Believe it or not, but this project is yet another one that I’m pulling out from the never-published archives. To put it in perspective, this was a collaboration with DecoArt and…A.C. Moore craft stores. Remember them? Anyway, the purpose of the partnership was to create a Christmas craft with their selection of wood slices.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Well, more specifically, their wood slices and DecoArt paints.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Me being me, of course, I broke the rules by incorporating some upcycling into my project. Everything was *supposed* to be a new craft supply from A.C. Moore and I, well, stood my secondhand ground.
By pairing up my slices and paints with vintage Christmas postcards and other paper ephemera.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Admittedly, this is probably why the partnership fizzled out, but within a year, A.C. Moore was a thing of the past so…
Anyway, I decided it was time to put this old project up on my blog with a quick tutorial!
This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All blue, bold, and underlined text is a clickable link, either to a product or to a related post. This post was also sponsored by DecoArt.
Painting the Wood Slices
First things first, and of course to showcase the craft paint, I painted one side of each wood slice. I used the last notable ring as my painting boundary. I think it’s the ring between the live bark and the actual wood.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
When all was said and done, I painted two coats of craft paint on each slice. I simply wanted the flat surface to be colorful and fully opaque.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
For a festive touch, I decided to add a hint of glam to my rustic Christmas decorations. To do so, I simply dry-brushed some metallic paint on the raised ridges; this one with gold paint…
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
And this one with a metallic espresso brown paint which I liked even better. It looked like bark but with a hint of pizzazz!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Once the bark embellishment was done, it was time to add the vintage Christmas postcards!
Displaying Vintage Postcards
The last thing I wanted to do was adhere my precious antique postcards to the wood slices. However I displayed them, it had to be temporary.
So, I used one of my favorite things: photo corners!
Next, I selected the postcards and paper bits to display on my wood slices, using rubber bands to hold them in place. Then, I placed photo corners on them and adhered the corners to the wood slices.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
After that, I removed the rubber bands and carefully screwed in some eye screw hooks to the top of each wood slice. And yes, it wouldn’t hurt to drill your pilot holes first before you even paint the wood slices.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
This way, I could loop some twine through the eye hook and hang my rustic Christmas decorations. But first, another wood slice to embellish.
I painted another one white and planned on decoupaging a small piece of Christmas paper to the wood slice. Just as another option AND to show off DecoArt’s version of Mod Podge.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
First I brushed on the decoupage glue, then placed the Christmas paper over the wet glue. I sealed it with more Decoupage glue and pressed out any bubbles before allowing it to dry. Then, I grabbed some silver craft paint for bark embellishment.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
And WOW! I loved how the metallic brown paint looked but silver gave the wood slice a shimmery, icy look which was awesome, too.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Ready to see how all my wood slices turned out?
Rustic Christmas Decorations with Wood Slices
Last but not least, I hot glued ribbon bows to each wood slice and tied a loop twine through the eye hooks.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
I used Christmas craft ribbon I already had in my stash, but I wish I’d treated myself to a few new spools specifically for this project. Oh, well!
Anyway, I planned on using my rustic Christmas decorations as door knob hangers. At least on doors that we didn’t use all the time. Otherwise, the wood slice knocks against the door in a very annoying fashion!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
You could certainly do this with the smaller, coaster-sized wood slices, too. But your paper embellishments (or any embellishments) would just need to be smaller.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Either way, I found it helpful to select my vintage Christmas postcards and paper bits to be my wood slice guide. I brought them with me to A.C. Moore so that I could place them on the wood slices to make sure they fit before purchasing.
I hope you enjoyed this little crafty idea for the Christmas season. And I still stand by my decision to insist upon using something vintage or upcycled in my project way back when. I’m just a secondhand rebel through and through…
If you enjoyed this idea for displaying vintage Christmas postcards, then you might also be interested in this upcycled project!
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Craft on!
S
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Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
I love this project! I’m thinking I will do some of these for my home this Christmas – thank you for the inspiration!
You’re very welcome, Gina!