My nephew, Joey, made his local traveling soccer team and to help him celebrate, I decided to create a name sign for his room. Here are the list of supplies I used: Wood letters Wood circle plaque Creative Versa-Tool® Acrylic … Continue reading
By Chris Wallace for Walnut Hollow
If you haven’t tried wood burning yet, this project would be a perfect way to start learning. It’s easy, fun and also gives you a chance to try the Alphabet Hot Stamps to add words!
I used the Creative Versa-Tool® with the Versa-Temp Temperature Control to make things easier.
After reading all of the instructions found outside and inside the package, use pliers to attach the Flow Point on the Tool. Secure the Tool Stand to your work surface with tape and place the Tool on the Stand. Plug into an electric outlet and turn the Versa-Temp control dial to the Red Zone and heat for 4-5 minutes.
While the Tool is heating, position a stencil onto the Basswood Canvas. I used a Martha Stewart stencil for this project. Use a pencil to trace the design onto the wood, leaving room to add the words under the branch.
Use the Flow Point to wood burn the branches and berries. Outline the bird, legs, feet and eye. Use the pliers to remove the Flow Point, dropping it into a ceramic dish. Turn the Versa-Temp control dial to the Yellow-Orange Zone.
Attach the Shading Point with the pliers. With the Versa-Temp control dial on the Yellow-Orange Zone, wood burn very lightly inside the bird with the very flat portion of the Point to shade the bird. The lower heat of the Tool will help to keep the shading lighter than other parts of your wood burned design. When you are finished shading the bird, use the pliers to remove the Shading Point and drop it into the ceramic dish. Turn the Versa-Temp control dial back to the Red Zone.
Attach the Circle Hot Stamps on the Tool with the pliers. Wood burn all the edges of the Basswood Canvas with half of the Stamp on the top edges and the full Stamp on the side edges. Use the pliers to remove the Circle Hot Stamp and drop in into the ceramic dish.
To add words, attach an appropriate letter from the Alphabet Hot Stamps with the pliers. Place the Tool on the Stand.
Use a ruler and pencil to draw lines under branch to keep letters straight on the Basswood Canvas. Carefully burn each letter, removing and attaching each letter with the pliers.
Once your wood burning is complete, erase any remaining pencil lines. For a protective finish, apply 2-3 coats of either spray or brush-on varnish.
For more information and videos on Beginning Wood Burning using the Creative Versa-Tool see the YouTube Video below:
By Chris Wallace for Walnut Hollow
A few Blogs ago I talked about some products we have at Walnut Hollow and the differences and similarities. I thought I would do that again – this time with our Letters & Numbers. Because people have always liked to personalize craft projects and individual letters and numbers are so popular – they are all over Pinterest – it might be a good idea to show you what is available. We have 3 different sizes.
Let’s begin with the smallest. They are 1 ½” and are laser cut. They are thin (.15”), made from plywood and come 2 in a package with edges that are brownish because of the way they are cut. We have the alphabet, numbers 0-9, an ampersand and a punctuation package with bars, commas, period and asterisks.
I like that they are on the small size and fit perfectly on our Rustic Pallet items. Here, I used them for a quote by the fictional character in The Help, Aibileen Clark.
These are our 5” letters. They are made from pine and are ¾” thick – so they will stand on a flat surface. We have the alphabet and ampersand in this size. They are perfect for painting, staining, decoupage, glitter, buttons, wood burning, stamping and adding other embellishments.
This is a great project made with the 5” letter and a Wood Panel (we used the reversed side that is like a frame) for Ethan’s Room – you can tell that he loves cars!
The third set of letters are 18”. They are made from Baltic Birch and are ½” thick. Each letter includes one or two keyholes so they can hang flush on a wall. We have the alphabet and ampersand in this size also – perfect for personalized home décor, wedding décor and fun mixed media projects.
I sprayed these 18” letters with Krylon® Chalkboard Spray and decorated them with the Marvy/Uchida® Bistro Chalk Markers. They were fun and easy to make and Sara and Kenny loved them in their home.
Hope that helps to clarify any questions about our Letters & Numbers – they are all great to use for your crafting and Pinterest projects!
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