Yes, yes I know that Christmas is over and I need to gracefully let it go, step into the new year and seize all the opportunities on offer in 2016. But I do love Christmas so if there is anything I can do to make Christmas live on that little bit longer {short of being one of those crazies that celebrates Christmas everyday, that’s a bit much even for me} I will do my best.
Last year we had a real tree for the first time in our current house. A number of years ago when we moved in we wanted to get our tree really early (we’re talking 3rd December here) so we opted for a beautiful fake 8 foot tree from John Lewis, which is amazing and has served us well. However, I was inspired by having attended a couple of wreath making workshops and really wanted the feel and smell of real spruce in the house (as well as on the front door). The good hubby was on board with the idea so after much research {it had to be as good as our fake one with a good shape and not too bare at the top} we visited our local supplier who I would highly recommend. We will definitely be going back there this year for our tree in 300 and whatever days.
Fast forward a few weeks to the first weekend in January and we were taking the tree down. As I mentioned in a previous post on the memory jars, we are very sentimental. As a result we grew rather attached to our lovely tree and were gutted when we had to take him down ahead of the return to work, and wondered whether there was a way to keep him a little bit longer…
Then…*flashback* to our honeymoon where every meal they would place a bottle of water on a wooden coaster made from a slice of one of the felled palm trees from the island. We loved the rustic nature of these and wanted some for our home but couldn’t find anything that quite hit the mark. So…*back to the present day*…I had the idea of recreating these coasters from the Christmas tree. We would have to use the very base of the trunk to get a good sized coaster but we thought it would work. So the good hubby got started on sawing off a few slices of the trunk…
What you’ll need
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A Christmas tree! (or any log you can find, even those from a petrol station intended for the fire should work)
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Hack saw (and some muscle…cue the good hubby)
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Sandpaper or (preferably) a handheld sander
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Wax or lacquer depending on the finish you want – I used a clear wax as it gives the rustic look we were after
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Old rags for the wax and for buffing
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Newspaper to protect your surfaces
What to do
- Saw off sections of the log that are 1.5cm thick or less if you can – the thinner the better. Do as many as you want coasters. Please take appropriate precautions when doing this i.e. keep your hands away from the blade and wear a mask and goggles to protect yourself.
- Once you have all the slices you want then use the sander to smooth out the ridges on the coasters. This can take some time but it’s worth the effort in the end.
- When you have sanded both sides of each of your coasters then you’re ready for waxing or the lacquer. At this stage, you can also scratch in some words or a date or whatever you want using a thick needle. I scratched in 2015 on the back of both of the coasters as I wanted to be able to remember the year they were from if we did them again. Plus you know I’m sentimental, so I like to remember these things…
- If you’re working with wax then apply a generous amount to one side with a cloth, working into the grain of the wood. Then, using a clean cloth, buff off the excess wax. Repeat on the other side. {If you’re working with lacquer then follow the instructions on the back of the pot. Usually it will need at least two coats, and stick to the rule that the thinner the coats the better and use the best quality brush you have to limit visible brush strokes in the final product.}
- The wax will take a few hours to dry completely, and you may wish to give it a second coat to achieve the perfect look. Once they are dry, they are ready to use. Enjoy!
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