Remember how I pruned the heck out of the pine trees in my backyard last week? Well, it left me with a truckload of branches for the compost centre and one or two for home decor projects…
like this branch slice vase;
This project is so easy to do, and this time of year is PERFECT because not only are branches beautiful in Fall vignettes, but finding fallen branches and/or pruning them is right in season!
I set up a piece of 2×4 on my mitre saw and clamped it in place so that wood that butt against it would cut at about 3/4″ thick.
Then I just butt the branch up to my jig and cut, over and over and over until I had a pile of branch slices; perfectly flat and equal in depth.
I purchased a dollar store pot for the foundation of my branch slice vase. I was fortunate enough to find one already painted black but worst case, get a regular terra-cotta pot and spray paint it black.
I roughed up the vase/pot slightly, just to give the glue something to adhere to and then I started attaching the branch slices to the container using Gorilla Glue.
Tip: turn your vase upside-down and start your wood slices at what will be the top opening. By doing it this way, you know your top layer of wood will be flush with the rim of your vase.
Once a row is complete, wrap an elastic band around it to hold the slices in place while the glue expands and sets.
I didn’t actually plan for the glue to expand as much as it did – so I panicked a bit when I saw the white foam oozing between the wood disks – however, if you catch it before it has hardened, you can tuck smaller branch slices into the gaps (cut with pruning shears).
I left the elastic bands on for a couple of hours to be sure everything was solidly in place, and then I used a bit of black craft paint to hide any areas that were still showing the white (foam) glue.
It’s so cute!
and so Fall.
I tucked a faux magnolia branch into the branch slice vase and used the extra wood slices as filler to keep it upright.
(I may need these for a project down the road.)
It’s the perfect finishing touch to my staircase landing vignette (thank you again Trish for suggesting it).
If you don’t coat your branch slice vase with cutting board oil, you can enjoy the fresh smell of pine branches for the Season. If you do decide to coat it, you can enjoy the lemony scent. lol
Bring a little nature into your decor with this simple craft.
Have a great one!
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