Christmas Archives - DIY Driftwood

Make Driftwood Sailboat Ornaments

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How to Make Very Simple Driftwood Sailboat Ornaments for Christmas

These sweet little driftwood sailboat ornaments were really simple and quick to make – literally 5 minutes for each one. And these handmade ornaments are a highlight on the tree but you could also attach them to a wreath or set them into a lush piece of holiday garland sitting on your mantel.

Find your driftwood bottom pieces. Mine are from 4-5″ long. The cutest ones are the pieces that have a rounded bottom edge like a keel.

If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.

2. I used long think straight pieces for the mast but you could use a wooden dowel. Then just drill a hole in the main piece to accommodate your mast.

3. Before you glue the mast piece into the hole on the boat, you want to drill smaller holes in the top of the mast so you can string and hang the ornaments.

4. Attach the mast to the boat using a good glue. I’m using “Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue” which sets pretty quick and holds very well. I’m also using Peel and Stick Fabric Fuse which is one of the most useful tools to have in your crafting kit. I love this stuff. And of course, fishing filament to string the ornaments. You could also use a pretty ribbon.

5. Antique lace napkins or handkerchiefs work really well as the actual sail. I can usually find some vintage linens that work at thrift stores. I made sure to cut the corners that were already hemmed but you could actually use the Peel and Stick Fabric Fuse to turn under any edges. For the sale, I cut an uneven triangular shape (longer across the bottom) and I left the bottom edge unfinished.

6. Now just take your Peel and Stick Fabric Fuse and run a piece up the center of the sail and peel off the backing.

7. Lay your driftwood mast piece on the fuse glue and press it into the glue. Then attached the mast to your main boat piece using Aileene’s glue. Let it dry. Thread your fishing filament through the top hole on the mast and your done.

Want more ideas for driftwood ornaments? Check out our tutorial on making Driftwood Ornaments using candy or a holiday cloche (bell jar).

Make A Holiday Driftwood Star for Christmas

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Making Holiday Stars from Driftwood and Candy

Here’s a fairly quick and easy holiday craft idea for making driftwood stars from pieces of driftwood and candy that will give you that stained glass look.

Materials:

Driftwood pieces. If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
Hard candy such as LifeSavers Cherry, Watermelon, Orange; Cinnamon Red Hot
Heat Gun such as HiPur Adhesive Applicator by Stienel or Professional Glue Gun
Titebond WW30 or WW60 (for use with HiPur Adhesive Applicator) or Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks or All Temperature Wood Stik (look for glue sticks that will hold up in all temperatures)
Parchment paper or tinfoil
Eyelet screws
Ribbon
Spray polyurethane

Simply lay out your star figure with your driftwood pieces. You can make them any size you want but the bigger they are the more crushed candy you will need to fill the star.

2. Once you have your driftwood star figure, then just glue the ends. I discovered the hard way that it is much easier to fill them with the crushed candy if they are as level as possible and as many sides as possible rest on the parchment paper so that the melted candy has something to adhere to. Try to glue the points together without resting the driftwood pieces one on top of the other in order to adhere the points.

If you are using the Stienel Glue Gun and Adhesives, you will find that the glue will become opaque so a little will go a long way. This is a strong glue but it has its disadvantages. It will hold together better than regular glue guns and the glue is both waterproof and heat proof so it does work well in Florida’s heat. It even held up fine while in the oven when the candy was melting. However, half way through my project, the gun’s heating element broke and I had to resort to another method to finish my stars. I chose to go with E6000 glue which you can find at any hardware or craft store. E6000 is very good and also held up in the oven. It dries clear, but it does not dry quickly so it was time consuming to hold together ends until they were dry enough.

Glue the eyelet screw in place so you can attach a ribbon for hanging.

Now you will need to crush your candy. Use hard candy such as Lifesavers or any hard candy that, when melted will give you that stained glass look. Menthol hard candies should give you that pretty holiday blue color. Sour apple or watermelon hard candies will work.

I buy a large bag of candies and unwrap each individual piece then double bag them in ziplock baggies and pound away with a hammer until you have the smallest bits possible. A fine powder is best because it will melt quicker and result in a smoother more glass like appearance.

Set your driftwood star on some parchment paper or tinfoil and place on a cookie sheet. Then fill in the driftwood form with your crushed candy. The more candy you use and the thicker it is, the longer it will take to melt. Also, the larger your crushed pieces are – the longer it will take to melt.

The above star was filled to about 1/4″ with crushed candy and took longer to melt in the oven. It was about 8 minutes at 200 degrees. My other stars were not as thick and I put the oven at 250 degrees and they melted in about 4 minutes. You need to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn so I would start at 200 degrees and do 4 minutes and then check it every 2 minutes.

Once it has melted, take it out of the oven and let it cool before moving it around as the candy is fragile and will crack especially if it is thin.

After it is cooled, you can spray it with a polyurethane to help keep it from attracting bugs and also from melting if it becomes too warm. Then tie a ribbon through the eyelet screw and use them to decorate.

Need a Driftwood Christmas Tree for your new Driftwood Christmas Stars? Check out our Tutorial for Creating Your Own Driftwood Christmas Tree or check out this Driftwood Christmas Tree from Amazon Deco 79 Driftwood Tree, 13 by 21-Inch or this cute driftwood reindeer Deco 79 Wood Deer, 18 by 11-Inch.

Driftwood Christmas Tree Bell Jar Tutorial

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Making a Driftwood Christmas Tree Bell Jar

How cute is this Bell Jar setting with a driftwood Christmas tree, stonewall, bench and snowman. This bell jar has been designed for Christmas but can easily be changed for the seasons or holidays just by changing the miniature pieces. Change out the snow for grass and leaves and the snowman for a scarecrow and you have a bell jar for the fall season – or add some spooky gravestones and miniature skeletons and you have a nice little halloween display – all centered around a little driftwood tree.

Materials Needed:

Driftwood pieces for tree. If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
Piece of styrofoam to support your driftwood tree while building
6″-12″ wood base depending on the size of your tree and bell jar
Bell Jar
Heat Gun such as HiPur Former Adhesive Applicator or Professional Glue Gun
Titebond WW30 or WW60 (for use with HiPur Adhesive Applicator) or Ad-Tech Wood Glue Sticks or All Temperature Wood Stik (look for glue sticks that will hold up in all temperatures)
Snow Flakes
Granite pebbles for stonewall
Miniature pieces such as a sled, snowman, bench, skates, presents, sleigh, reindeer, santa, etc.
Drill and bit the size of your tree base

Start by picking your driftwood pieces for your driftwood Christmas tree. A good size to aim for is about 8″ tall.

2. Pick out four driftwood pieces to be used as support on your tree – about 1 1/2 – 2″ in length each.

3. Glue your driftwood support pieces on all sides of your driftwood tree base about 1/2″ down on the base.

4. Now start gluing flat driftwood pieces from the ends of each support to the top of the base.

5. Continue all the way around building up the tree.

6. Drill a hole in your base piece using a drill bit the size of your tree and glue your tree in place.

7. Use pebbles or stones to create a stonewall or create a fence out of driftwood pieces.

8. Add your snowflakes and create your miniature scene then cover with your bell jar.

You can add a Christmas ribbon on top or surround the bell jar with Christmas greenery.

Need a Driftwood Christmas Tree for your new Driftwood Christmas Cloche? Check out our Tutorial for Creating Your Own Driftwood Christmas Tree or check out this Driftwood Christmas Tree from Amazon Deco 79 Driftwood Tree, 13 by 21-Inch or this cute driftwood reindeer Deco 79 Wood Deer, 18 by 11-Inch.