletop.
Thus, by selecting the material according to size and diameter, you can make any piece of furniture.
Making the base
When you make a tree with your own hands from tree branches, the flowers obtained at the previous stage can be fixed on the branches with glue, decorating everything with prepared petals. As an alternative solution, the roses can be attached to a ball. It, in turn, can be glued to a natural branch. The ball can be made from ordinary threads twisted into a ball. After the ball can be fixed on the branch, which can be done with super glue and tape, you can begin to attach the roses to the ball. Once all the elements are strengthened, you can add a number of leaves, which are strengthened in random order. Now the tree needs to be planted in a pot, which is often replaced with an old cup. Lastly, you need to fill in the plaster, and then dilute everything with water.
It is important to achieve a thick composition. At the next stage, the resulting tree can be planted in the prepared mixture. It is better to place the entire structure against the wall to provide support. It is important to prevent the tree from falling until the plaster dries. Before you make a tree with your own hands, you might want to think about how you will cover the hardened plaster. It may be green fiber. Another solution involves the use of acrylic paint to decorate the surface. You can decorate the branches with thin ribbons of any color, but those with a green tint will look most harmonious.
Root coffee tables
In my house there is no such thing as a coffee table; for me it is an absolutely unnecessary attribute. It stands in the middle, next to the sofa, it makes it difficult to walk through, it is inconvenient to eat behind it due to its small height, unless you put a book or a glass or a glass. It takes up space and accumulates dust on its surface.
But in many homes it is an integral part of home furniture. So I’ll tell you about them. Tree roots often have a unique, bizarre shape; tables are made from them. For example, like this.
Coffee table made from tree roots
Of course, it should be noted that it is more difficult to process the roots due to their complex structure and bending, but the result is worth it.
If in the tables we are used to, everything should be smooth and neat, then here everything is exactly the opposite. The more ornate the roots, the more interesting the wood cut and the pattern of annual rings, the better.
Original handmade wooden tables
There are some more examples of their tree root tables in another post. I was especially struck by one, a huge one, which served for cups and tea for breakfast at the hotel. It was something amazing, a continuous interweaving of roots.
Coffee table made from roots and sawn wood
Even such a round conglomerate of roots or solid wood can be turned into a table; a round glass tabletop is installed on it - the work of art is ready.
Root table with glass top
Manipulations for making wood
If you decide to make a tree with your own hands, the master class presented in the article will allow you to carry out this work quite simply. At the first stage, you need to prepare the fabric from which the elements in the form of circles are cut. In order to carry out this work as simply as possible, you can use a regular glass or a jar lid for marking. The circles are stuffed with padding polyester and then sewn together. A bamboo stick or tree branch can be partially wrapped with green tape, which is secured with glue. A floral sponge is placed in the prepared pot, into which a bamboo stick is installed. The moss needs to be laid on the surface, fixed with glue, and then the flower is glued to the improvised trunk.
If you want to make a tree from leaves with your own hands, then you can additionally strengthen these elements with glue. However, it is worth remembering that such a composition is very fragile. It is not worth installing it in a nursery, for example. If you wish, you can decorate the pot with various elements, including buttons.
How to make photo frames from branches?
It's not difficult at all. If you want an air frame like this, then connect 4 branches with a rope, giving them the shape of a rectangle. Now attach thin branches to this base using thin wire or rope. Glue paper or fabric flowers in the corner and you can use the decorative item for its intended purpose.
Even an old branch will do for your next photo frame.
It needs to be cut at an angle of 45 degrees and assembled from 4 elements into a rectangular structure. Now you have something with a touch of antiquity that looks very original.
And if you have birch bark left, then you can also make a photo frame out of it with your own hands. It can easily turn into a picture frame. To do this, you need to glue strips of birch bark onto an existing frame.
Frame the mirror with branches connected to each other. They can be glued using a hot gun. The branches will also help decorate a shelf, which can be placed right next to the mirror.
This unique natural material will even allow you to create a curtain rod. Paint the branch, hang the curtains and attach the curtain rod in place.
Here are some crafts you can make from tree branches. Continuing the topic we started, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with other interesting works and watch the video. It shows a lot of ideas. You can adopt some of them: The second video will tell you what can be made from branches and snags:
Manufacturing recommendations
First you will need to prepare a foam ball, which is wrapped with thread. This will allow the coffee beans to be firmly attached to the surface. The ends of the threads are fixed with the same glue. It is important at this stage to note where the trunk will be located. A small hole with a diameter of 1 cm is left in this area. There is no need to glue grains and threads into this area.
If you decide to make a tree from leaves with your own hands, then this composition can be decorated with the mentioned elements, which are pre-dried. They can be varnished to prevent them from falling off when accidentally touched. Now the grains are glued to the surface of the ball; it is best to use PVA glue for this. It is advisable to apply the composition to a small area, and then glue the grains. When applying the elements, you need to press them a little. After the first layer of grains has been glued, the structure should be left for about half an hour until it dries. After this, the master can begin to glue the second layer of grains.
And even a stump
If a stump has formed on the site, you can use it as the center of the composition, surrounding it with logs. The main thing is that the hemp furniture has an even cut - the table and chairs will be stable. If desired, they are supplemented with backrests made of branches and pillows are placed.
You can even use an old rotten stump as a flower pot. They are placed in the rotten middle only in a pot so that the wood does not completely collapse, and if there is moss and other vegetation on the stump, this is only a plus: they will add decorativeness.
The quirkiness of roots, branches or driftwood creates endless scope for implementing the most unexpected solutions. They are fabulously beautiful and at the same time look cozy, but most importantly: they exist in a single copy.
Final works
You need to install a tree branch in the intended place, sealing the remaining space with grains. For greater effect, you can use a glass cup with plaster poured into the bottom. To give it the appropriate color, you need to add coffee grounds to the composition. After this, the tree is installed in the mixture, the structure is leaned against the wall and left to dry completely. After this, you can add hazelnuts to the cup, decorating the trunk with ribbon.
DIY wood products can be made by any home craftsman. However, this may require special tools. It will be much easier to use branches prepared in advance. If you plan to make woodwork with your own hands at home, then you may need a special knife. However, it is recommended to choose soft wood species for this.
Where to get raw materials
You can find natural material in the forest, on the shore, in your own garden after pruning trees, or pulled out of the water. Depending on the location of detection, the pre-treatment of raw materials varies. Anything found on land is sanded, cleaned of rotten fragments, and rotten layers are removed down to the hard wood. What is taken out of the water is cleaned of contaminants and dried.
The jackpot is considered to be the discovery of bog oak. Furniture made from it is considered elite, and dark wood is recognized as the most durable. However, other tree species are quite resistant.
